Compaq Presario CQ56-101SG Blank Screen, Caps Lock blinking (1x / sec)

[ChrisPHL]

I have a Compaq Presario CQ56-101SG which does not start anymore.

I updated the BIOS from Version F.00 to F.18 which forces the device to reboot which went well. But after a shutdown the notebook does not start, it hangs with a blank screen, power LED and WiFi LED lit up and Caps Lock LED is blinking about 1x/sec.

What I tried to recover:

* Remove battery and AC adapter, press power button for about a minute and try to power up again with AC connect. --> Same bad state as before.

* Press power button for 5 sec while no power connected (battery removed), reconnect AC, press [Win]+[B] while power button starts the system. --> Same bad state as before.

* The same as before but this time with a 2GB USB thumb drive (FAT16 formatted, "HP_TOOLS" named, put "01604F06.BIN" - an older BIOS version binary - into root directory) connected to USB port. --> Same bad state as before.

- Did I anything wrong when trying to recover the BIOS?

- May the name of the BIOS file needs to be something else?

- Is there anything else I can try to get the device up and running again?

Kind regards

Christian

[DavidSMP]

Hi @ChrisPHL,

Welcome to the HP forums! It is a great way to engage, post questions and find resolutions by working with specialists in the HP community. I understand that your computer does not start up after a bios update. It will be a privilege to assist you.

A commendable job was done by trying different steps to roll back the bios  before posting the question in the HP forums. It is always a great pleasure to work with tech-savvy and technically sound customers like you. Kudos to you for that. I am amazed at your technical skills and definitely value your relationship with HP. We appreciate you greatly for doing business with HP and I take it a privilege to share this platform with you.

Please do a hard reset again. Then make sure the computer is powered down and the USB flash drive removed. Then hold down the windows Key and the letter “B” simultaneously along with the power button for about 5 seconds. It may try to roll back the bios.

If this does not work, then I request you to visit this link to contact phone support: http://hp.com/contacthp Please note support options for this computer may not be available as it is an older computer. You could also check with a local technician to see if the motherboard can be replaced or the bios rolled back. This has caused corruption of the bios on the motherboard.

I genuinely hope the issue gets resolved without hassles and the computer works great. Hope this helps. Please let me know how this works.

To simply say thanks, please click the "Thumbs Up" button to appreciate my efforts to help. If this helps, please mark this as “Accepted Solution”.

Thanks and have a terrific week ahead.

[ChrisPHL]

Then hold down the windows Key and the letter “B” simultaneously along with the power button for about 5 seconds.

After doing hard reset (remove AC power, remove battery, hold down power button for about 15 sec) I tried this.

What happened: Fan starts running, power LED lit and WiFi LED lit for about 1 sec and than everything turns off again.

I don't think the laptop does anything helpful. 😐

What is the solution to repair/flash (../replace?) the BIOS chip in case one ships the laptop to HP for service? I'm an embedded software engineer who did disassembling of a motherboard of a notebook to repair balling of GPU using a reflow owen at work... I would solder the bios chip from the motherboard, flash some binary using another device (RasPi or whatever is needed) over I2C or SPI. Please help me out!

It's a notebook from a friend of me who does not have any money to let the device repair aor buy a new one, so it would be really nice to help me out with whatever should know about the procedure.

Thanks in advance!

Christian

[DavidSMP]

Hi @ChrisPHL,

I read your post and thank you for the quick response. I understand that you are a technician yourself. The options at this time are limited. You will need to check which motherboard is best suited for the unit by going through the computer's user manual online and then may procure it locally as it may not be available with HP as it an older computer.

To simply say thanks, please click the "Thumbs Up" button to appreciate my efforts to help. If this helps, please mark this as “Accepted Solution”.

Thanks and have a terrific week ahead.

[ChrisPHL]

So I found an online shop where one can buy just a BIOS chip. (http://www.bios-chip24.com/epages/63730052.mobile/de_DE/?ObjectID=15752380)
So last thing you would really help me out and make repair more easy is to provide the Service Manual for Compaq Presario CQ56-100SG.
This is the point where HP can give evidence of being customer friendly.
Do you accept the challenge?

Kind regards
Christian

[DavidSMP]

Hi @ChrisPHL,

I thank you for your reply. I read your post and reviewed it. I'll do all I can to help you.

Please visit this link for the service manual: http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c02657369

Link 2 could also be useful: http://support.hp.com/us-en/product/Compaq-Presario-CQ56-Notebook-PC-series/4247498/model/4292707/ma...

Hope this helps. Let me know how this goes. I hope the issue gets resolved without hassles and the unit works great.

To simply say thanks, please click the "Thumbs Up" button to give me a Kudos to appreciate my efforts to help. If this helps, please mark this as “Accepted Solution” as it will help several others with the same issue to get it resolved without hassles.

Take care now and have a splendid week ahead.