Boot Device Not found - Hard Disk (3F0) Error - intermittent with workaround

[KJMC]

There have been lots of previous posts about this problem.  My son has one of these notebooks, and has had intermittent problems with this 3F0 error.  But, he thinks he's found a weird workaround for it.  When he gets this error, he goes into the BIOS, and opens the system logs.  Then he exits, and the system comes up normally. 

We've checked most of the support forum posts for this problem.  There's no 'optane' memory system listed in the bios for this notebook.  Hard disk tests come up normal. We've even opened the case and reseated the SSD.  Spanking the notebook (to reseat the drive) when it has the problem will rarely make a difference.  But the opening the BIOS / opening the logs / quitting seems to work reliably. 

It seems odd to suggest reimaging the OS when the problem looks to be bios related.  If he can simply go into the bios, look at the logs, and it's golden, it's hard to imagine what replacing the OS would solve.  So, he's chugging along with his workaround for now, and we're hoping HP will eventually do a firmware upgrade that fixes the problem.  Any word on a firmware update for it?

[CipINFINIT]

Hey there!

What exact model you have as HP Spectre x360 Convertible? Note that out there are many models of HP convertibles under this name of the series.

Also, if you can check with a different SSD to run it locally on the laptop, it might be a sign of an SSD failure or board failure (motherboard I mean)

Also, if your model of HP Spectre x360 Convertible has any BIOS Firmware updates, definitely consider doing them as they bring bug fixes and security patches.

I hope this might help you..

Also, there's also a chance to have a laptop that needs a break (with my HP Elitebook 2560p I had a similar issue and the SSD was fine, however the motherboard fixed itself after leaving the SATA port empty with no drives).

Regards,

CipINFINIT

[KJMC]

It's an HP Spectre x360 Convertible Model 13-ae013dx.  No, definitely not shelling out for another SSD just to test the current one.  He's a college student.  We'll check for a firmware update. 

What would "needs a break" mean?  Mostly, the problem shows up when he starts it after not using it for a while.  I.e. he shuts it off at night, and the next day when he tries to start it, it has the error.  That's running about twice a week these days.

It's kind of crazy and frustrating that it does this.  My daughter's Dell (similar specs, and cheaper) has never had any issues at all.  Had we known an HP would have run into this kind of problem, we would have gone with a Dell for him too.  I've always thought HP was much better quality than Dell, but I certainly don't think that anymore.