Accessing BIOS

[JudiG59]

I need to get into the BIOS on my Pavilion P6520Y Desktop. I have tried every key mentioned - F2, F10, F12, Esc, Enter, CTRL F - and NONE of them take me into BIOS. All of them are ignored because  my keyboard is USB and USB isn't recognized until WINDOWS is running (way past BIOS).

I've even tried using an old PS2 keyboard with a USB adapter  and get the same non-result. My computer only has USB ports. I've plugged my keyboard into every possible USB port on the CPU. It makes no difference.

I can't believe this computer was built so that it's impossible to get into BIOS. What am I missing? 

Since my pc was screwed up with Windows 10, and I've since restored it to Factory configuration using the original disks, I get Blue Screens when I try to use anything that's graphic intensive. This did NOT happen before Win10. I NEVER got bluescreens. I've updated my graphics driver and scanned my computer for any disfunctional devices. Nothing comes up as a problem. My only hope is to find out what was changed in BIOS, but I can't find a way to get into it.

Does anyone have a suggestion not already given on every other forum?  How can I used my keyboard to get into BIOS if my keyboard isn't "alive" until Windows starts?

I appreciate anyone with the magic solution. 🙂

[savvy2]

orginal disk? form whom and how? ,  those match your model exactly from HP,  it must....

and you forgot to say  it VISA DISKS right?

is the F11 key dead, this reloads the OS, to day 1, why not use F11. magic key restore.

my guess is that key is dead too.  using PS2 or USB keyboards.

so is the screen dead booting, seems not, in fact the BIOS even tells you what key to press , to get to BIOS.

ESC  is that key (most times ) (older is F10, or F1, some are HP and some are Compaq rules, crazy yes)

if the coin cell when dead (BIOS CMOS RAM battery ) then it may go to some crazy mode.

The BIOS must work and the keyboard USB or PS2 must work. or the bios is unhinged, or coil cell is bad.

its like $3 part, and is not windows related. at all.

My guess so far is,  w10 is not supported on this hardware.

this PC came with only VISTA, and HP does not support W10,  on this PC.  if you read the software support page it tells you that fact.

the PC is 6 years old, not tool old but is old in dog years,  Vista is a dog.

sadly the P65** , series of desktops at HP , has no BIOS book,  I looked for days  once and nothing.....

lots of cute internation posters sure. but BIOS manual , nada, (im sure they have one, its just not indexed where it belongs)

if it was , id have read it and posted how to use BIOS> (im well versed in it but not all the deviations, and derivates)

so does the BIOS tell you its alive.?????

those white words in text as it power on, must show it.

if not its, not even loading bios rom. code.

(bad PSU?>)

the old BIOS has a bit (one) to flip in most bios.  made then

called BIOS USB legacy,

if off , the keyboard USB will be dead in BIOS>

but that does NOT turn off , the PS2 KBD. ever.  that is always alive. if good.

obviously that USB trick is a checken and egg PAIN,  i keep and old PS2 keyboard, in my attick just in case this happes to this day.

use the PS2 keyboard and you only have 1 to 3 seconds to get the keys to work. 

power on, and click the Esc key over and over,

sorry i do not have the HP keys for bios , on old PC,  ours is ESC,  F11, F9 now (bios, restore, boot live choices)

in all cases it prompts you.

if not , then someone went in to BIOS and turned off the dang prompts (some you can, and is bad news)

if the coil cell is bad , it can go very nuts.  (memory scrambles but in most cases it beeps for fashes, PS2 key LED with codes, telling you CMOS corrupted. (nvram, cmos, mem) (battery DEAD)

Try to know that windows 10 does not support (MS laws) vast classes of HARWARE NOW.

the list is Huge.

chips no longer made are not supported.

companys that made them gone,same.

if the driver for a chip is not with a proper and new certificate ,  W10 Pukes.  and has newer more hard rules now. for this.

w10 is not easy to install on old PCs.  (unless super lucky)

there is  away to check before jump off this cliff but Ill not go there now.

BIOS.

Id get a new coin cell

and then read the words on the screen.  BIOS prompts and do what it tells you. in text there at time 1sec, from power on.

