diaster on a 2 year old Pavilion p7-1380t

[phenix]

Running windows 7 pro 64-bit.
I manually run disk1 or disk2 by placing the power cable in one
or the other. This worked fine until I tried to update the build
from 9841 to 9860 in Windows 10 which I am testing..
Now the startup screen does not appear. The On button is lite.
I took the monitor to another computer and it worked fine.
Pulled all plugs and put them back. This made no difference.
Put another keyboard and mouse on the computer and as I
expected it made no difference.
I can do absolutely nothing on the computer. Looks like I am
going to have to junk this computer. Needless to say, No more
HP hardware for me of any kind.
If I should get a Dell, could I take the HD from the HP and put
it in the new computer? Several reasons for doing this. 1. I have
the system backed up on an external HD. 2. I would like to keep
the same settings and software that I now have on the Pavilion.
Hope someone can give me some insight on this.
Thanks for any help.

 

[Berton]

If I should get a Dell, could I take the HD from the HP and put it in the new computer?

Probably won't work as the version of Win7 is tied to the HP, that's the way it works with OEM/Brandname computers. OEM versions of Windows can only be used on the first computer it is installed on.

To avoid the situations/problems of dual-booting a test version of Windows I use an older Dell Inspiron 530S Desktop for Win10.

 

[whs]

1. It's not the fault of the HP computer. It is operator error. You should have connected both disks to power and changed the temporary boot sequence in the BIOS.

2. Nothing wrong with your hardware. If you have backups (images) restore those images. Else fix the bootmgr. Run a startup/repair 3 times.

3. Your disks can be used on another computer. But only as data storage disks. The OS you have on there will not run - it will not even activate.

 

[phenix]

I do not doubt for one minute that it is operator error.
Remember that no matter what I do, nothing appears on the monitor.
I just tried the Windows 7 pro 64-bit boot disk.
The monitor remained black.
I have backups on an external HD and they won't work either.
Will try the "start/repair 3 times.
I guess the Windows 7 Boot Disk in the iso format can be used
OR should I convert it?

 

[whs]

A Windows 7 installation or recovery disc can be used for startup/repair.

 

[phenix]

The windows installation disk did not work.

I just found out that the mouse does not have the light on.
I removed it from the back of the computer to the front
and still no light. What it does is go on for half a second
then goes off.
No lights on the keyboard either.

 

[gregrocker]

Have you tried the most basic repairs for Troubleshooting Windows 7 Failure to Start ?

With HP's there is a hardware Diagnostics on the ESC menu at boot. I'd run that first.

You may have damaged the mobo by unnecessarily changing the HD plugs when this can be done in BIOS, Boot menu key or a Windows Dual Boot menu using EasyBCD.

Try another keyboard.

You can move your HD to a new PC to Adjust Win7 to boot on new hardware with Paragon Adaptive Restore CD but you'll need to activate it with a new retail or OEM Product Key. If you buy a PC with Windows 7 you can use that Product Key.

If your monitor works on another PC but not on this one, is it getting power to the mobo as indicated by LED's? Pull the RAM sticks, power up to hear if it gives beep codes showing mobo life. Unplug DVD drive, try only one HD at a time.

You may have fried the mobo if you hot-plugged the HD's. As stated you should have chosen via BIOS Boot menu which is asking for problems if done regularly.

 

[phenix]

Thanks everyone for your help.
I junked the Pavilion.
Until Windows 10 comes out I am using a ten+
year old Dell running Windows xp Pro.
No sense in buying another computer with 7 or
8 on it. Only problem is I can't access the internet
on it. I am connected to the horrible Florida Cable
with DSL and fiber optics. Will put a message on the
Hardforum and maybe they can help me with the
internet connection.

 

[gregrocker]

How are you connected exactly? Is there a modem?

 

[Berton]

One thing to check with WinXP [and later versions] is in Control Panel, Internet Options, Connections tab, LAN settings button and assure there is a checkmark in the Automatically detect.... item ONLY. Rest of the items on that panel should be unchecked unless your ISP says differently. That setting is not automatic like it usually is in Win7. Infections can change it as well as add a Proxy setting.

