3FO error and hard drive not found in F2

[Alex1348]

Hi. I've been getting blue screens, where the laptop would shut down and display the 3FO error. I always solved it by clearing TPM and Secure boot keys, but today it blue screened and couldn't be booted back into Windows. When I run the HP SSD diagnostics tool by pressing F2 it can't run the test, because it does not find a hard drive. I think my drive is dead. Laptop is about a year old. 

[Gaya1239 · Accepted solution]

Hi @Alex1348,

Welcome to The HP Support Community.  

Thank you for posting your query, I will be glad to help you.

I understand the 3F0 error indicates that the laptop cannot find a bootable device, often pointing to an issue with the hard drive or SSD. Based on your description, it seems likely that your drive has failed. Here's a step-by-step approach to diagnose and potentially resolve the issue:

Steps to Take

Check BIOS Settings:

• Turn off your laptop and power it back on, pressing the F10 key repeatedly to enter the BIOS.
• In the BIOS, check under Storage or System Information to see if the hard drive or SSD is detected.
• If the drive is not listed, it could indicate a hardware failure.

Run Extensive Diagnostics:

• From the BIOS, go to Diagnostics and try running hardware tests.
• If the SSD is not detected in the diagnostics, this further supports the possibility of a drive failure.

Check for Loose Connections:

• If you're comfortable opening your laptop:
  • Turn off the laptop, unplug it, and remove the battery if possible.
  • Open the back panel and ensure the SSD is securely connected.
  • Reseat the drive to rule out loose connections.

Attempt to Boot from External Media:

• Create a Windows recovery USB using the Windows Media Creation Tool on another PC.
• Insert the recovery USB into your laptop and try to boot from it by pressing F9 during startup and selecting the USB device.
• If this works, it confirms the SSD is the issue and not other hardware.

Backup Data (If Possible):

• If the drive is intermittently detected, connect the laptop to another computer via an external SSD adapter or dock to back up your data before replacing the drive.

Replace the SSD:

• If the SSD is confirmed dead, you’ll need a replacement. The Victus supports NVMe M.2 SSDs, but check your user manual or HP support site for specific recommendations.
• After replacing the SSD, reinstall Windows using the recovery USB.

Refer to this document: HP PCs - Hard disk 3F0 boot device not found error

I hope this helps. 

Take care and have a good day.

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