Help to resurrect Notebook - 3F0 HDD not found

[Cooltone]

This notebook (2.5 years old) uses a 64Gb eMMC as the HDD and 4G RAM

During POST it reports the HDD cannot be found (error 3F0). Things I have tried:

1) F2 Diagnostics - all ok, except HDD not found. Also reports eMMC as ok - this is ambigous. Are these tests testing different things?

2) HP Cloud recovery Tool via USB (boot order set to USB priority):  Didnt work.

Error reported: [12:09:25:22}{startnet] Error, Get failure from Dynamic Recovery Tool

3) Used Windows Media Creation tool to make USB bootable Windows 10 (2H22). Doesn't work. Boot loops arround the HP intial splash screen

What are my options?

1) Repair - (the painful route with my retailer - I anticipate they will make it difficult)

2)I'd like to install a SATA SSD, but if I can't boot from USB, I'm worried I'll not be able to boot from the SSD

3) Give up/buy a new laptop

Help much appreciated?

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

Hi:

Try the media creation tool and make a plain W10 64 bit USB installation flash drive.

Download Windows 10 (microsoft.com)

To boot from the USB flash drive, have it plugged into your notebook's USB port.

Turn on or restart the PC.

Immediately press/tap the ESC key to get the menu of options.

Select the F9 boot options menu and from that, select the USB flash drive and press the Enter key.

If the PC boots from the flash drive and the Windows installation process begins, you would probably be OK installing a M.2 SATA SSD.  NVMe SSD's are not supported in the notebooks with the 64 GB eMMC drives.

If it works, I recommend one of the Western Digital Blue SA510 M.2 SATA SSD's in a drive capacity that meets your needs and budget.

If nothing works, go for option 3.

[Cooltone]

Hi Paul,

Thanks for your reply. 

I get to  the HP splash screen, but the Windows Installation process doesn't start and eventually the laptop shuts down and starts again. So, just to confirm, it seems like it's Option 3!

Many thanks, 

Sorry Paul should get the Kudos for this! But I can't seem to change it.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

Yes, most likely it would not be worth throwing good money after bad, unless you are willing to gamble $18 quid on an inexpensive SATA SSD to see if the notebook progresses beyond the point where it is going now.

Ediloca EN206 256GB 3D NAND M.2 SSD, M.2 2280 SATA III 6Gb/s SSD Internal Hard Drive, Read/Write Spe...

It could be that since the flash memory drive has failed the notebook won't proceed any further in the boot process.

[Cooltone]

Here's  the outcome and thanks for the support Paul.

I installed a SATA SSD but couldn't get it to boot,  and as said before a USB Media creation tool didn't boot either.

It's very strange since:

- the notebook reports all diagnostic tests (F2) pass.

- the BIOS recovery tool works and I updated the BIOS to the latest version - so the USB h/w is working 

- the media creation USB works as I used on an almost identical HP notebook  (14s-fq0510xx)

I've now given up.

On the bright side, I re-used the SSD and Media creatiion USB on the 2nd notebook, works well. Re-formatted the eMMC as extra storage.

Cheers..