PXE boot issue.

[Dan-in-a-Van]

Hi. As my first post got locked I'll rephrase my question.

My 8770w has two boot options. Network using PXE and hard drive. The laptop isn't connected to a server so can't use PXE.

It doesn't however default to its own hard drive? The diagnostics see & ok the drive. The drive is a cloned drive from a working 8870w. I have tried using a cloned Windows 11 hard drive and a cloned Linux Mint drive, but neither is recognized.

Is there something stopping the laptop using the cloned drive?

[Deep_World]

Hi @Dan-in-a-Van,
 
Welcome to the HP Support Community!

Thanks for reaching out!

Sorry for the inconvenience caused and don’t worry let me help you.

To better understand the issue, could you please provide a few more details?

• When you power on the laptop, does it immediately attempt PXE boot, or do you see the hard drive listed in the boot menu?
• Was the cloned drive created using sector-by-sector cloning, or with a tool that adjusts partitions?
• Is the drive detected in BIOS under “Storage” or “Boot Options”?

Here are a few troubleshooting steps you can try:

• BIOS Boot Order: Enter BIOS (usually by pressing F10 during startup) and confirm that the internal hard drive is set as the first boot device, ahead of PXE.
• UEFI vs. Legacy Mode: Verify whether the cloned OS was installed in UEFI or Legacy mode. If the BIOS is set differently, the system may not recognize the boot loader.
• Secure Boot: If enabled, Secure Boot can prevent non-original or cloned drives from booting. Try disabling it temporarily to test.
• Repair Boot Loader: If the drive is detected but not booting, you may need to repair the boot loader using Windows installation media tools.

I hope this helps.

I'm glad I could help! 😊 If this resolved your issue, please mark it as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?" Your feedback not only keeps us going but also helps others find the solution faster! 

Take care and have an amazing day ahead! 

Best regards,

Deep_World. 

 

[Dan-in-a-Van]

I fixed it before I saw the reply, but the issue was UEFI vs Legacy. I installed a fresh Win 10 on my other laptop after using Rufus to set up partions to suit the second laptop.

I haven't got the bios password so I have to use the other laptop to install from a USB and then swap the drives over.

The only downer is I can't run virtual machines because the bios has that locked down as well 😞

[Deep_World · Accepted solution]

Hi @Dan-in-a-Van,

Thanks for your response and I completely understand how that situation must feel. You did a great job working around the UEFI vs. Legacy boot issue and finding a way to get Windows installed despite the BIOS restrictions. 

As for virtualization being disabled, I know that’s a limitation if you rely on virtual machines for testing or development. Unfortunately, without BIOS access, those settings can’t be changed.

I hope this helps.

I'm glad I could help! 😊 If this resolved your issue, please mark it as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?" Your feedback not only keeps us going but also helps others find the solution faster! 

Take care and have an amazing day ahead! 

Best regards,

Deep_World.