HP15l BOOT PROBLEM

[leselec]

My HP15L desktop will not boot into Windows. I just get  a black screen, then HP diagnostics  and the information that I do not have the latest version of diagnostics. I have downloaded the latest version onto a usb stick but cannot find how to load it.  I have run the diagnostics that I have and everything passes but the thing fails to go into windows. All the help I have found seems to rely on accessing windows to change various aspects - no help in my case. I have reset the bios to default values.

[Kuroi_Kenshi]

Hi @leselec,

Welcome to the HP Support Community!

Thanks for reaching out!

We're thrilled to have the opportunity to assist you and provide a solution.

I understand your HP 15L desktop is not booting into Windows, and you’re stuck on a black screen with HP diagnostics showing that the version is outdated. Let’s go through steps to troubleshoot and try to get your system booting again.

Check boot order in BIOS
Restart the PC and repeatedly press Esc → then F10 to enter BIOS.
Ensure the primary boot device is your Windows drive (usually “Windows Boot Manager” or the internal SSD/HDD).

Try booting from USB recovery media
If you have a Windows installation USB or the HP Cloud/USB Recovery USB:

Insert the USB, restart the PC, and press Esc → F9 for boot device options.

Select the USB drive to attempt a recovery or repair.

Update HP diagnostics from USB
HP diagnostics updates require you to boot into the HP Diagnostics environment, not Windows.

Insert the USB with the new diagnostics.

Restart the PC, press Esc → F2 to enter Diagnostics.

Look for an option like Update Diagnostics from USB or Firmware/Diagnostics Update.

If the option isn’t visible, your desktop may require the USB to be formatted in FAT32 with the update files in the root directory.

Check for display issues
Make sure the monitor is correctly connected to the PC and powered on.
Try connecting to another monitor or using the onboard vs. GPU port if applicable.

Run hardware diagnostics
Since you mentioned everything passes, that’s good — but note that boot failure could still be due to corrupt boot files rather than hardware.

Repair Windows boot files
Using a Windows installation USB:

Boot from USB → select Repair your computer → Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Startup Repair.

This can fix bootloader issues without accessing the existing Windows installation.

Consider a clean Windows install
If startup repair fails, you may need to reinstall Windows using a USB installer.
Make sure to back up data from the drive if possible using another PC or USB adapter.

I hope this helps.

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Best regards,