 

[phenix]

Thanks Guys.
I'm now on the internet. YEA!

 

[Berton]

That's great.

 

[norrysponse]

Solution

Probably too late if you junked the computer, but I just had the same problem with the same model and here was the fix which I will share for anyone else hitting this thread with the same issue.

Turn on the computer and immediately press Escape. (If you fail to press escape, the screen remains black as described in the OP). Escape will bring up an option menu. One of the options is diagnostics. For me, diagnostics revealed a failing hard drive. I removed the hard drive, checked it on a diagnostic computer and found it had bad sectors but was readable. I cloned the drive to a new drive then ran chkdsk to repair the file system, and put it back in the computer.

The computer exhibited the same black screen phenomenon, so I inserted a Windows disk, restarted, pressed Escape, and change boot settings to boot to the Windows disk. From there I went to Repair Windows, opened a command prompt, and repaired the boot record (bootrec /fixboot and bootrec /fixmbr).

Restart and all is back to normal.

As an aside, I would agree that this design by HP is stupid because showing nothing but a black screen is a bad idea. If there is a UEFI boot failure, it should automatically go to the options menu and wait there for input. Further, the BIOS options on this computer are weak at best, making it much more difficult than necessary to assess and repair the computer.

 

[phenix]

Glad you got the piece of junk working. HP will NEVER see me again or Dell for that matter.
My latest computer was constructed to my specs and is working fine.
Try that with a Dell and you will fail.
Curious how you managed to figure all that out. I work for days trying to solve the problem
and failed.

 

[norrysponse]

Equal parts experience and luck. I do this for a living so I've waded through thousands of failed computers. In this case I pre-diagnosed it as a likely drive failure resulting in boot corruption. Had I not gotten the computer into the diagnostic mode to verify that, I still would have pulled the hard drive and tested it externally anyway. The chances of both the drive and the motherboard failing at the same time are very small, so once the hard drive failure was confirmed I went with the assumption the computer itself was fine but simply was stupid about how it handled bootup. From there, it's just a matter of figuring out which key to press to get into boot options and then doing normal repairs.

I'm no big fan of HP and I already criticized their stupid approach to startup and BIOS on this computer. That said, there was nothing wrong with HP's hardware in this case. The failed drive was a Western Digital Blue, normally very reliable, and its failure says nothing negative about HP.

I deploy hundreds of Dells every year, though I focus on the business class models which I find excellent for maintenance and warranty and essentially never a problem. I tend to avoid the cheap retail/ consumer stuff. There is nothing wrong with doing a custom build if you are an enthusiast with specialty needs and willing to deal with the downsides of that approach. On the other hand, for the vast majority who view a computer as a tool rather than a goal it's hard to beat the price/power/quality/support combination of a nicely appointed Dell Optiplex with 3 year next business day warranty. I've seen lots of crappy "custom built" computers and customers disappointed to realize each part has its own warranty and the computer as a whole is not warranted at all. Just my opinion, your mileage may vary.

In any case, if you haven't literally junked the computer, you might still be able to repair it based on my info and then turn around and sell it.

 

[gregrocker]

There wasn't even the slightest effort made here to troubleshoot the original problem. The OP jumped from making his complaint right past a dozen steps I gave to "junking" the PC which would have been fixed had he made the effort. We deal with the same or worse problems here every day and every single one is fixed who actually work with us to fix the problem. This one stands out as being especially lazy as no visible effort was made at all.

Remember also with HP's the preinstalled Win7 is the worst mess in the industry choked with bloatware and duplicate utilities that interfere with better versions built into the OS, so that the owner never even experiences true Win7 until they have done a Clean Reinstall Windows 7 or at least done a significant Clean Up Factory Bloatware. OP could have ended up with a PC much better than new or custom built, as have over a million we've helped do this without a single complaint.