Elitebook 6930p won't boot up.

[Watchdog50]

I'll tell you the background as it likely has some bearing on my problem. This notebook generally remains in my son's room but I occassionally use it myself. I only had the one power adapter which was a bit of a pain as I had to keep pulling it out from behind the bedroom units. Yesterday I went in to a local computer store to buy a second power adapter. I took the original power adapter with me. That adapter shows that it operates at 19v, however the guy in the store told me that HP notebooks should only work at 18.5v.  He had one HP adapter of this type so I bought it.

I plugged it in when I got home to try it out. However, the power light on the laptop didn't come on. Assuming he'd got it wrong and that the adapter he'd given me wasn't suitable, I plugged the original back in again. However, when my son then turned the laptop on, it wouldn't boot up.

All the lights came on as usual, however the HP logo appeared under which was the message 'Press ESC to enter startup menu'. This screen remains for about 2 seconds before it goes blank with only the cursor flashing in the top left corner. A further two seconds and the screen goes off completely though the laptop remains on. Another two seconds and the original 'Press ESC to enter startup menu' appears again. The laptop then continually scrolls through these three screens but doesn't boot up.

I can enter the diagnostic system and have run the standard checks which have all passed. I've removed and replaced the battery, reset BIOS default settings and have tried just about everything else but the laptop simply won't boot up.

I've Googled the problem but can't find a match, hence I've come here. I think that the whole power adapter thing might be coincidental as the laptop still powers up and as the new adapter was of a lower voltage than the original, I doubt that I've fried anything.

Any ideas or solutions would be appreciated.

[IT_WinSec]

Hello @Watchdog50

Welcome! Thank you for posting in the HP Support forum.

Your detailed description is very much appreciated - very few users provide such a detailed explanation and story. It is very helpful.

Don't try salesmen - different computers and different HP models use different type of chargers. HP doesn't use 18.5 V only - for example by HP model uses original charger with 19.5 V output. I mean there are different. You need to check V / A and W and also choose the one designed for your model, not just "any HP branded charger available in the store".

The power adapter fiasco seems not related to your problem. Since you completed the hardware diagnostics (F2) this seems software related.

I would check:

- BIOS (F10) - specifically Secure Boot option and Legacy mode  (if not already checked) and see with different options

Did the PC originally come with Windows preinstalled ? Or you installed Windows after the PC has been purchased ?

What is the Windows version you use now ? Has the PC ever been upgraded to Windows 10 from older/legacy Windows version ? Is it really Windows Vista as written above ?