HP Victus blank screen.

[Floyd-Raser]

Hi All,

HP Victus 16-e 0081na(62F35ea)

My Victus has suddenly come down with a dead screen. It was in sleep mode one day and failed to wake up! I have tried all the tests I could find on here and YouTube but to no avail so I have accepted the idea that the motherboard or graphics card have died.

On pressing the start button it lights up then after a while the cooling fans start but there is never a flicker on the screen or the remote screen connected via HDMI.

I tried all the button pressing things and even had the back off and disconnected the battery, reseated the RAM and ssd.

I'm here because I hope someone may have another suggestion or experience of a similar issue. It's very disappointing as it's just three months out of three year warranty. It's a shame if it's toast already.

I would appreciate any suggestions, thanks in anticipation.

[VikramTheGreat]

Hi @Floyd-Raser,

Welcome to the HP Support Community.
 

Thank you for posting your query. I will be glad to help you.

I can truly understand how disheartening it feels when a trusted device like your HP Victus 16-e0081na suddenly goes dark, especially just a few months out of warranty. You've already done a thorough job trying all the right steps, and I admire your persistence.

Let’s go over a few additional suggestions that might help revive your laptop or at least confirm the root cause:

Advanced Troubleshooting Suggestions

1. External Display Check (HDMI/USB-C)

You mentioned trying HDMI just to confirm:

• Try booting with only the external monitor connected and the laptop lid closed.
• Use Windows + P shortcut blindly after boot to cycle through display modes (e.g., Duplicate, Extend, Second screen only).
• Wait 1–2 minutes after powering on before pressing the shortcut.

2. BIOS Recovery (Blind Boot)

Sometimes the BIOS gets corrupted during sleep or an update.

Try this blind BIOS recovery:

1. Turn off the laptop.
2. Hold Windows + B, then press and hold the Power button for 2–3 seconds.
3. Release the power button, but keep holding Windows + B for another 10 seconds.
4. Wait and listen if the fans spin and you hear beeps or see the screen flicker, it may be recovering the BIOS.

More info: HP Notebook PCs - Recovering the BIOS (Basic Input Output System) | HP® Support

3. CMOS Reset (Deep Battery Drain)

You’ve already disconnected the battery great step. Try this variation:

1. Disconnect the charger and battery.
2. Hold the power button for 60 seconds.
3. Reconnect the battery and charger, then power on.

4. Check for POST Beep or LED Codes

• Does the Caps Lock or Num Lock blink in a pattern?
• Count the blinks. HP uses blink codes to indicate hardware failures (e.g., 3 long + 2 short = memory issue).

I hope this helps.

Take care and have an amazing day!
 

Did we resolve the issue? If yes, please consider marking this post as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" to give us a helpful vote - your feedback keeps us going!

Regards,

VikramTheGreat

[Floyd-Raser]

Hi Vikram,

Two things first: Thank you for taking the time to reply with a personal touch, you've been a great help already. Secondly, Vikram the Great is a fantastic handle!

So thanks to you I have made progress but we're not there yet so without going into every detail I'll explain where we are. I tried a couple things you suggested and eventually made a USB bios recovery stick. To help others the process involves downloading software and it's fairly easy to do, even for a dummy like me!

However, at one stage it asks for the OS with drop down choices – mine is Windows 11. Then next to it is another drop down with choices of the version: Windows 11, Windows 11 xxx21xxx, or Windows 11 xxx22xxx. Which version is mine? It tells how to find out by switching on your pc etc etc... another of the frustrating things you get with a dead screen!

I chose Windows 11 then it offered me two choices of bios software! I chose the top one and made the stick.

I prepared by holding down the power button for a minute then going in with the stick, holding down Windows + B and the power button for two seconds then releasing the power button. Suddenly I started to get action! I was celebrating like mad as it seemed to be loading stuff as shown in the first photo.

After that at some stage the screen went blank again and there didn't seem to be any progress but then how long should I wait until deciding nothing is happening?

To cut a longer story short at another time the caps lock light flashed two long and two short, which understand indicates a bios problem? At another try I got the message in the second photo.

Where it is now: I have the screws removed and the panel loose so I can easily disconnect the battery. I do that with the mains also unplugged then hold down the power button for a minute. Reconnect them both, plug in the recovery stick and switch on as before with Windows + B. I get the message in the third photo for a few seconds and the screen goes blank. After a few more seconds the power light goes off then comes back on. Then nothing but a gentle noise and fans for two hours before I give up and power off. I can now do that consistently.

