Blank screen after SSD upgrade

[hcjoshi]

original HDD failed (based on diagnostic and unbootable/ unable to reinstall windows). New SSD installed.

Blanks screen on start up. Hitting escape F2, F8 or F9 shows small fonts in left lower corner indicating what that key supposed to do but nothing happens.

Rechecked the proper snapping of SSD attachement.

Thanks for suggestions/ Help.

[BeemerBiker]

If you put in an empty SSD then it does not have the UEFI diagnostics. 

HP releases newer UEFI diagnostics periodically.
When you select F2 during boot you are requesting UEFI diagnostics.
There is an updated diagnostics package here
https://support.hp.com/us-en/help/hp-pc-hardware-diagnostics
Look for the phrase 'issues outside the OS',
Expand the'+'symbol and click the DOWNLOAD button.
The version of the UEFI diagnostics is shown at the left of that DOWNLOAD button.
When you press F2 to run diagnostics please ensure the version is the new one.

Possibly even installing that UEFI package will not work as the new SSD may be missing the HP recovery and diagnostics partitions.

Did you restore the original OS?

Go to the below site and enter your product ID including the 3 characters after the # character
If you have cloud recovery you can restore your system using a 32gb flash.
It may take an hour or more to create the recovery USB.
https://d34z73bbtpzgej.cloudfront.net/

Let me know if a problem.

[hcjoshi]

Thanks, got some concepts clear.  I am guessing your suggestion about restoring original OS, implies connecting new SSD to other working computer or I can create the recovery USB and it will be detected on turning on current laptop (which shows blank screen on powering up) and will install it? Thanks!

[BeemerBiker]

I am guessing your Product ID is 5SK15UA#ABA and you have cloud recovery.

Borrow a PC where you  have admin privilege.  A library PC will not work ;>)

You will need a 32gb flash, an hours time, and go here.

After creating the USB boot flash, put the USB into your PC and install the original OS.  That will get you not just the OS,  but in addition the partitions that have the UEFI diagnostics and even the BIOS backup partition.

[WAWood]

Let me make sure I understand what is happening -- so you have a new blank SSD and you need to install Windows, right?

There are two very different issues you are facing.

First, in order to install a new OS, you have to be able to boot from a USB stick and if this is a new laptop, it probably came with Secure Boot enabled in the UEFI settings -- and with that turned ON, your laptop will not even see a bootableUSB stick, let alone boot from it.  You have to enter the UEFI settings to change that, and if you can't get into those, then you're dead in the water.

Second, you need to use HP OEM WIndows media to reinstall Windows, not something you downloaded from Microsoft. The HP media will have the HP drivers needed for your laptop.

But, you need to get into the UEFI settings, first.

[hcjoshi · Accepted solution]

Suggestion was great to use the USB Flash but my issue was some how when you turn on the HP, and press escape it is supposed to go to menu that displays, F2 does this and F8 does this and F9 does this and you select appropriate F-x to boot from USB and  I had problem not able to get to that menu and i solved that by connecting SSD with exeternal enclosure to a different PC and formatted and than connected to the problem PC and then I had the menu options.

Not sure formatting made it work or something just some connection issue but it worked. And since my 32 GB USB got corrupted, i used 8 gb usb and just installed plain windows 11 from Microsoft website. Would have been better if I got media as you suggested but anyhow my pc is working probably 10 times faster than with HHD.

Thanks

[WAWood]

Opinions vary on this ... my own experience is that MS Windows versions do not install the custom HP drivers laptops need so the laptops don't fully function after that.  That means that you need the HP OEM version of Windows to get those drivers.  But others have said the MS versions work just fine and you don't need the HP OEM version.