HP Victus 16 dead doesn't turn on (only power and charge LEDs)

[itgy]

I have this laptop which was formatting with Windows 11 tool without being connected to the charger, long story short, it doesn't turn on anymore, anytime I press the power button, the LED turns on like 2 seconds, then power off and that's it, no beep, no fan sound, no nothing. Only power button shows signs of life and also the CA adapter LED. 

I think the process when it turned off was BIOS config, so I'm guessing that I have to flash or restart BIOS somehow (Win + B doesn't do anything).

Please help, thank you.

[Raqeeb26]

Hi @itgy ,

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

It seems your laptop may have a corrupted BIOS or a power delivery issue since it shut down suddenly during a critical system operation, either a Windows format or what you think was a BIOS configuration step. The symptom of the power LED briefly turning on and then immediately off is a common sign that the system failed its initial Power-On Self-Test (POST). Here are the most common troubleshooting steps you can try to fix this issue, starting with power and hardware resets and then moving to BIOS recovery.

**Power and Hardware Reset (Hard Reset)**
Since the laptop shut down while unplugged, the first step is to drain any remaining power from the components. This often fixes minor power glitches or hung states.
1. Disconnect everything: Unplug the AC adapter and any peripherals like USB drives, mouse, and external monitor.
2. Perform the power drain: Press and hold the power button for 15-20 seconds; some sources recommend up to 60 seconds to clear all residual electrical charge from the capacitors and memory.
3. Reconnect the AC Adapter only: Plug the charger back into the laptop and a working wall outlet.
4. Attempt to power on: Press the power button once. If this doesn't work, move to the next step.

**Checking the Battery and Charger**

Even if the AC adapter LED lights up, the charging circuit might be the problem, or the battery could be completely dead.
1. Wait and retry: Leave the laptop connected to the AC adapter for at least 30 minutes to give the battery some time to charge and at least start the boot process.
2. Attempt a BIOS recovery while plugged in. If the battery is fully dead, the system may need to be connected to work during the recovery.

**BIOS Recovery (HP Emergency Flash)**

Since you suspect a BIOS issue, the main solution is to force an emergency BIOS recovery using a key combination. HP laptops generally use the Windows key + B combination, but sometimes other keys are used, or the timing can be sensitive.

**Method 1: Windows Key + B (Most Common)**
1. Make sure the laptop is OFF and the AC adapter is connected.
2. Press and hold the Windows key and the B key at the same time.
3. While still holding the Windows key and B, press and release the Power button.
4. Keep holding the Windows key + B for about 2-3 seconds.
5. What to look for: The power LED should stay lit, and the fans or screen might turn on. If it works, you should hear a series of beeps and see the HP BIOS Update screen.

**Method 2: Windows Key + V (Alternative for some models)**
If the Windows key + B doesn't work, repeat the steps using the Windows key and the V key.

**Method 3: Using a USB Recovery Drive**
If the built-in recovery partition is damaged, you will need to create a BIOS recovery USB drive on another working computer.
1. On a working computer, download the latest BIOS update file for your Victus by HP 16-d1 from the HP Support website.
2. Follow HP's instructions to create a BIOS recovery USB drive, which often needs a tool like the HP BIOS Update Utility.
3. Insert the USB drive into the broken laptop.
4. Use the Windows key + B or Windows key + V method above, and the laptop should try to read the BIOS file from the USB drive.

**Next Steps if All Fails**
If none of these steps work, and the power LED keeps blinking or turns off after 2 seconds, it suggests a serious hardware failure that stops the CPU from starting the POST. This could be due to a faulty motherboard component, such as the dedicated BIOS chip, power delivery circuit, or the CPU itself.

Hope this helps resolve your issue.