I'm not sure if that message is telling me to restart or if it's saying that is what is about to do? And without Windows loaded, could I even do a restart?

I think we're on the right trial but need to find the end.

I was going to make a video for my Youtube channel but it's not my subject, and this reserve laptop would probably expire if I used Shotcut on it! 🙂

Thanks again for your help so far.

Floyd.

[VikramTheGreat]

Hi @Floyd-Raser,

Thank you for the detailed update and the images; they tell the story perfectly. Here’s what’s happening, and we recommend:

What Your Screens Show

1. Image 1:
   “The System BIOS 2nd PSP data is being updated… Progress 25%”
   This means the BIOS recovery process started successfully and was writing the new BIOS image.
2. Image 2:
   “The BIOS recovery files cannot be found, or the files are corrupted.”
   This indicates the recovery process couldn’t locate valid files on the USB stick, or they were incomplete.
3. Image 3:
   “BIOS corruption has been detected. BIOS recovery will begin automatically when you restart your PC.”
   The system knows the BIOS is damaged and is trying to recover, but it’s failing to complete the process.

Recommended Fix

1. Verify Your Exact Model and BIOS
   • On the bottom of your laptop or under the battery, find the Product Number (e.g., 16-af0xxx or OMEN 16).
   • Go to HP’s official page:
     👉 HP Notebook PCs - Recovering the BIOS (Basic Input Output System) | HP® Support
      
2. Create a Fresh BIOS Recovery USB
   • On another PC, download HP BIOS Update and Recovery Utility.
   • Select Windows 11 and the correct version (21H2 or 22H2): 
     • If you can’t check on the dead laptop, choose Windows 11 22H2 (most common for recent HP systems).
   • Download the latest BIOS for your exact model from HP’s site: 👉 Official HP® Support
      
3. Run Recovery Again
   • Insert the USB stick.
   • Hold Windows + B, then press and hold Power for 2–3 seconds.
   • Release Power, but keep holding Windows + B until the recovery screen appears.
   • Let the process finish; it can take 10–15 minutes. Do not interrupt.
      
4. If Recovery Fails Again
   • Try a different USB stick (32 GB, FAT32 formatted).
   • If the error persists, the BIOS chip may need service. HP can reflash it at the hardware level.

I hope this helps.

Take care and have an amazing day!
 

Did we resolve the issue? If yes, please consider marking this post as "Accepted Solution" and click "Yes" to give us a helpful vote - your feedback keeps us going!

Regards,

VikramTheGreat

[Floyd-Raser]

Hi Vikram,

I have now tried again with the USB stick with no progress beyond that I already reported.

You said use 32GB memory stick but I used an 8GB (because it's all I have) and the properties says it's only used 111mb, is something wrong there?

How do I go about getting HP to re flash the Bios?

Regards,

Floyd.

[Floyd-Raser]

Well here's the sad conclusion: I have had plenty of encouragement to "accept as solution" but there isn't one. I have found other incidents of HP Victus just out of warranty with bios problems and I hoped HP would be more concerned over it's brand image in this area.

I have tried all the solutions suggested here and a few more. I have taken it to a local PC repair centre and they have told me they can't get any further with it. So after three and a half years and just six months out of warranty, it's toast.

I could **bleep** but that will cost me £21 something which I am not prepared to do.

Vikram the Great has been reasonable but he's just doing his job.

Maybe HP don't want to admit they bought a bad batch of motherboards?

No point getting angry here.

Be lucky everyone.

[IWonderOt]

Hi, @Floyd-Raser;

There's a lesser known keyboard combination that I have found can be very effective.

1) Ensure the the laptop is plugged into power.

2) Turn the device off completely so there are no lights on (except maybe the charging light)

3) hold down the Up arrow, Down arrow, and Esc keys all at once.

4) While those keys are down, tap and let go of the power button like you normally would to turn on the device. Once you let go of the power button, continue holding down the first three keys for 15 seconds. 

If this does fix the issue, it could take about 5 minutes for it to kick on again. 

Let me know if this ends up working for you.

[Floyd-Raser]

Thank you so much for this suggestion, it is much appreciated.

I will certainly try this as soon as I get the laptop back which won't be for a couple of days so please don't think I'm being ignorant if I'm slow to reply again.