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HP Recommended
Workstation z820
Microsoft Windows 7 (64-bit)

Hello

 

Today y made a BIOS Update in windows 7 (64) from 3.06 to 3.90.

The Update Process freeze at end  and only Power Cycle possible (Waited 15min.)

 

Now when power Up only noise from Fan and Black Screen.

CD rom blink  (like he search somthing)

 

Called HP Support... and what Surprise... Support ended 1 month before...

 

I asked for Help in Bios Crisis Recovery procedure...

And the nice woman told me that only can buy a New Motherboard.

 

Can anybody Help Me Please ? Is there really no recovery procedure ?

 

Please ?

 

18 REPLIES 18
HP Recommended

Hi:

 

If you run the BIOS file again (on another PC), the intruction page opens and you can try this...I'd burn the DOS based flash files on a CD, since the DVD drive may be looking for a CD to recover from, but according to the instructions below, you can use a USB flash drive (formatted in the FTA 32 files system, not NTFS).

 

Just put the files inside the folder on the CD, not the folder.

 

Fail-safe BootBlock Recovery Mode

HP Workstations include 64 KB of write-protected boot block ROM that provides a way to recover from a failed update of the system BIOS ROM, for instance in the event of a power loss.  Fail-safe BootBlock Recovery Mode will detect that the BIOS is unusable and boot the workstation in a recovery mode and search the root folder of any FAT/FAT32 file system on any USB media source (hard drive, flash drive, etc.) for a compatible binary image. The binary (.bin) file in the DOS Flash folder should be copied to the root of the desired storage device, and the system powered on. Once the binary image is located, the BIOS recovery process will be attempted. The automatic recovery will continue until the BIOS is successfully updated or restored.

 

 

 

 

HP Recommended

Hi

 

First of all .. Thank You.

 

I tried this with no luck...

- USB Fat stick & CD Rom...

- USB = No reaction... (Stick with LED)

-CD = looks like the Drive do something.. but after 3-4 second... Nothing more.

 

I found exact the same Symptom here...

 

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Business-PCs-Workstations-and-Point-of-Sale-Systems/HP-Z820-doesn-t-boo...

 

seems that i have no luck... my warranty expired 3 weeks ago...

HP Recommended

You're very welcome.

 

I don't have a HP workstation, but one other forum member (not the z820...I think the z420)...messed up his BIOS and he said there was a jumper on the motherboard that reset the BIOS for him.

 

But it looks like you may have to get a new motherboard to fix the issue, and I would not update the BIOS again.

HP Recommended

Thank You

 

But i cant belive that there is no other solution.

The z820 has also a Crisis Recovery Jumper... J39 on the Service Manual ...

 

http://h20565.www2.hp.com/hpsc/doc/public/display?sp4ts.oid=5225041&docLocale=en_US&docId=emr_na-c04...

 

But nothing explained. Also not described which Files are Needed on the CD or Stick... nor how to rename them ...

because i see the Cd rom search something... but what... ?

 

PS: For Windows 10 the Bios Upgrade are Recomended !  (HP Assist !)

 

and i dont have the Money for a new MoBo... 

 

HP Recommended

I guess you will have to see if there is anything on the internet for recovering a BIOS.

 

I found this general info, for example.

 

https://www.technibble.com/how-to-recover-from-a-bad-bios-update/

 

I don't see any info in the troubleshooting section for the z820 either.

 

I think that is lousy that HP does not have a set of instructions for how to use the crisis recovery jumper.

HP Recommended

I don't suppose you ever worked out a fix for this, did you? Just my machine kept nagging me to do the Firmware for the BIOS, so eventually, I did, now it's exactly the same!

 

Powers on, Black screen, after 30 secs the fans spool up to full power. I've tried the Fail-safe BootBlock recovery with a couple of different USB drives to no avail (doesn't even seem to try to access them, no flashing on the drives at all)

 

Just now I'm my main machine down! I can't afford 400 quid for a new MoBo because HP has killed it, and I've had to resort to my old Z400 which just doesn't cut the mustard.

 

Anyone got any ideas? there has to be a way to recover it! if I switch the crisis jumper over I get 7 red flashes, which is correctly working out there is a BIOS or mainboard issue, and it's deffo not the mainboard.

 

Cheers

HP Recommended

EUREKA!!!!

 

Ignore me, there is a very specific way you need to do this, and it's 100% recoverable from.

 

First Power off the machine and pull the power

Now set the Crisis jumper to 2-3

Plug the USB with the BIOS file from the DOS folder of the BIOS into the FIRST FRONT USB (not the USB 3 ones)

Power on, and wait.... you should see it flash the USB stick on, and then 7 red lights/beeps, now wait

it will reboot, DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING

It will restart and you will get flashing USB Stick, and red light's, but this time 8, then a couple seconds later will go blue and the BIOS will come on, DONT TOUCH

It will restart again, and the BIOS will start, now pull the USB STICK, and you will see it flash itself

It will now restart, and flash 9 times and shut off.

Pull the power, set the recovery jumper back to 1-2

Power up, and restore any settings you had in the BIOS, and hey presto, back to working 🙂

HP Recommended

Hi, how are you. I have the same problem at the moment with my z420. I was updating the BIOS to v.3.91 under Windows 10 and right after it finished there was a blue screen from Windows 10 indicating an error had ocurred and that it had to restart.

Now it has the same symptoms that you describe. I have followed your advice on your last post, I have moved the jumper E15 to pins 2-3 but starts to bootloop inmediately. It switches on and off constanly. Same as if you had taken the jumper off completely and tried to boot the system.

The only way to make it switch on is by placing the jumper back to 1-2 pins, but it just goes into black screen and after a minute or so the fans start to spin at full speed and nothing else happens.

 

I have prepared a USB with the .bin file for BIOS v3.91 but it just doesn´t load.

 

Any help would be much appreciated.

 

Thank you.

 

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