6550b cannot be switched on. The charging LED flashes blue/orange.

[miramanee]

Hello friends!

Here I need help from real professionals. The problem arose after the promming of the BIOS chip. On the notebook was the BIOS version F.05. I had loaded the F.20 and F.60 from the site (68CDE; before update as usual data saved; screenshots). F.20 worked fine so far, but with F.60 error 0xD came after block 137 (Win7 Pro). So I wanted to program it directly.

I have already successfully programmed ProBooks (6545b, 6550b, 6555b) more often. Here it is a MX25L3205D, which is also correctly recognized in the Prommer-Soft. During programming, the charge LED always flashes blue/orange (this is the case with all HP ProBooks and correct). As usual, the chip was erased, the erasure was verified, the chip was flashed and verified. If you take the chip clamp away, the LED goes out. In previous programming of this type, I could turn on and everything went well. The previously saved notebook data was then reprogrammed with NBDMIFIX if necessary.

Here it is now so that the programming mode obviously cannot be left. I never had that before. As soon as I connect the power cable, the LED flashes blue/orange as if the programming mode is still active. I have tried all the tricks I know and could find on the HP site. Have even tried WinKey +B. Have removed all batteries and emptied the capacitors with 45sec power key. All without success. The notebook does not leave the programming mode. Last I had read out the data from a working 6550b (also 68CDE) and flashed it. Also without success.

Does anyone know the problem and have a solution? If a professional from my country is here, he can also answer in German.

Kind regards.

[ub6424]

Hello @miramanee 

I would desolder the BIOS chip, reflash it with a programmer, and solder it back in. The startup chip could also be affected. In addition, a short circuit test should be performed.

[miramanee]

Thanx for your reply!

I will proceed successively and completely disassemble the notebook this weekend.

I noticed something strange today. I had bought another 6550b at auction and found version F.50 of the BIOS on it. I wanted to update it by going into the BIOS with F10 and flashing directly there with the UEFI soft (v7.6.0.0). So this time not in Windows. Although the update started and also wanted to flash it, but in the end aborted unsuccessfully after two attempts. I had loaded it again from the HP site, but always the same effect. Which leads me to suspect that the soft from HP may have a bug. Consider: first 0xD error on the first notebook and now no successful update on the new one.

HP no longer offers the F.50 directly, so I searched and found out it was in the sp67215.exe file, so I downloaded from HP's FTP. Seems to be correct. I will try that first after disassembling the notebook. Then I will follow your suggestion if nothing else works.

Kind regards.

[miramanee]

Hello again folks; Hi Ub6424

I have now checked everything possible, unsoldered the chip, programmed and soldered again. Have measured and tested everything that was possible without a schematic. Since I have no super professional expertise in electrical engineering, this is of course only superficial. I found others on the net who also had/have this "blinking problem" but couldn't find a solution either. Most of the answers there were copy/paste responses based on guesswork rather than knowledge.

It's a bit surprising to me that here the so called experts directly from HP don't answer. They obviously don't have more to offer than copy/paste from established guesses either. Really a pity.

Kind regards.
---
P.S. Should my English have been a bit bumpy in this thread, keep in mind that it's not my native language and I don't need it that often anymore ;o)

[miramanee · Accepted solution]

Hello friends!

Finally, a note. I was able to determine that it is probably the BIOS F.20. Once this is flashed, no further update is possible. No idea what this BIOS update does. It is interesting that in the update to F.20 under Windows after startup is indicated that the old BIOS is backed up. Then the flash would have to take place and on it the verification. But it restarts already after the backup. So without the option "Flashing" or "Verify". But it shows F.20 in the system info afterwards.

I noticed this when I wanted to update another 6550b from F.05. It doesn't go directly to F.60. According to HP you have to flash F.20 first. And after F.20 the F.60 update doesn't work anymore. Again, I purchased by an auction an old 6550b, which still had the very first BIOS F.00 on it. There one could not start also the UEFI software. I had done a DOS-USB on another notebook, but it would not update with F.00 under any circumstances, because it detected Anti-Teft. No matter if it was on or off. I installed Win7 and started the F.60 update, so the Windows update. And it updated without any problems without any intermediate BIOS.

Who should read this later, please make sure that you don't update your 6550b with F.20, but try to flash to F.60 right away.

Greetings.