TouchSmart 520-1020 Only beeps after BIOS upgrade

faststang67 · ‎08-09-2014

Have a TouchSmart 520-1020 that I attempted to perform a BIOS upgrade and now it only beeps 8 times. Downloaded BIOS 2012-10-03 , Version7.11 Rev. A, 3.0M from the HP website and ran on the PC. During the update, the screen went black and beeped 8 times. Waited over 10 minutes and video never came back. Rebooted and i just beeps 8 times. I tried removing all connections, BIOS battery, Memory ETC. I booted back up and same 8 beeps. Any other ideas to recover?

erico · ‎08-10-2014

For an AMI BIOS, 8 beeps means the video memory has failed.

Since the video is onboard or produced by an installed MXM video adapter, that is a bit of an issue. If there is already a video module installed, remove the module and use the onboard video for a temporary solution. If that does not resolve the video issue then:

Your options are either replace the motherboard or source a mobile PCI Express card replacement.

MXM 3.0 version: Type A that requires less than 35 Watts.

The simplest solutions would be to replace the motherboard or source another PC.

I am a volunteer forum member. If my suggestion helped you solve your issue, help others by marking that post as the accepted solution. Say thanks by clicking on the Yes button next to the "was this reply helpful?"

faststang67 · ‎08-10-2014

Thank you for the reply. I did see that the 8 beeps indicated the video memory had failed. SInce the computer was working fine before the BIOS upgrade attempt, I feel that possibly recovering the ROM would be an option. Does anyone have the procedure to try this? I see the jumpers on the motherboard but have not yet found how to attempt the restoration.

erico · ‎08-16-2014

Normally HP motherboard specifications give details on how to clear CMOS, which is essentially a reset of the BIOS. The specs for your LavacaSB do not do that. I can ask my internal contacts to see if HP will provide that information.

I am a volunteer forum member. If my suggestion helped you solve your issue, help others by marking that post as the accepted solution. Say thanks by clicking on the Yes button next to the "was this reply helpful?"

faststang67 · ‎08-16-2014

Thankyou. I have already "reset" the BIOS by removing the battery for 24 hrs just to be safe. Nothing has changed, still no video, no HP logo, and 8 beeps. I am looking into sourcing a MXM video card as you suggested, but there is not much information out there about that either, other than dont try it. I have performed hundreds if not over a thousand BIOS updates going back to the Y2K scare. This is the first I have had fail. Really like the machine and want to get it back up and running. Any thing that you can provide on either concern would be very apprciated.

erico · ‎08-16-2014

Did you use the CLR CMOS jumper on the motherboard?

I don't have a layout diagram of the motherboard to see if the jumper header is present.

I am a volunteer forum member. If my suggestion helped you solve your issue, help others by marking that post as the accepted solution. Say thanks by clicking on the Yes button next to the "was this reply helpful?"

faststang67 · ‎08-17-2014

Yes, I did try that as well, I moved the jumpers from their current position over to the left. I did for both the CMOS and the password. Powered it on for one minute, powered down, and moved back and then powered back up again. Same results. I have found a few MXM cards available for a reasonable price but I have not found any documentation on how to correctly install. Specifically, how to address the cooling of the GPU chip. The cooling pipes for the CPU pass right over where the MXM video card would mount, howerver there is no bracket to utilize the CPU pipes to cool the GPU. Due to space issues a seperate one does not look viable.

I really appreciate your assistance. It is very frustrating to deal with this, to have a fully functioning machine and have it brick by no fault of my own. Hope we can get this going soon.

erico · ‎08-21-2014

The procedure to recover the ROM (BIOS) is as follows. Remove the jumper, turn on PC, turn off PC, replace the jumper. I was provided the procedure by an HP employee. The document for the LavacaSB motherboard is going to be updated.

I am a volunteer forum member. If my suggestion helped you solve your issue, help others by marking that post as the accepted solution. Say thanks by clicking on the Yes button next to the "was this reply helpful?"

Create an account on the HP Community to personalize your profile and ask a question