No keyboard Input Available During Z-840 Boot - HELP

[wmc]

To access the Z-840 BIOS settings you are supposed to hit the ESC key during boot-up.  However, if you have a USB keyboard attached, the driver apparently doesn't load until after the boot process has started the OS.  I have to dig and old PS2 keyboard out of storage and connect it in order to be able to have an active keyboard during the boot-up.

Supposedly there is a BIOS setting that will allow the USB keyboard to be active during boot-up, but for the life of me I cannot figure out which one it is.

[Skylarking]

Update to the latest BIOS for z840 is v2.32 if your workstation is not already at that version. This BIOS was released in April 2017 and may resolve recently found AMT security issues, though the description doesn't indicate this fact. As such, keep an eye out on the z840 driver download page as an updated BIOS will likely pop up very soon if HP has yet to squash this security bug.

Now i doubt the BIOS update will fix your USB keyboard bios acess issues but it's good practice to update, especially when there are known security issues that are fixed. And HP is also known for fixing other BIOS deficiencies while not documenting them, so it's again worth keeping updated

As you seem aware, a PS2 keyboard should at least allow you to get into BIOS as a work around. So if you have PS2 keyboard handy, try it and repetedly press either ESC key or F10 key during boot. This should get you into BIOS so look around your BIOS settings. 

Unlike my z210 which has BIOS settings under <Advanced> <Power on Options> <Post delay> allowing a 5, 10, 15 or 20 seconds delay so has time to press ESC or F10, i don't think there are any z840 specific BIOS settings that allow similar delays. Maybe updating the BIOS will give you more options since things can sometimes improve as compared to what the old Mainenance and Sevices Manual states about available BIOS settings.

The only z840 BIOS settings i see are under <Security> <USB Device Control> which allow you to individually disable front, rear or internal USB ports. I doubt any ports are disabled within your BIOS as the OS wouldn't see them if this was the case. Still, have a peek and check that they are all enabled 

The only other thing i can suggest is to try a USB2 port (not a USB3 port) with your USB keyboard and see if this allow BIOS access during boot process. The only USB2 port on your z840 are the rear black USB port under the audio in/out ports (or the internal USB2 header). Should you still have issues, i'd again try with USB2 ports but unplug all other USB devices before powering up/rebooting.

If none of the above work for you, ring support and log a case with them as it shouldn't be so difficult to get into BIOS which the USB keyboard they sell with their systems. Oh, and if they suggest a PS2 keyboard, get them to send you a new one! 

[edited to add below]

See this page regarding AMT issues which are resolved by ME firmware updated not BIOS updates as such... Note the lonked doc has references to the specific firmware for your z840, also available from the software and drivers download page...

[wmc]

I updated BIOS, ME firmware and ME drivers.

I moved the keyboard to a USB2 port.

I left the other USB2 port unused.  During this boot, the F10 key took me to the BIOS menu.  I realized that after getting to the OS and logging in that the HP LP2475w monitor's USB hub was inactive.  (I have two hardware keys - "Dongles" for video editing and 3D-modelling / animation software plugged into Monitor USB ports.)

So I moved the monitor hub connector to the second USB2 port on the back of the z840.  On a subsequent cold boot, the keyboard could not be used to invoke the BIOS menu.

So apparently the key is that that one USB2 port can have the keyboard attached to it and allow access to the BIOS menu, but only as long as the second USB2 port is not populated.

Very strange...

[wmc · Accepted solution]

Further testing seems to indicate the issue may have been related to the short amount of time you have to hit ESC / F10 when starting.  It appears I have to just-about have my finger on the key when I press the power-on button or at least withing 1 sec thereof.  IOW, waiting until the DisplayPort output is active, and the monitor shows the blue circular HP logo I will have missed the window to press the key for the BIOS menu.

[Skylarking]

Pity HP decided not to include a 'Post Delay' option within the z840 series BIOS as is currently available on my z210.

As such, the issue is not really solved 'per se', it's just that you now understand the absurdity of having to wildly press ESC/F10 because of the short window of opportunity provided by this BIOS and the lack of such a BIOS option to slow things down a little.

A better option for you is to log a case related to this difficulty in entering your z840 BIOS with HP support. Maybe HP will enable such an option within a new zX40 BIOS (if we users are lucky).

A new BIOS option is an easy fix for HP and better than requiring customers to wildly press ESC/F10 upon turning on a z?40 system just so they can get into their BIOS.

[edited to fix speeling and punktuation]