Spectre Folio 13-ak0013dx shows boot device not found after adding a user account

[melchioe]

I created a new user account for my sister-in-law so she could borrow the unit.  During the reboot, it was installing an update, which appeared to complete properly.  Now when it tries to start, it shows  an error, "Boot Device Not Found", and shows "Hard Disk (3F0)".  When I do the System Diagnostics (F2), and choose the Hard Drive Check, it responds "No hard drive installed.  Please check that the power and data cables are connected properly."

There were no drops or jostles at any point in the process.  The laptop has seen very little use, and appears to look fine, and before adding the new user account, appeared to function without any problem.

Thoughts?

[Huffer]

I think the new user account had nothing to do with it and it just happened to coincide with the death of the hard drive. Happy to walk you through replacing or ugading it. Just post back and we can take a deeper dive into the service manual and procurement of parts or discuss other options. Is it by any chance still under warranty?

[melchioe]

Not under warranty.  That's a pretty spectacular coincidence, though.  The unit probably had about 50 hours of use total.  I'm more suspicious of the update.

If I could figure out how to open the darned thing, I could do the replacement myself (although I'm not sure how I woud, get the OS back on it with no restore disks...).  I'm still fairly convinced the SSD is not the problem, though.

[Huffer]

See p. 58 of the Service Manual here:

Manual 

I'm a fairly experienced laptop tech and I would hesitate to try to open this. It is not possible for software like an update to kill hardware. The F2 test operates independent of the software in a pure preboot environment so if it is not seeing the SSD then I say the SSD has gone bad. If F2 cannot see the SSD I am sure that an attempt to reinstall the OS will also not show the presence of a storage disk. Windows 10 installation disk can be downloaded from Microsoft Media Creation Tool site (just google it that way). No Key Code needed to reinstall. 

[melchioe]

And after looking at the service manual, I'm not really interested in getting out the heat gun and stripping it down to simply jiggle the connector or swap out the SSD.  (it involves removing the display panel, using a heat gun, suction cups, and case utility tool), removing the web cam (involving adhesive), and removing the leather cover (again with the case utility tool or similar thin plastic tool), and then reassembling it all with adhesives and such.

Seems a bit involved, unless you have some ideas on how to do it without pulling out specialized tools and getting extra materials for re-assembly.  Since I'm not intimately familiar with this unit's guts, I'd probably be pretty slow with it (assuming I could even get it all back together) and it really doesn't seem advisable.

Thoughts?

[melchioe]

I'm wondering if it was doing something like a BIOS update that borked it. I agree that the windows update would be extremely unlikely to kill hardware. I'm trying to figure out how to do a BIOS refresh or firmware update on a non-booting machine, and if that doesn't work, I'll probably sell it for parts. (and never buy a leather-cased computer again - the wife liked the looks of it).

[melchioe]

 I'm also having difficulty getting it to boot from USB.  I've adjusted the BIOS to enable USB boot, and set the "USB Diskette on Key/USB Hard Disk" to the top of the boot order, (after creating a boot device per your recommendations) and it still won't boot. I'm sure I'm missing something obvious.

[Huffer]

I had the same reaction when I saw the Manual. I am a fair laptop technician not much of a saddle maker. I am virtually certain you have a bad SSD there. They are like any other electronic circuitry and fully capable of just dying at very inopportune times. I would perhaps suggest you contact HP Support and see if they can help. I am skeptical they can do much out of warranty. I am going to try to escalate this to HP to see if maybe they will do something.  Good luck. 

[melchioe]

Thanks very much!  That's much more than I was expecting.  I've tried to get in touch with HP, and haven't had any luck, which I can understand in the present circumstances (and especially with no warranty).  As for me, I'll try one more time to boot it from USB using a native usb-C stick, instead of the adapter thing I've got going now, and if that doesn't work, I'll have reached my personal limit of what I can do.

Thanks!

[praveen196]

@melchioe Welcome to HP Community!

I understand your concerns.

The issue with SSD. I would suggest you contact our phone support and check for the support option.

They will help you.

Here is how you can get in touch with phone support.
 

1)Click on this link - www.hp.com/contacthp/

2)Select the product type.

3)Enter the serial number of your device or select let HP detect your product option.

4)Select the country from the drop-down.

5)You should see the HP phone support number or Chat option listed.
 

Keep us posted,

If you would like to thank us for our efforts to help you, 

Give us a virtual high-five by clicking the 'Thumbs Up' icon below, followed by clicking on the "Accept as solution" on this post, 

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