Omen 16 BIOS update failed. Laptop is unusable

[RobJ5]

When I powered up the laptop yesterday, it went straight to a BIOS Update screen.  The instructions said to not interrupt the process, keep the laptop plugged in, and that it should take a few minutes to complete.  It's now been nearly 24 hours, the laptop is still powered up but the screen is blank (black) and there's no mouse cursor.  The laptop is nearly 2 years old, out of warranty, and I'm not sure what my next steps should be.  Do I try to power it down and restart?  I have no experience with this type of problem.

[BeemerBiker]

Try the following

HP support video for bios recovery

Click here to see how to recover your BIOS.
Do 1, 2, and the first part of 3.
For the second part of 3 you will need a USB flash drive and possibly an
older BIOS if the recent BIOS caused the problem

let me know what happens.

[RobJ5]

Thanks for the reply.  In reviewing that information I feel confident in performing the first step (resetting the embedded controller) and the first part of step 3 (recovering the BIOS with a key press combination) but less so with step 2 where I actually have to open the computer and access the system board.  Do I have to follow the steps in sequence or could I skip step 2?  Or is this something I should take to a service tech?  

Also, since all of these steps involve turning the computer off, I assume that there's no reason I need to keep it powered on now, is that correct?

[BeemerBiker · Accepted solution]

There is no need to open the laptop. That part about the cmos battery and reset switch apply only to desktop systems.

The CMOS reset can be done using the windows key + "v"

https://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Software-and-How-To-Questions/CMOS-reset-502/m-p/8227944/high...

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@RobJ5 wrote:

Also, since all of these steps involve turning the computer off, I assume that there's no reason I need to keep it powered on now, is that correct?

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Turn it off and try the hard reset

Turn on the computer by holding the power button down for 20 full seconds then release. Press the Power button one more time (if necessary) to start the computer

[RobJ5]

Thank you for all your help.  The first step, "Hard Reset" seems to have fixed the issue.  Now that the laptop is functional again, is there anything I should check to ensure the BIOS isn't corrupted?  Also, since the problem seems to have been started by the system trying to auto-update the BIOS, is there a setting where I can turn off the auto-update feature?

[BeemerBiker]

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@RobJ5 wrote:

Thank you for all your help.  The first step, "Hard Reset" seems to have fixed the issue.  Now that the laptop is functional again, is there anything I should check to ensure the BIOS isn't corrupted?  Also, since the problem seems to have been started by the system trying to auto-update the BIOS, is there a setting where I can turn off the auto-update feature?

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This article might be useful.  Option 3 only works on Windows Pro

https://www.partitionwizard.com/news/windows-11-updates-bios-automatically.html

There might be a tool that Microsoft has which can stop bios updates but I was unable to download it.

Try in a day or two to see if the problem is fixed.

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/all/how-to-stop-windows-from-installing-downloaded...

I found another site that has a copy of that tool but it might be an old version. 

https://www.thewindowsclub.com/show-hide-updates-tool-wushowhide-diagcab

from now on only allow bios updates that the support assistant recommends.  I recommend only updating the bios if the update has a "fix" for a real problem.  If the "fix" is only a security update it will likely make your gaming computer run slower IMHO.