HP ProBook 4540s , bootDevice not found problem

[Arvind8]

I am using my HP ProBook for past 3 years. When i tried to access my laptop i'm getting this error message- "bootDevice not found(3F0)".But i have a pre installed OS on my harddrive. I read few solutions on the internet but it didn't help. When i tried to access my BIOS , it was asking for a password (Which i dont remember setting up one).

Now , i dont know the BIOS password and i cant access my laptop. There are a lot of important stuffs in it. So i can't simply get a new harddrive.

Please help!

Thank you.

[WAWood · Accepted solution]

Arvind8

Hello;

Allow me to welcome you to the HP forums!

I wish I had good news for you -- but I don't ...

That error code means your hard drive has failed -- at least, to the degree that it can not be read using routine instructions anymore.

IF the drive has failed, there is nothing you can do to fix it, and the more you use it, the less likely you'll be able to recover anything on it

Your best bet for recovering data now is to do the following:
1) Remove the hard drive from the PC
2) Purchase a USB-to-Hard Driver adapter kit
3) Download and install this utility on a working PC: http://www.majorgeeks.com/news/story/recover_data_in_3_steps_with_minitool_power_data_recovery_free_...
4) Connect the old drive to the working PC
5) Run the data recovery utility to see what can be retrieved from the old drive.

If that tools does not find what you need, an alternative is Recuva: http://www.piriform.com/recuva

And, if that does not work well, the best tool out there is this one, but only the trial version is free: http://www.file-recovery.com/

Good Luck

[Arvind8]

Dear WAWood,

Thank you for the help, really appreciate it. Already looking for good deals on harddrive.

Could you tell me more on how to reset the BIOS password (without removing CMOS battery)?

I dont remember setting up such thing. BIOS passwords stays even if I change my harddrive, so kindly help me on this too.

Thanks again.