 BIOS < BIOS<  repeat

words off the HP site, reading the correct page,  not indexed, found the bugger

BIOS version 6 or less

1. Turn off the computer and wait five seconds.
2. Turn on the computer.
3. When the first screen displays, do one of the following:
   • Immediately press the F10 key if your computer was built in 2006 or later (came with Vista or Windows 7). Press the key once every second until a BIOS Setup utility screen opens.
   • Immediately press the F1 key if your computer was built before 2006 (XP or earlier). Press the key once every second until a BIOS Setup utility screen opens.

       note:

     On some Compaq Presario computers (before 2002), press the F10 key at the logo screen.

     BIOS version 7 or greater

     1. Turn off the computer and wait five seconds.
     2. Turn on the computer.
     3. When the first screen displays, do one of the following:
        • Immediately press the F10 key repeatedly, about once every second, until the Computer Setup program opens.
        • Immediately press the Escape key repeatedly, about once every second, until the Startup menu opens. Then press F10 to open the Computer Setup program.

 later its ESC

 best is watch the screen , most PC tell you what key to mash. BIOS.

[JudiG59]

I am on a Windows 7 machine, not Vista. I upgraded to Win10 for 4 months. It ran great and then it started crashing and uninstalled itself twice. I paid $24 to an archival software company for the factory disks specific to my pc (matching the serial numer). So I'm back to Win7. But now I get BSOD more and more as Windows installs updates that bypass my request to turn them off. Now I get a BSOD every few minutes even just reading in a browser.

So last night I reinstalled the factory software again (for the fifth time in the past year). This is ridiculous. I'm on the verge of saving up to switch to a MAC tho I don't like Apple. And I've tried all of ypur suggested keys. My start screen is fine - not black. I just want to get into BIOS before Windows runs but my keyboard isn't available until Windows runs. The keyboard works fine..in Windows.

It seems I have no way into BIOS.

[JudiG59]

Also...as I said in my original post - I cannot use a PS2 keyboard. There are NO PS2 connections on my computer. Only USB, Firewire, Audio and Ethernet.

[JudiG59]

Also...as I said in my original post - I cannot use a PS2 keyboard. There are NO PS2 connections on my computer. Only USB, Firewire, Audio and Ethernet.

Your BIOS procedure is the one everybody knows. I have done this with my older computers. As I said in my original post...NONE OF THAT WORKS. My keyboard isn't recognized by the computer until Windows is running. I press these keys til my fingers hurt and all that happens is Windows starts up.

[savvy2]

try to know, i cant see this pc, see if its original nor see if it really is the pn, stated. model

Im totall blind here, DO KNOW IF I WAS there the MOBO numbers would land on my eyes in MINUTES !!!

is it really  BSOD with memory dump or one of 20 other W10 blue screens MS not uses.?  the words on all screens matter.

they have many generations of this pc.  vast.  if you look. (the first ones were PS2 fitted, but for sure NOT ALL.

is that CD , listed as and autohorized,  Cd vender on the HP site,  under how to get a media kit, need the link?

i mentioned PS2 for only one reason,  (the offical pages shows this)

is it really a P6520Y?

lots of poster here piggy back off wrong product help pages,,

1. P6520Y?
2. does the BIOS prompt you ever??? it must. does it?
3. is that really a BSOD?  (not just blue ) BSOD real are bad memory or super bad windows corruption.  see next proof.
4. can you F9 boot to alive Linux CD?  or windows, PE Live CD or USB stick.  (tells you the hardware is ok of runs ok)
5. did you measure over 2.9vdc on the coil cell yet, or replace it?  for $3?
6. is this the first time you ever used BIOS on this PC,???? yes/no?  if yes, that may be you dont know them all,?
7. pull the coin cell, put it back, does BIOS come alive? use  voltmeter, 2.9v,  min.  if the coin is good pull it to reset BIOS.
8. Bios only goes dead if the rare, times when CPU heat sink fell off and overheats in SECONDS FLAT and the processor shuts ITSELF DOWN in seconds.  or dead monitor or dead VGA chip, or? bad RAM.  BIOS needs all that.  or someone flashed the BIOS for fun and killed it dead, (common here)
9. How many VGA /DVI ports do you have.?  if 2 try them both?   the mobo shows 2. 1 each both dead in bios try VGA for BIOS.you  are correct it came with Vista or W7 new  and the F11 key does bring it back F10 vista , F11 W7 (HDD stilll ok)
10. yah HP changed Restore keys ,f10/11 just to make things FUN.
11. I do now how to get full spec on your MOBO and every chip and look  up what chips do not support W10 but will not now.  (takes hard work and dont many , too many)
12.  it 32bit or 64? the last year made was 2013 for this pc,   i see.
13. to run bogus W7 on this pc, you need all drivers seen on this page, (guessing 64bit)
14.  the MOBO is , H-RS880 uATX  made by Foxconn, and has no PS2 like the early P65s have, many generations.
    
