Logo Screen on Compaq Presario

[paulcr123]

I am working on a Presario CQ62-238DX (probono) for a Senior Center.  The issue it is having is the Compaq logo screen comes up when you start it up (or reboot), it stays there for about 20 minutes or more, THEN the boot screen comes up where I can choose to start Windows (or go into BIOS, etc.).  

My question is, how can I get rid of this logo screen?  I've (after hours and hours) reinstalled Windows, updated the BIOS, and anything else I can think of short of formating the harddrive.  

Any suggestions?  Anyone run into this before?  

Thank you!!!!!!!!

[mdklassen]

Enter BIOS SETUP.

There should be an option to display either:

* that "splash" logo,

* technical details -- white text over a black background, showing CPU details, RAM details, detected devices.

Change that option.

> THEN the boot screen comes up where I can choose to start Windows (or go into BIOS, etc.).  

Disconnect all "extra" peripherals (mouse, web-camera, printer, scanner, external disk-drive), leaving just keyboard and video connected, and reboot, to see if trying to detect those now-disconnected devices was taking a long time.

Also, if you have an adapter for a wireless mouse plugged-in to a USB port, remove it, too, before trying to boot.

If the computer boots, then you can reconnect that adapter, to enable your mouse.

[paulcr123]

I have tried to find some way to disable that "splash" screen so I can see the boot process, but so far I can't find anything to disable it.  If you have a suggestion I am all ears.  Anything I try (like go into BIOS setup, boot sequence, safe mode, etc.) that splash screen comes up (even when I press the appropriate F key) and stays there until (I am assuming) it runs through some process and the (most of the time) the screen I was trying to get to (about 20 minutes) comes up.

I've reinstalled Windows and that didn't do anything.  What about formating the hardrive and then reinstalling????

Thanks for any help!!!!

[mdklassen]

>  I have tried to find some way to disable that "splash" screen so I can see the boot process,

Try pressing ESC as soon as the computer is powered-on.  That may "dismiss" the logo screen, to show the "statistics" screen.  This may prove that it is possible for the BIOS to display that "statistics" screen, at least temporarily, and imply that there is an option to "permanently" do the same.

> I've reinstalled Windows and that didn't do anything.  What about formating the hardrive and then reinstalling????

You could try, but I predict that it will not make any difference.

Displaying that "logo" is a function of the motherboard's BIOS, not of the installed operating system.

[paulcr123]

I LOVE your advice!   

So pressing ESC is just like pressing any other F key.....takes 20 minutes to get past that splash screen....BUT one of the options in there is to go into BIOS setup.....I have been through there at lease 10 times looking for something to turn off that splash screen.....BUT you have given me so new ideas of things to try....at this point what do I have to lose!

I figured the splash screen would be in the BIOS and a reformt wouldn't do much....but it is a donated laptop to a Senior Center that works perfectly, but for this one thing....which also stops updates (or at least some of them) from installing.

Thanks again....if you think of anything else I am open to anything!!!

[mdklassen]

Turn the computer off.

Hold down the ESC key.

Turn the computer on, while holding that key.

Maybe, the BIOS will show "keyboard error, press <blah> to enter BIOS SETUP".

Do you have a smart-phone that can snap pictures of every BIOS SETUP screen, and post them here?

Maybe, there is something that you are missing.

> won't update ...

See: http://www.computersurgeons.com/p-21001-windows-7-64b-office-2010-recovery-kit-618095-001-for-compaq...

to purchase a copy of the original factory-installed operating system.

Starting from "trusted media" should produce a "good" result.

[mdklassen]

Or, if you install a "retail" (Microsoft-supplied) copy of Windows 7,

using the 25-character product-key on the decal on the laptop, see:

https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/selfservice/compaq-presario-cq62-200-notebook-pc-series/4149939...

for additional device-drivers that you will need to install.

It would be best to download these updates via another computer onto a USB memory-stick.

I would first apply the "video" update -- makes it easier to read the screen.

I would SKIP the BIOS update -- a "failure" here could turn the computer into a brick.

[paulcr123]

Can you used the OEM product key on the laptop with a retail version of Windows now?  I worked at MS for 15 years, part of that in OEM and that was something they had blocked....all my copies come directly from MS, but I'll give a try using the laptops product key.  Who knows  🙂

Just for learning sake....why would be be best to load drivers on a memory stick instead of dowloading them directly from HP's site?

Thank you again!!!!!!!

[mdklassen]

> Can you use the OEM product key on the laptop with a retail version of Windows? 

Be careful.

If you have vendor-supplied (HP, Dell, Lenovo) "Windows Installer" media for Windows 7, an OEM product-key is embedded, and that key will install Windows, without the need for "activation".

The product-key on the exterior decal is a different value from the "embedded" key, so that you can install Windows 7 from any "retail" version of Windows, and then activate online, using that product-key.  In this case, you'll need to access HP's web-site, to download the device-drivers that are not present on the "retail" media, but are present on the OEM media.

> that was something they had blocked.

Yes.  If you use a software tool to extract the product-key from an OEM-installed version of Windows, you cannot activate using that product-key -- it is blocked.

> Just for learning sake....why would be be best to load drivers on a memory stick instead of downloading them directly from HP's site?

Your "target" computer does not have anti-virus software (yet!), and one of the "missing" device-drivers might be for the network adapters (wired or wireless), thus preventing the computer from accessing the Internet until the device-driver has been downloaded and installed.

Are you old-enough to remember "Catch 22" ...

Working network-adapter --> no need to download the device-driver.

Non-working network-adapter --> no ability to download the device-driver.

Also, a "fresh" install of Windows 7 will have an old  version of Internet Explorer that is "not supported" on microsoft.com and/or hp.com web-sites.  Again, "Catch 22" ...

Working IE --> no need to download IE 11 (currently, the only "supported" version).

Non-compatible IE --> no ability to download IE 11.

On a "working" computer, use "Save Target As" on each hyperlink, to write the download to a folder on the USB memory-stick.  Then, connect the memory-stick to the "target" computer, and double-click each download, to run the update on the "target" computer.  I would first update "video" (and reboot) and then update "network".

[paulcr123 · Accepted solution]

OK you won't believe what the issue was!!!  I was looking around at everything, and I just happen to notice out of the corner of my eye that the laptop had 3GBs of RAM.  Now in my many years at MS, especially in OEM where we would test systems before they go to market, I have never seen RAM that wasn't in increments of 2....unless someone added a 1GB board.  So I looked and there was a 1GB board in the slot that should be empty.  I took it out and it worked fine.  It was incompatiable....or semi-incompatiable.  All the time the splash screen was up (20 mins or so) it was the boot-up process trying, and eventually sucedding to work through the incompatiability (which I've never seen before).  Fortunately I had a 1GB board that IS compatiable so it didn't have to drop in RAM.

Thank you again for all your suggestions.....every one of them got me closer to noticing that 3GB RAM and the final solution!!!!!!