HP EliteBook 8730w - slow boot (sits on black HP screen for 10+ minutes before booting into W7)

[theboyk]

Hello.

I have an HP EliteBook 8730w running Windows 7. The machine has maximum RAM, and is connected to the LAN via ethernet (Cat5e). All drivers and Windows updates and other software (primarily Office 2007) are up-to-date.

I'm been having an issue for a few months now where, when I restart the machine, it hangs on the initial black HP ("HP invent" logo) and it says, in white letters near the bottom of the screen, "Press the ESC key for Startup Menu". Even if I hit the ESC key, it takes a good 5-10 minutes for anything to happen. Either way, it takes the machine more than 10 minutes to reboot.

Does anyone know what could be wrong? Any suggestions?

Thanks,

Kristin.

[Victor143sierra]

This is one of the symptoms of a failing hard drive. Please back up important data and run the HDD diagnostics by hitting F10 on the hp invent screen and going to the diagnostics options.

[KarlKovacs]

Is this the official answer?

[Victor143sierra]

What do you mean by official answer???

[Victor143sierra]

If you are looking for a detailed instructions on how to run the test

Many computer problems are related to soft failures on the hard drive. The comprehensive portion of the HP Hard Drive Self Test repairs soft errors on the hard drive, but does not report the errors. After the test completes, be sure to restart the computer to determine if the test repaired any problems you are experiencing with your computer.

If the computer has two hard drives, you should select the multi-bay test option and test each drive separately.

1. Plug the AC Adapter into the computer.
2. Turn off the computer and wait 5 seconds.
3. Press the Power button to start the computer and repeatedly press the f10 key to enter the BIOS Setup menu.
4. Use the Right Arrow or Left Arrow keys to navigate through the menu selection to locate the Primary Hard Drive Self Test option. Depending on your BIOS, this may be located below either Diagnostics or Tools .
5. Select Primary Hard Drive Self Test , and then press the Enterkey to start the test.

   

   NOTE:The exact wording of the option for your particular BIOS may be slightly different.

The Hard Drive Self Test performs a Quick Test followed by a Comprehensive Test . During each test, the window displays a status bar and an estimated time to completion.

• If any test fails , contact HP service and support for instructions on how to order a replacement hard drive.

• If all of the tests pass, the hard drive is not damaged. As a rule, HP will not replace a hard drive under warranty that does not fail the HP Hard Drive Self Test.

[KarlKovacs]

I have a brand new Elitebook 8460p that worked fine until I let the battery run down and the laptop powered down. Now it won't boot. (I just finished installing all my apps)...

I either send it back or swap out the HDD.

[KarlKovacs]

thanks for the info.

Followed the instructions.

Now it's stuck on "F10 BIOS Setup" (highlighted in white)

[KarlKovacs]

Wow - who would have thought. It was the ActivKey. I pulled it and now it works. Will have to turn off "Boot from USB"

[Victor143sierra]

hahahaha looks like it was trying to boot from the USB. Anyways looks like everything is working fine!!!

[huskerman47]

I had the exact same problem with hp pavillion laptop.  And it too was a USB backup drive that was attached, trying to startup from that drive.....Thanks for identifiying my problem as well.