Trying to fix a Compaq Presario CQ61-250SA. The bios is corrupt,.

[zonk00]

On power on, Nothing displayed on screen. Fan and CD drive spin up. Power LED is blue, wi-fi LED is orange, capslock and numlock flash twice, pause & repeat.

On the support pages, the serial number either gives no downloads or downloads for CQ-400 series.  

I got a bios for the 400 series, tried to flash it from a USB drive by holding Winkey + B before power on. It seems to be working , but nothing is shown on screen, but when it starts beeping I varyingly get 1,2 or 4 beeps before the notebook powers down.

Am I missing something? Am I trying to use the correct Bios? Why does the Serial number not return drivers on the support pages?

Can anyone help?

[zonk00]

Whoops! It is actually a CQ61-320SA. The page for downloads seems to be:

https://support.hp.com/us-en/drivers/selfservice/compaq-presario-cq61-300-notebook-pc-series/3938633...

But that page says "We were unable to find drivers for your product."

[zonk00]

The HP support web pages have nothing for this notebook. Does anybody have a copy of the Bios .... or know where to download one?

[Riddle_Decipher]

@zonk00 Click here to perform a hard reset on your device

If the issue persists, after the above steps, try the below:

1. Turn off the notebook.

2. Plug the notebook into a power source using the power adapter.

3. With the notebook off, press and hold the Windows logo key  and the B key at the same time.

      NOTE:

   On some notebook models, it might be necessary to press and hold the Windows logo key  and the V key.

4. While pressing those keys, press and hold the Power button on the computer for 2 to 3 seconds, and then release the Power button but continue to hold the Windows logo key  and the B or V key until the HP BIOS update screen displays or you hear a beeping sound (usually 8 beeps).

   The HP BIOS Update screen displays, and the BIOS update begins automatically. This might take several minutes, and you might hear additional beeping sounds.

   • If the HP BIOS Update screen does not display, repeat the previous steps. If the issue persists after repeating the steps, skip to the next step to Download a replacement BIOS file.

   • If the Power light turns off, the notebook has turned off because the Power button was held too long. Repeat the previous steps, making sure to hold the Power button for 2 to 3 seconds only.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE STEPS AND INSTRUCTIONS.

(By the end of this article all the issues should be resolved)

If the BIOS or drivers aren't available, its most likely because the device is obsolete.

I hope that answers your query,  

If it did, simply select "Accept as solution", to help the community grow, 

And if you wish to thank us for our efforts, click on the thumbs up for kudos.

Have a great day ahead.

[zonk00]

I have performed all the steps you suggested. 

If there are no peripherals attached, Holding the winkey + B has the following effects:

1. No screen display n either the laptop or an external monitor..

2. After approximately 10-15  seconds, the notebook powers down.

I have downloaded the driver set sp51527.exe which has a bios file. This was renamed and copied to a usb stick. When this is installed in a usb port, i get the following results:

1. No screen display n either the laptop or an external monitor.

2. After approximately 10-15 seconds, The speaker starts to beep.  However it gets to 5-6 beeps then the notebook powers down.

I have repeated the process a number of times, but I have only ever got to 6 beeps before the notebook powers off.  It has been as few as 1-2 beeps.

The CMOS reset function (Winkey + V) has no effect at all. To circumvent this, I have removed the battery from the main board which I believe, will have the same effect. I have also removed and replaced the sodimm memory in every combination of boards and slots.

I understand this machine may now be obsolete. However, many classic cars can be said to be obsolete, but a fair number of enthusiasts attempt to keep them running for nostalgic reasons. Why would the obsolescence of a machine curtail the availability of  the drivers for the said machine?

Thank you for your suggestions. Unfortunately, I cannot flag this as a solution as nothing has been resolved.

Do you have anything further?

[Riddle_Decipher · Accepted solution]

@zonk00 If none of that worked, I'm afraid this could be a hardware malfunction and I suggest you talk to HP support and discuss your options, follow the below steps to get started:

1) Click on this link - http://www.hp.com/contacthp/

2) Click on Sign-in or select the product using the below step:

3) Enter the serial of your device.

4) Select the country from the drop-down.

5) Click on "Show Options".

Fill the web-form, to populate a case number and phone number for yourself!

Also, if you are having trouble navigating through the above options, it's most likely because the device is out of warranty, if yes? please send me a private message with the region you are contacting us from, 

here's how private messages work: Click here for details.

If you wish to thank me for my efforts, you could click on "Accept as solution" on my post as the solution should help others too.