15. This mobo like most at HP , has USB chips.   usb2 or 3.  this one has an AMD USB chip I see. on many pc with usb 3 the USB port is dead until you get the OS loaded and the HP driver loaded, so that means only plug the USB keyboard in to only USB 2 ports. ;let me now look that up for you on the product page for this MOBO. 
16. This mobo has 5 AMD processor options.
17. The HP page fails to discloses, USB chips sets used.  its called and ALOE mobo. by foxconn. so... is see USB2 rear stated on sellers of the board. im digging this for you now. says no USB3 slots GOOD ! that means the USB keyboard works in BIOS.   that is how i did the research for you the hard way... 
18. when you power on are all fans going,  PSU fan, CPU, and if you have an ADDING video card (do you) does it fan spin if present , I have top end Gforce and will burn to crisp with dead fan same as that AMD processor .
19. try one stick of ram, the one at a time just one? of the set.
20. If still no BIOS, the MOBO is in bad shape. (PSU very sick,  The PSU can even mess up the boot , with the POWEROK LOGIC in there and on the MOBO.
21. That is all i can think of now,  (BIOS DEAD) Try another USB keyboard,
22. when you turn on the PC, have only the USB key board plugged in, then as you flip power on,  see if the cap lock key works and you tap it, if not that USB port is dead, try the next 3 ports on the rear.
23. (for sure,  bad PSU, bad keyboard or bad MOBO (and its chips all) if have VGA card installed try it and the main.

there are over 3million transistors on that MOBO, so..... any thing in the real world here can happen.

I have no magic ever, I only know testing,  and diagnosis or at least subsitution,,

no ps2 here, sure, but see those, PCI slots on the right, not seen here, got a VGA card there? see 4 usb ports, all dead?

if I had this PC id see all this.. but cant. 

do know that some BIOS you can turn off the BIOS USB access, to BIOS , "legacy mode off" and if turned off

the only way back is, reset the BIOS by pulling the coin cell and now USB hot key work, (luck happens)

The BIOS can also be fiddled wrong, IMO by going to , the configuration , page that says,"hide all BIOS PROMPTS"

yes seen it. and is a pain when seen or not seen in this case LOL. dead screens bios.

VGA top, DVI bottom

last a real BSOD not some other blue screesn

is this you?

[savvy2]

try BSOD have many causes. TRUE BSOD'S per above screen example.

there is no order only LUCK FATE AND WEAR;

1. bad ram
2. bad hdd (wear) (smart tests fail>)
3. bad OS, (corrupted, or fails SFC /scannow. (CMD.exe prompt typed) and more  we have more tests.
4. bad OS drivers, using non HP drivers, BINGO,  
5. processor overheated, can do it, but most times it slows and then shuts its self off.
6. bad PSU,  low voltage on any of the 5 to 10 power lines,  or noise. called RIPPLE out of spec.
7. the system is virus infected, never seen on ever that was not infected, pre w10 pre VBS rated processor. ( virtualization-based security ()  run ESET.com ,  off oline AV tool ,now, wow can it ever find the bad guys. !!!

its not your BIOS anyway

the BIOS boots the Drive 0, C:

so its not BIOS. but Id fix that first , yes,  I sure would and that old coil cell first.  3-5years is par there.

id get F11 working sure would , it will put back what was there DAY1.

read this fully yet

this is the only official HP way . real kits, if no kits sold for old PC call them and the will give you links to certified

true HP 3rd party CD sellers, or sticks,   certified by HP, not some crud of fleabay.

https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/bph07143