BIOS update ruined new laptop

MattMJB0188 · 25 Jan 2010

I bought an HP Pavilion DV8t last month. Runs great but decided to update the bios and its a program that flashes the bios. I followed all the directions like have my computer plugged in, unplug all mice, hardware, don't touch anything. Well it did it then stopped at erasing bios. So I restarted the computer only to find a black screen. All lights and indicators are on but the hard drive doesn't load and its a black screen. NO cursor no nothing. I try hitting F8 and escape which use to open the bios utility but nothing. I also tried inserting a windows 7 disc but nothing. Any one know how to fix this. HP is covering it I was just hoping there is some easy fix I can do myself.

I am not an expert or anything but I think it could have erased my existing bios with the intent to install the latest ones but something caused it to just stop. Now the computer with no bios doesn't know what to do. Maybe someone out there on this forum (which has helped me in the past) can help me with this. I also tried holding the Windows key +B but nothing. Thanks

The specs are the following:

Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit
• Intel(R) Core(TM) i7-720QM Processor (1.6GHz, 6MB L2 Cache, 1333MHz FSB)
• 8GB DDR3 System Memory (2 Dimm)
• 500GB 7200RPM SATA Hard Drive
• 1GB Nvidia GeForce GT 230M
• 18.4" diagonal High Definition HP Ultra BrightView Infinity Display (1920x1080p)
• Lightscribe Blu-Ray ROM with SuperMulti DVD+/-R/RW Double Layer
• Webcam + Fingerprint Reader with HP Imprint Finish (Espresso Black)
• Intel Wireless-N Mini-card with Bluetooth
• HP Integrated HDTV Hybrid Tuner
• HP Color Matching Keyboard
• 8 Cell Lithium Ion Battery
• System Recovery DVD with Genuine Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit

whs · 25 Jan 2010

I guess you'll need a new BIOS chip. It's a little tricky to replace though. I would recommend you let HP do the job.

MattMJB0188 · 25 Jan 2010

whs said:

I guess you'll need a new BIOS chip. It's a little tricky to replace though. I would recommend you let HP do the job.

Yeah, is this common among flashing the bios? I know in the future when its fixed I might need new bios and what if this happens again?

nate42nd · 25 Jan 2010

Flashing a BIOS is a risky procedure. I would recommend reading for hours about your specific motherboard and what works and what does not. I would never flash from within a Windows environment (although it's becoming more safe) Sorry to hear what happened to you, sometimes even if you do your homework it can go wrong. Most (like 95%) bad flashes are the result of user missing something. If you need to do it again, get on the right website and spend hours reading. Good luck. There are ways to recover from a bad flash, but you'll have to find them on your own. If you had a Gigabyte motherboard I would give some advice.