HP 245 G8 notebook booting with gray screen

[thisfeeling2w0]

 

This issue began on September 18th while installing Windows 11 Home 23H2 on my HP 245 G8 laptop (previously using Deepin V23).
The installation went smoothly with security updates and drivers applied. However, Windows Update failed to install the HP firmware and asked to retry, which I ignored.
Upon checking Device Manager, I found the AMD drivers were outdated, and there was a driver requesting a restart. Attempting to install updated AMD drivers failed due to an ongoing Windows update, so I restarted.
At 40% update progress, the laptop restarted with a gray screen, no sound, and no mouse cursor. Suspecting an AMD driver issue, I later realized it wasn’t as the cursor was missing.

- Model: HP 245 G8
- Motherboard: 6050a3213801-mb-a01
- BIOS-Firmware: IT8987E
- BIOS: W25Q128JWBIQ
- Processor: AMD Ryzen 3 5300U
- SSD: ADATA SU650 128GB
- RAM: 2x8GB DDR4 3200Mhz

BIOS Password:
- I removed the BIOS password since the disk was encrypted, but it kept asking for an admin password. This could be linked to the issue.

Firmware and Recovery:
- The firmware failed to install or follow the recovery process (Windows + B + Power Button). The error: "BIOS recovery files cannot be found or are corrupted."
- Windows Update reported that the firmware wasn't installed, indicating corruption, though the BIOS seemed intact.

BIOS Processes:
- The BIOS detects actions like battery disconnection, but F2, F9, F10 shortcuts don't work. The screen stays gray with no further action. It detects low battery during installation.

LED Indicators:
- Caps Lock, charging, disk, and power LEDs behave normally without indicating errors.

BIOS Recovery:
- Pressing (Windows + B + Power Button) without a USB gives the error: "BIOS recovery files cannot be found or are corrupted."
- Left the laptop on for a long time after the BIOS recovery, but it did not progress further.