Older P6709C desktop BIOS entry failure - black screen

[Karl_In_SJ]

This older  Pavilion P6709C desktop PC shows a black screen when I try to enter the BIOS.  The unit can boot correctly into Win10 and all monitor/keyboard functions are correct.  Getting into the BIOS menu is the problem.

What I observe:

power light on solid

black screen

fan on, no disk sound, no beeps

waiting any period of time does not change the behavior

momentarily pressing the power button immediately turns the unit off.

How I've tried to enter BIOS, all yield the same result.

UEFI menu in Windows followed by restart

<ESC> on power up

<F10> on power up

Hardware/System

1) 1T SATA HDD, Win10

2) 4K ASUS monitor, Logitec wireless KB/mouse

3) 4GB CPU memory (was upgraded to 8G, but went back to original memory and same result)

History:

1) Last entry to BIOS is so long ago I don't remember.  Maybe a decade (OK, the computer still works so why replace it?)

2) Acronis software loaded as part of a disk upgrade from SATA HDD to WD M.2 PCIe  NVMe SSD on an adapter,  but after cloning the system boot hung with a black screen (interestingly it behaved like the current boot problem), which got me looking into the BIOS to check on the boot sequence.  Removal of the PCIE SSD does not change the BIOS entry failure but does yield a booting system.

[praveen196]

@Karl_In_SJ Welcome to HP Community!

I understand that you are getting a black screen.

Please perform restore the BIOS and check.

1) Shutdown the computer.  

2) Hold down the Windows and B button together while the computer is still turned off.  

3) Turn on the computer and continue to hold the Windows and B button until a BIOS Recovery screen appears.  

4) Follow on-screen instructions and click on OK 

Keep us posted,

If you would like to thank us for our efforts to help you, 

Give us a virtual high-five by clicking the 'Thumbs Up' icon below, followed by clicking on the "Accept as solution" on this post, 

Have a great day!

[Karl_In_SJ]

Praveen - thank you for the pointer.

I tried the WinKey + B power with power button for 2-3s  - I observed it boot into windows.

Repeated the same  but held the button too long and the computer powered down.

Third time held the power button 3s with WinKey + B and it again booted into windows.

Saw an HP support article say to try WinKey + V; tried it with same result of windows starting.

Downloaded UEFI, ran the install, but it failed with the message 'four partitions already exist on the drive and SW cannot be loaded'.

Pretty mysterious.

BIOS is v 7.11

Anything more to try?  Your help is appreciated!

Karl

[praveen196]

@Karl_In_SJ

I understand your concerns.

In that case, I would suggets you perform the system reset.

Windows 10 has a reset feature that repairs your computer by reinstalling the operating system. This feature is recommended for recovery because it reinstalls Windows 10 while either preserving your personal data and customizations or removing all your personal data.

You have a choice of two methods to reset your computer.

• If Windows 10 loads correctly, see the section titled Perform a Windows 10 system reset in Windows in this document.

• If Windows 10 does not start correctly, see the section titled Perform a Windows 10 system reset through Windows Recovery Environment in this document.

Have a nice day!!

[Karl_In_SJ]

Praveen,

I understand the recommendation  is to reload Windows 10.

The machine shipped with Windows 7 so I expect it will reload Win7 and I must redo the upgrade from there followed by app and driver reinstall.  This is work and risk.

It's also unclear how a system reload would fix a BIOS interface problem - remember that the boot into WIndows 10 works correctly, but only the BIOS UI is inoperative (the black screen).

Can you point me to something I can read to explain how a Windows reload will fix a BIOS access issue?

Your help is appreciated,

KGP

To be clear - the system boots correctly into WIndows 10.  The problem is getting the BIOS interface working.

[RTB101]

I want to reformat my drive and install windows from a new thumb drive. I don't see format as a entry anywhere outside Windows.

Also why is it impossible to get a phone number to talk to a tech when out of warranty?

[praveen196]

@Karl_In_SJ

I understand your concerns.

In that case, I would suggets you conatct our phone support and check for the support option. They will help you.

Here is how you can get in touch with phone support.

1)Click on this link - www.hp.com/contacthp/

2)Select the product type.

3)Enter the serial number of your device or select let HP detect your product option.

4)Select the country from the drop-down.

5)You should see the HP phone support number or Chat option listed.

We are experiencing longer than expected wait times to reach an agent due to the CoViD-19 impact and there might have been issues in you getting the expected resolution on the issue. 

Have a nice day!!

[RTB101]

Well, that's where the problem begins. The above does not yield a phone number just chat support. I've been all through chat support and it doesn't have a response to my question.

So, once again, can you give me a phone number? I don't care about the wait. I

've been working on this for over 2 weeks.

Regards,

Bob

[The_Fossette]

@RTB101

Help me with the region (Country) in a private message and I will share the contact details.

Cheers!

[Karl_In_SJ]

Hi Fossette,

I'm in the USA.

I believe a copy of the BIOS that I could load onto a USB drive would help my problem.  Where can I get this?  It's not on the product website.