Dv6 Semi-bricked, Corrupted BIOS

[plasmaXwisp]

Comp Information:

HP Pavilion Dv6z-1100se Artist Edition Notebook (2009)
AMD Processor Duel Core
Windows 7 64-bit

About 5 days ago I started up my computer in the morning and everything was working fine. I shut down the laptop, packed it up and took a 3 hour car ride back to my place. I go to start it up when I get back and this is what I experience:

-system lights turn on and fans turn on
-screen stays blank
-2 blinks from numlock & capslock

I leave the computer to sit for a day while plugged in and it miraculously worked the next day. 2 days later, the comp regresses back to the symptoms above, and letting it sit is not going to fix it this time.

Internet sources tell me that I have a corrupted bios, so while I was searching for manual ways to flash the bios, I was referred to the following two pages for fixing Insyde BIOS's:

Undocumented INSYDE BIOS recovery method.-Use andy's tool to obtain possible names....

and

Bricked HP HDX 9430 after BIOS update...

Thus far I've attempted to flash the bios twice with no success. I have no access to my bios so I can't retrieve a number to rename the files, not to mention I can't even find the .bin or .sig files when I extract the .exe. I feel helpless and I'm too broke to get it fixed not under warrenty.

Is there another way to fix this issue? Is it software or hardware related? Am I better off just taking out my hard-drive and putting it in another computer? Is there a jumper on my motherboard that I should inspect? Any assistance is appreciated.

 

[gregrocker]

Does the screen stay blank throughout all of this? If you get anything on the screen, is there an error or message?

If the screen stay blank throughout but you see lights for processor and HD then check that it's cable is secure and has not come unplugged. To do this you'll need to google the schematics for your model, or how to disassemble or replace the screen. There are now videos via google for almost every model and operation.

 

[plasmaXwisp]

Yes the screen stays black the entire time; just system lights; no error messages. The screen is not the problem, it's the BIOS.

Update: Just turned it on for the first time in 2 days and I got the HP logo to show, but then it ceased to work, just giving me an illuminated black screen for a long time. Still looking for a solution.

 

[Bumpkin]

First go to the HP Support site and enter your laptop's model info and see if there is a way to reset the bios. Might be a jumper on the mother board or remove the internal battery.

Next remove or disconnect the DVD drive and try booting. If that does not help, remove the hard drive and see if you get any bios screen info when booting.

Or it could be your mother board died.

 

[alphanumeric]

Resetting a Laptop BIOS can be a pita. Removing the BIOS battery, if you can find it, will usually only screw up the date and time. The reset jumper, if there is one, is well hidden and not marked as to what it is. It's all done so as to make it very difficult for a thief to bypass your BIOS/Boot password. The chip used to store the BIOS info is different from what you would find in a desktop PC. Removing the battery will not erase it.

Things you can do.
Connect an external monitor to the laptop and see if you then get a display.
Remove the regular battery just in case it has shorted out.
Reseat your RAM modules, or even remove them and see if you get an error message.
Remove your hard drive, sometimes a failed drive will prevent a successful POST.
Remove your BIOS battery, sometimes if they have shorted out the PC will not POST.
Check to see if the light is on your power pack, or check it with a volt meter to verify its working correctly.

 

[plasmaXwisp]

I don't have access to an external but I've pretty much already ruled out problems with the screen

I've removed the regular battery during startups because most internet resources say to take it out, but it hasn't made a difference thus far.

I resat my RAM earlier today but I didn't leave it out to search for error messages, neither the harddrive; I'll attempt those tomorrow.

Everything seems fine power-wise. The power indication light is on and everything.

I also tried removing the BIOS battery to try and reset it, but that didn't work either. I was looking at a picture of my motherboard and couldn't find the jumpers anywhere. I would look at the actual motherboard, but I'd have to disassemble my entire laptop to get to it (painintheass).

Anyone got any tips on possibly flashing the BIOS from the USB drive like the forums (posted above) said?

 

[alphanumeric]

You likely won't find a reset jumper, I don't think there is one. I've never done a recovery, I've prepared for one by looking up the procedure, but never actually had to do one. I've flashed a BIOS the normal way from a USB thumb drive a time or two, but that requires a working PC. The "2 blinks from numlock & capslock" may be an error code you can look up. Something similar to a BIOS beep code on a desktop PC. It could be BIOS but it could also be any number of other things like a failed CPU or failed Video, motherboard fault etc. I personally wouldn't be in a big hurry to flash the BIOS just yet.

 

[Torrentula81]

I have a dv6. A newer model but I think same symptom. I just removed the battery and held power button for 10 seconds and all was fine. Was ready to curse at myself for already breaking a 3 month old laptop.

 

[gregrocker]

Remember also that all PC's are covered by a one year manufacturer's warranty and tech support. I would use it if necessary, even extend it if it's not too late in a case like this.

What makes you think it's not the monitor if it stays blank? Does your laptop have HD and CPU indicator LED's?

 

[plasmaXwisp]

gregrocker: I called HP and all that jazz and they want me to send it in for a fee, but frankly I'd rather let the thing die given all the trouble it's given me in the past year. I know it's not the monitor because I've seen the monitor come on on a couple of occasions but since it can't access the BIOS or HDD, it goes black. Also, if it were the monitor, then I would get a light from the caps or num lock when I press them at the log-in screen, but there's no response.
The HDD light doesn't go on, but that's because the POST never finishes, so the harddrive is never accessed (I am assuming)

Torrentula: yeah, i tried that and didn't work

alphanumeric: The two blinks is an error code indicating a corrupt BIOS. Because of my lack of options, flashing the BIOS seems to be the only method i have to fall back on right now, unless anyone has something I haven't tried yet.

 

[alphanumeric]

I don't have any other ideas? If there is a BIOS recovery procedure and you are going to try it, I'd print out the instructions and follow them to the letter. If you use a USB thumb drive, make sure its formatted correctly. It may have to be formatted in FAT, or FAT32 and not NTFS.