Esc during boot does not launch bios setup

[ronaldjtoo]

When starting the computer and repeatedly pressing the ESC key the computer will not start bios setup. Instead after a wait of a couple of minutes a black screen is presented with a mouse pointer and the computer will not respond to any keystrokes. Any suggestions as to how I can get to the bios setup?

[Grzwacz]

Hi,

Can you run Windows? The following HP Startup Menu screen should appear when you tap "ESC" at startup:

You should be able to select "F10" at this screen to enter the BIOS. You can also select "F2" to run diagnostics.

You may have a hardware problem if you don't see the above screen. You would have to test all hardware components possibly using replacement parts to find the cause. Try a simple and cheap fix by replacing the CR2032 motherboard battery.

It is tough to guess your issue using the information you are providing. You have video and USB function but the PC is not working correctly.

Regards

[ronaldjtoo]

Thanks for your quick response Grzwacz. I know I didn't supply a lot of information. The computer is an HP Pavilion 500-a60. There was a possible virus problem, so I booted to Hirens Boot CD PE and ran MalwareBytes and ESET antivirus and removed all reported problems. When the computer was rebooted it booted to a black screen. The computer was running and the monitor was powered up. We tried rebooting to BIOS using ESC (which used to work) and got the black screen again. We tried waiting for several hours with no change. We tried booting to Windows Recovery (power up hitting F10) and the screen comes up but will not respond to keyboard input. That is where we are sitting now. We will try replacing the battery and check all components are seated properly and make sure cables are all connected. I will let you know how it goes. Please let me know if anything more occurs to you. Thanks again.