HP 15s – Blue Screen errors, boot loop, BIOS recovery & Caps Lock blinking

[Suriya05]

Hello HP Team,

I am facing a serious Blue Screen and boot issue on my HP 15s-fr5012tu laptop.

Symptoms:

• Laptop shows different Blue Screen error codes on every boot

• Errors seen include PFN_LIST_CORRUPT and 0xc0000098 (tcpip.sys missing/corrupt)

• Automatic Repair fails (SrtTrail.txt)

• System Restore gets stuck

• BIOS Recovery screen appeared automatically

• Caps Lock LED blinks 2 quick + 3 slow

• System sometimes freezes after login with no mouse/keyboard response

I did not reset the PC intentionally. The issue started suddenly and now Windows is unstable and often cannot boot.

Please guide me on proper recovery steps or whether BIOS/OS reinstallation is required. I want to avoid data loss if possible.

  

Thank you.

[VikramTheGreat]

Hi @Suriya05,

Welcome to the HP Support Community.
 

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

I can feel how stressful this is, seeing a different Blue Screen every boot, Automatic Repair loops, and even BIOS recovery screens is unnerving. The good news: your symptoms point to a software/boot corruption and/or memory (RAM) instability, both of which we can triage without immediately wiping your data.

Below is a safe, step‑by‑step plan that prioritizes data protection and minimal changes, moving to deeper repairs only if needed.

What your symptoms suggest (in plain terms)

• PFN_LIST_CORRUPT BSOD often indicates memory (RAM) or driver/component‑store corruption. Start by testing RAM and repairing system files.
• 0xC0000098 / tcpip.sys missing/corrupt points to Boot Configuration Data (BCD) or boot files corruption. Rebuilding BCD and running file‑system checks typically resolves it.
• Automatic Repair failed (SrtTrail.txt) means Startup Repair couldn’t fix boot/system files; manual repairs (CHKDSK, SFC/DISM, BCD) are the next line of defense.
• Caps Lock LED 3 long + 2 short blinks on many HP notebooks maps to memory/BIOS‑related faults; reseating RAM and triggering HP BIOS recovery (Win+B) are standard steps.

Phase 1: Protect your data first (do this before repairs)

1. If Windows still boots occasionally:
   Connect an external drive and copy your critical files (Documents, Desktop, Photos).
2. If Windows won’t boot at all: 
   • Use another PC to create a Windows 11 install USB, boot your HP 15s‑fr5012tu from it → Repair your computer → Troubleshoot → Command Prompt, then copy files to an external drive using commands (e.g., xcopy/robocopy) or temporarily boot a Linux Live USB to back up data. (General data‑safe best practice during boot failures.)
   • You can perform the following repairs without deleting data; we’ll only consider a Reset/Clean install if repairs fail. (Microsoft recommends repair first; backups remain wise.)

Phase 2: Hardware sanity checks (HP Diagnostics + RAM)

1. Run HP UEFI Hardware Diagnostics at startup: 
   • Turn the laptop off, then power on and tap Esc repeatedly → Startup Menu → press F2 for System Diagnostics.
   • Run Memory Test (Quick → then Extensive) and Storage (SSD) Tests. Note any 24‑digit Failure ID. If memory fails, reseat/replace RAM; if storage fails, stop and consider data recovery before repairs.
      
2. If the BIOS Recovery screen appears or the blink code persists: 
   • Attempt HP BIOS Recovery: with power off, hold Win + B (or Win + V on some units) and press Power for ~2–3 seconds, release Power but keep holding the keys until the recovery screen appears; follow prompts.

If diagnostics pass, proceed; your issues are very likely software/boot corruption (good, fixable without reinstall).

I hope this helps.

Take care and have an amazing day!
 

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Regards,

VikramTheGreat