BIOS recovery files cannot be found

[Mal978]

Hi, my laptop keeps turning on and off with a message that says BIOS recovery files not found or corrupted.  It says to use a flash drive to download the latest BIOS from the HO website.  Why is this happening?  

[Hawks_Eye]

Hi @Mal978 

Welcome to the HP Support Community! We're here to help you get back up and running.

Thank you for explaining the situation so clearly. It’s understandably alarming to see your laptop stuck in a loop with BIOS recovery errors—especially when it prompts for a flash drive and won’t boot normally. 

This typically occurs when the BIOS firmware becomes corrupted or fails to initialize properly, often due to an interrupted update, power loss during flashing, or a hardware fault.

Let’s walk through a focused recovery path to help restore your system:

 

1. Prepare a USB Drive

• Use a blank USB flash drive, formatted to FAT32.
• Minimum size: 1 GB.

 

2. Download the BIOS File

• Visit the official HP Software and Driver Downloads.
• Enter your laptop’s exact model number (e.g., HP Pavilion 15-egxxxx).
• Under BIOS, download the latest version available for your operating system.
• Run the downloaded .exe file on another working PC.

 

3. Create the Recovery USB

• When the BIOS installer opens, choose Create Recovery USB (not Install).
• Select your USB drive and follow the prompts to copy the recovery files.

 

4. Insert USB and Trigger Recovery

• Plug the USB into your affected laptop.
• Press and hold the Windows + B keys, then press and hold the Power button for 2–3 seconds.
• Release all keys. The screen may remain blank for a moment, then BIOS recovery should begin.
• Follow on-screen instructions if they appear.

 

Why This Happens

• Interrupted BIOS update: If the laptop lost power or was shut down during a BIOS update, the firmware may be incomplete.
• Corrupted firmware: Rarely, a system file or hardware fault can corrupt BIOS variables.
• Failed recovery attempt: If the system tried to auto-recover and couldn’t find valid files, it prompts for manual recovery.

Once the recovery completes, your laptop should boot normally. If it doesn’t respond to the recovery keys or USB, let me know what you see on screen and I’ll guide you further. You're close to restoring full functionality.

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Take care, and have an amazing day!

Regards, 

Hawks_Eye