Victus laptop cloud recovery failed

[Robfnorman]

I have a Victus gaming laptop which has been in use for less than a year (but warranty has expired) which has been having boot issues. Sometimes it would boot ok then others it just hangs at the Victus logo, other times it would go to Windows recovery screen but all of the recovery options would fail. 

I ran all of the HP diagnostic tools and it shows no hardware faults.

I have tried to use the HP cloud recovery tool but it gets to about 40% of the factory image recovery preparations and then just says "contact HP support", with no further information about the fault. 

It says "in most cases, recovering the hard drive will fix the problem" but I have even ran it with a brand new SSD and it fails at the same point. 

[Hawks_Eye]

Hi @Robfnorman 

Welcome to the HP Support Community! We're here to help you get back up and running.

Thanks for explaining everything so clearly—I'm really sorry you're facing persistent boot failures and recovery tool errors on your Victus 16-s0000. Since HP diagnostics show no hardware faults and even a new SSD fails at the same recovery stage, this points to a firmware-level block or recovery image mismatch.

Recommended Recovery Strategy for HP Cloud Recovery Failure

 

1. Perform BIOS Recovery

Even if diagnostics pass, a corrupted BIOS can cause boot hangs and recovery failures.

• Power off the laptop completely.
• Press and hold Windows + B, then press and hold the Power button for 2–3 seconds.
• Release all keys and wait for the BIOS recovery screen.
• If prompted, follow the on-screen instructions to reflash the BIOS.

This can restore firmware integrity and resolve boot-stage hangs.

 

2. Create a Fresh Recovery USB Using HP Cloud Recovery Tool

If the recovery fails at 40%, the image may be corrupted or mismatched.

• Use a separate PC to download the tool:
  HP Cloud Recovery Tool
• Insert a 32 GB USB drive and create a new recovery image.
• Ensure your Victus model and product ID (76T55AV) are entered correctly.
• Boot your laptop from the USB (press Esc, then F9 to select boot device).

A fresh recovery image often bypasses stuck recovery stages.

 

3. Run HP UEFI Diagnostics from USB

Even new SSDs can fail if the interface controller is unstable.

• Download HP PC Hardware Diagnostics UEFI:
  HP Diagnostics UEFI
• Create a bootable USB and run Storage Tests > Interface Test
• Confirm that the SSD is detected and passes all tests

This rules out controller-level faults that may block recovery.

 

4. Install Windows Manually Using Microsoft Media Creation Tool

If HP recovery continues to fail, a clean Windows install may be the best path forward.

• Visit: Microsoft Media Creation Tool
• Create a bootable USB and install Windows 11 manually
• After installation, visit:
  HP Victus 16-s0000 Drivers
  to install chipset, graphics, and system drivers

This bypasses HP recovery and restores full system functionality.

Let me know what happens after the BIOS recovery and fresh recovery USB—I’ll guide you further based on that. 

You're doing everything right by staying proactive and documenting the issue clearly. I’ll stay with you until it’s resolved.

If my response helped, please mark it as an Accepted Solution! ✅ It helps others and spreads support. 💙 Also, tapping "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?" makes a big difference! Thanks! 😊

Take care, and have an amazing day!

Regards, 

Hawks_Eye

[Robfnorman]

Thanks a lot for the reply. When I try to perform the BIOS recovery I get this message

I went to the software and drivers section for my device and downloaded the BIOS update tool and used that to create a USB but it doesn't create a bootable drive it just puts the files into some folders on the USB so the laptop does not reconise it on boot. Any ideas on how I can fix this?

[Hawks_Eye]

Thanks for explaining—I'm really sorry you're running into this BIOS recovery issue. It’s incredibly frustrating when the USB creation process seems to work, but the laptop doesn’t recognize it during boot. 

You’re doing everything right by using HP’s official BIOS update tool, so let’s walk through a more precise method to create a recovery USB that your system can detect.

How to Create a Recognizable BIOS Recovery USB for HP Systems

 

1. Use HP BIOS Update Utility with Recovery Option

Instead of manually copying files, use the built-in recovery creation feature:

• On a working Windows PC, download the BIOS update for your exact model from HP’s support page:
  HP BIOS Recovery Instructions
• Run the downloaded .exe file
• When prompted, choose Create Recovery USB Flash Drive
• Insert a blank USB drive (at least 1 GB)
• Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the process

This method ensures the correct folder structure and boot files are created for BIOS recovery.

 

2. Use the Correct USB Format

Make sure the USB drive is formatted as FAT32, not NTFS or exFAT:

• Open File Explorer > Right-click USB > Format
• Choose FAT32 and click Start

HP BIOS recovery only recognizes FAT32-formatted drives during boot.

 

3. Insert USB and Trigger Recovery

Once the USB is ready:

• Insert it into the affected laptop
• Press and hold Windows + B, then press and hold the Power button for 2–3 seconds
• Release the Power button but continue holding Windows + B for another 10 seconds
• Wait for the BIOS recovery screen to appear

If this key combo doesn’t work, try Windows + V instead.

Let me know what happens after using the recovery creation option—I’ll guide you further if needed. 

You're doing everything right by staying methodical and using official tools.

If my response helped, please mark it as an Accepted Solution! ✅ It helps others and spreads support. 💙 Also, tapping "Yes" on "Was this reply helpful?" makes a big difference! Thanks! 😊

Take care, and have an amazing day!

Regards, 

Hawks_Eye