HP Spectre x360 15-ch011dx won't boot

[JaxNathan]

Cheers! I have a HP Spectre x360 15-ch011dx laptop that I bought in late 2018. It's served me well.

However, a few days ago I got a random BSOD while Web browsing. When I restarted the PC, I got an "operating system not found" error message. I tried starting it again, and Windows booted without any issue. I went through this same sequence the next day - I got a BSOD, restarted the PC, got an error, and restarted again without issue.

This morning I got another BSOD, but when I tried to restart the PC, I only see a blank screen. The power LED blinks as usual, but the fans don't spin, and there are no beep codes.

I tried resetting the system by holding down the power button for 15 seconds (both with battery attached and without battery attached), but I had the same result. I also tried booting the PC without the SSD connected, but I got the same error. I didn't notice any loose connections inside the laptop, and I haven't made any system changes other than routine Windows updates.

I really hope I can get my Spectre going again - is there anything else I can try?

[JaxNathan]

Update: I was able to get my laptop working again yesterday.

I removed the battery and connected to the wall outlet. I powered on my machine and held down the F6 key for about 20 seconds. Suddenly the display showed signs of life, and I finally got to the BIOS settings screen. From there, I was able to start Windows as normal.

I haven't had any problems since then. However, I'm still uneasy because I haven't been able to identify a root cause of the initial problem. (One possibility is my battery - I had to install a replacement battery last year, and since HP seems to have stopped selling replacement batteries for this model, I had to buy a third-party replacement, and sometimes those have caused problems.)