Unable to boot with new graphics card

[SmnMagus0 · Accepted solution]

UPDATE! I am very (very) pleased to report this issue has been resolved.  After building up my courage (and saying a quick prayer) I decided to use the Bios Update that is only for windows 8 on my board.  And success!

After the Bios update, which only took like 2 minutes to complete, my PC is running the powercolor card!  In the end a bios update was indeed necessary, and I accomplished it successfully.

Caveat! If you have the same problem, I still recommend that a bios update is a last resort.  I may have just gotten lucky, do what I did at your own caution.

Now in closing I have a few questions.   Why was this update so hard to find?  I personally used a bios update on my p7-1240 desktop PC with the MSI Jasmine Ms 7778.  If it worked, why is it not on my PC's update page?  Why does the documentation say clearly the OS must be windows 8, when in fact that is false.   I am running windows 7, and the update worked. 

Does my new bios update support the Richland AMD processors?  Before I bought the graphics card, I bought a new Athlon II X4 760K Black Edition, but had to return it. Even though the chipset supports all FM2 sockets, the bios would not.

I just can't believe I am the first, and possibly only person to try this solution. 

Thanks for all the advice.  This problem is solved.

[Big_Dave]

@SmnMagus0 

There is not a BIOS update for the product number that you posted ( H2L70AA).  So, what BIOS update did you use and what modifications did you make to it so that it would install?

Your solution will be a "red herring" for most.

[richardaguilar]

Thanks for the update. So which bios are you running now, 8.18 or 80.46?

[SmnMagus0]

Simply type 2AE0 in the search box, and click the second selection down.  "HP Consumer and Small Business Desktop PC BIOS Update (ROM Family 2AE0)" is the title of the page.  No, there is not a bios update for my PC, but yes, there is a bios update for my motherboard. 

The p7-1240 comes with the 7.07 bios and I updated to the 8.18 Rev A bios.

And no, I made no alterations at all to the hp file I downloaded.  I just downloaded the installer, crossed my fingers and everything worked out well.

[snl25]

Huh, it does seem that Rev 8 BIOS does support previous OSes and not just Windows 8. Driver Guru has the BIOS on their websites and lists Windows 7 and Vista as supported OSes: http://www.driversguru.com/driverdetail/2157960-HP+Consumer+Desktop+PC+BIOS+Update+(ROM+Family+2AE0)

and: http://www.driversguru.com/driverdetail/2157837-HP+Consumer+and+Small+Business+Desktop+PC+BIOS+Updat...

[snl25]

The 8.18 Revision A BIOS is for MSI MS-7778 (Jasmine) motherboards listed here in an HP FTP public list: http://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp64501-65000/sp64782.html

The very first model is listed with a MSI MS-7778 (Jasmine) motherboard. The supported operating systems say: Windows 8 32-bit & 64-bit. But under fixes it specifically lists a Windows 7 fix: "- Resolves system hang during "Shutting down" screen when selecting Shut down->Restart in Windows 7."

Why would it say it is only compatible with Windows 8 if the BIOS fixes issues with Windows 7?

[SmnMagus0]

It is a really strange situation, probably just an oversight on the part of HP.  I guess they decided the 7.07 BIOS worked fine for the Windows 7 OS, and there was no need to post the update.  However, I think Windows 8 requires the secure boot feature, so a BIOS update was needed for those systems.

Also as an update, it's been a whole weekend, and my PC is running fine.  Actually, better than ever, bootup times are noticably quicker. 

There are other things I've noticed, faster loading times and a fix for a sleep issue my PC has been having, but I'm not sure if these issues were addressed by the BIOS or the new graphics card.

Still, I really want to stress that a BIOS update wasn't my first choice for a fix.  So if anyone with the p7-1240 is thinking about a BIOS update, do so at your own risk.

I would still like to know if this update will support the new AMD processors.  As far as I know, the Richland architecture is not supported by this BIOS either.  So even though the Jasmine 7778 has an FM2 socket, it cannot be updated with Richland architecture processors, like the amd athlon x4 760k, which I'd really like to update to.

[snl25]

Yeah, I am running a P7-1233w with the same motherboard and Windows 7. According the specs my PC was released only days before yours. They are practically identical aside from the different CPU it launched with.

I am looking for the 7.07 BIOS so if I decide to update mine to BIOS 8.18 and it doesn't work then I should be able to roll back to 7.07

[SmnMagus0]

Been there done that my friend.  I used the universal bios backup tool.  A quick google search will provide the link.  It worked for me on the 7.07 BIOS, and I just tried it now, and it backed up the 8.18 as well.

Never had to actually use the rom file it created though, so I can't say if it will work or not.  All I know is the tool didn't corrupt my BIOS in the process of making  a backup.

As long as your mainboard is the 2aE0 version 1, then the BIOS update will (probably) work.  I'd use a program like cpu z to make sure.  The only reason I say this, is because on my PC's spec page, it shows a picture of the MS 7778 ver .8, not ver 1.  Whether there is a difference or not.... I have no clue.

[snl25]

Yes, I use PC Wizard 2013. My motherboard is version 1. Also a free scan with BIOS Agent Plus says that the 7.07 BIOS is old and there is a new one available. Of course in order to get you have to sign up, they are supposed to be pretty legitimate but I'd rather get it from the actual source.

Checking out the Universal BIOS Backup Toolkit