Manufacturing programming mode and NO SERIAL HP Z8 G4

[Franck46]

Hello,

I bought an HP Z8 G4 on eBay (being at a good price) knowing about the following problem:

The PC is in MANUFACTURING PROGRAMMING MODE (one time :20, :10, :9..) and loops at startup every five, six seconds..

This Z8 has no label and the seller explained to me that the motherboard no longer seems to be tattooed at all or it has lost all its identification data.

Besides that everything seems to work, I have the right power button alert cycle if I remove the CPU, the screen image goes through a small Quadro k620 tested functional.

When I clear the CMOS, the Z8 start for about 22 seconds ,I see the red message MPM and HP SURE START appear, the keyboard is recognized and I even have time to read that we enter the setup with F10 or F2 but it always cuts off too early!

And at the next start, the 5 second on/off cycle starts again... as if an error had been recorded and I had to clear the CMOS again if I wanted to find a long start of around 22 seconds to read the screen, but which never exceeds 25, 30 seconds... am I explaining this correctly?

From what I know about HP Z, I think it's just the boot info that's missing...

The green LEDs at the bottom of the motherboard work and cycle bottom line top line at each boot..

I tested with or without the password jumper on the two leftmost pins out of the three ( but i have no motherboard diagram so no info on LEDs and/or the correct positioning of the jumper). And tested without battery, purge start button, CMOS... in short what I usually do on other Zs.

I tried to create UEFI, BCU and HP diagnostics 4 in 1 keys but still the same, the delay before shutdown is too short and

maybe also the HP SURE START or the boot order interferes with the correct handling of the key... I don't know...

I have a pretty good knowledge of HP workstations, purely out of passion, the pleasure of getting them "back in shape" or upgrading them..

But here I'm really hitting my amateur limit.. and I understand that your intervention is needed, if possible ...

I don't know the cost but I would really like to succeed in making it work rather than selling it to reimburse myself in spare parts!

I have a Z840 upgraded by me which works perfectly but slowly I'm trying to build myself a Z8 for not too much for in a few years.

Now that I have the machine I would like to keep it! We quickly get attached to it 🙂

If it seems too complicated to you between a motherboard without data and a Z8 without a serial number, tell me, too bad, I will try to get back on my feet by reselling it whole or in parts and I will wait for another announcement with a Z8 that starts well...

Thank you in advance for the procedure to follow, or some HELP !

Also, it is impossible to contact HP support without at least a serial number, a real dead end.

I specify that I live in France if I have to turn to an HP site or a telephone contact.

But as I told you at the beginning, I knew what to expect, hoping to take up the challenge, the charm of "mettre les mains dans le cambouis" as we say in France !

 Thank you for reading me,      Franck