Failure to Boot

[Taff25]

I was given the HP650 on which the HDD had been wiped clean.  I have installed a Linux Mint OS on the internal drive but it won't boot from that drive.  I have an identical external drive which will boot up in the Linux live session.  The BIOS on this machine is locked and does not allow access to Advanced features, only boot order and date/time can be changed.  I have tried many suggested fixes but to no avail. The problems appears to be with conflicting Legacy, UEFI,  GPT or MBA partition table (tried both). The boot error states 'Failure to find device" 3F0.  although the disk appears in Disks and GParted.

The machine is working fine and I really appreciate the very clear screen, good for my aging eyesight, so I'm reluctant to give up on getting the internal HDD to operate.  I can still save onto the USB persistance HDD but it's a real pain when any small movement disconnects the connection.  Boot Repair suggestions either don't work or can't  be actioned because of the locked BIOS facility.  Both drives are in good working order and show as Healthy.

Any suggestions would be very gratefully accepted and tried.

[Pallipurath · Accepted solution]

Hi @Taff25 

Welcome to the HP Support Community.

Thank you for posting your query.

I understand that you are unable to boot from the internal hard drive after installing Linux Mint and are encountering the "Boot Device Not Found (3F0)" error. As you mentioned that the drive is detected in Disks and GParted, and both the internal and external drives appear healthy, the issue may be related to the boot configuration or partitioning method rather than a hard drive failure. 

To troubleshoot the Hard Disk 3F0 (Boot Device Not Found) error on your HP computer. I would request you to please follow the below steps.

Restore BIOS Default Settings

A locked BIOS may restrict access to advanced menus, but you can often still restore the system's default settings using a built-in shortcut key. Restoring the defaults can clear boot order conflicts and refresh the system's hardware detection.

• Turn off the computer and wait at least five seconds.
• Press the power button to start the computer, and immediately press the f10 key repeatedly to enter the BIOS setup menu.
• Once the BIOS Setup screen is displayed, press the f9 key to load the BIOS Setup Default settings.
• Press f10 to Save and Exit.
• Use your arrow keys to select Yes when asked "Exit Saving Changes?", and then press Enter.
• Follow the prompts to restart your computer and see if it recognizes the internal drive.

Run HP PC Hardware Diagnostics UEFI

Since the computer fails to find the boot device, running a low-level hardware test will confirm whether the internal hard drive is physically healthy and properly recognized by the motherboard. This diagnostic utility runs independently of any operating system.

• Hold the power button down for at least five seconds to completely turn off the computer.
• Turn on the computer and immediately press the esc key repeatedly (about once every second) until a startup menu appears.
• Press the f2 key to open HP PC Hardware Diagnostics UEFI.
• On the main menu, click Symptom Tests.
• Select Hard disk/SSD drive issue, and then press Enter.
• Select the internal hard drive you want to test (or choose Test All Hard Drives if multiple are listed).
  • Note: If the diagnostic test fails to find or detect a hard drive here, the drive may have a loose physical connection or require reinstallation.
• If the drive passes the Quick Test but you still cannot boot, return to the menu and run the Extensive Test (which includes the SMART Check, Short DST, Optimized DST, and Long DST) to check for deeper drive damage.
• If the drive fails any of these tests, click Troubleshoot and follow the on-screen instructions. Write down the 24-digit failure ID and product ID in case and share.

Update the BIOS  Click here

If the hard drive passes all physical tests but still will not boot, updating the BIOS can sometimes resolve the 3F0 boot error by fixing underlying motherboard firmware bugs.

• HP recommends downloading and installing official BIOS updates specifically tailored for your machine (such as HP Business Notebooks or Consumer Notebooks).
• Only install official BIOS updates from HP. Installing a BIOS update incorrectly can permanently prevent your computer from starting or being recovered

Click here.

Take care and have an amazing day!

[Taff25]

Sorry for the delay in responding. I am working through the procedures as suggested but it is taking me a while to do.  I will continue to work through them.  I have tried many different suggested methods prior to this, but none of them have succeeded in getting past the blocked access to all BIOS features. I'll battle on, but I am somewhat intrigued that HP has no recommended solution to the blocked BIOS.  Would it help if I tried to re-install Windows 7 which was removed before I received the laptop, alongside my Linux Mint OS?

[Pallipurath]

Hi @Taff25 

Thank you for responding.

A clean installation of Windows can recreate the required boot partitions and install a Windows bootloader automatically, which may make the drive bootable if the issue is purely software-related. However, if the BIOS restrictions are preventing the system from recognizing the internal drive correctly, reinstalling Windows alone may not resolve the problem.

If you decide to test this, I would recommend installing Windows in the same boot mode currently supported by the BIOS (UEFI or Legacy) and checking whether the system boots normally before considering a dual-boot setup with Linux.

Have a good day.

[Taff25]

Sorry, I did respond to your message but it doesn't appear to have uploaded.  I will try a windows installaton.  Windows 7 was originally installed but removed before I was given the laptop, although sometimes it shows remnants of Win7 still there.  I have had internet and phone issues, thanks for you assistance to date.  Having tried so many suggested fixes, I'm feeling that I may just have to put up with what is.

[Pallipurath]

Hi @Taff25 

Thank you for responding.

Reinstall Windows on the hard drive

Reinstall Windows through the Windows Recovery Environment (f11) or using the HP Cloud Recovery Tool.

I recommend that you always back up all important data (such as personal files, photos, videos, documents, applications, and software) before reinstalling Windows to avoid losing your data. For more information, see HP PCs - Back up your files (Windows).

Use the steps from HP PCs - Reset the computer to perform a system reset through Windows Recovery Environment (f11) when Windows does not start.

Or, to use HP Cloud Recovery Tool, see the document for your computer:

HP Consumer PCs - Using the HP Cloud Recovery Tool in Windows

HP Business PCs - Using the HP Cloud Recovery Client in Windows

If no drives can be found when reinstalling Windows, see HP PCs - No drives can be found during Windows 11 installation (Intel 11th Generation processors).

After reinstalling Windows, run Windows Update to update all software, firmware, and drivers.

Have a good day.