Major Problem - Corrupt BIOS?

Greetings - its been a long while since I was on here last. I hope all my old friends are all doing well.

Ok, here's the situation. After many months trouble free, I ran into some minor issues, and decided it was time for a system recovery.

Using my recovery discs, I performed a flawless recovery, and everything was well. I like to turn off automatic updates until I am finished with uninstalling unneeded software etc, and I did this.

When ready, I hit windows update, and was showing like 78 updates. I started the update process.

A while later, I noticed that the screen was black, and the laptop appeared to be frozen. All the blue lights were on, and could not be turned off using num/caps lock etc. I waited a good while longer, and decided to try a forced shutdown, thinking if the worst came to the worst, I would just start the recovery again, from the discs.

As it it now, I cannot load anything from the disc. The unit is on, with all blue lights on, with the fans on, but with the screen black. I am at a total loss!

Please, please, please.....any help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

 

Sounds like there was a hardware issue that reared its ugly head while you were updating. The windows updates would not have caused any harm to the bios, etc.

The usual things to do is to try it with different ram and drives if available. Over all its pretty much send it in at this point. For those not familiar with you, you didnt list the machine in question.

 

I seem to remember something similiar happening to someone else that I was reading the other day.

Chastity said to do this and the OP confirmed it worked after a few attempts.

He had exactly the same symptoms as you. Have you just factory recovered? Or have you repasted?. I remember when I did and replacing the RAM in different slots gave me one hell of a time so it could be that also if you have removed them. Might be an idea to whip the Wireless adaptor out and back in as well if the above does not work its very easy to do.

I always treat RMA as a last resort exhaust this websites information first.

 

Thanks for the responses.

I do apologize, I was referring to my Asus G73JH-RBBX05. I used to have specs in my signature, but I must have changed that sometime back.

Anyways, here's an update:

There was really nothing else I could think of trying. I would power the unit off with the power button, and power it back on. The blue lights would come on (no keyboard lights), and then the fan. Nothing more! I got so fed up, that i just left it on, while searching the internet on my desktop. I started looking for how to RMA it, as I have never had to do this.

Before going to bed, the laptop had still done nothing, so I decided to shut it down one last time (no need to waste energy). As I hit the power button, the keyboard lights flashed! And lo and behold, the machine started booting up in safe mode! I couldn't believe my eyes. It eventually booted up, with error messages, regarding a "failed windows update". I rebooted into normal mode, and everything appeared back to normal.

I decided to repeat the system recovery, but this time, when I got to the windows updates, I did not run them all together. Instead, i did the updates in batches. And I can confirm that my machine is back up and running.

I must confess, when the problem first started, the first place I thought about for turning to help was this forum! I got a lot of assistance in the early days, when the G73 was still new out there.

Thanks again to everyone for help this time, and in times past!

 

I had my g73 die after windows updates too. It was fresh back from an RMA, and I was really pissed. I just assumed they'd flubbed a bios update and didn't bother to restart.

 

For future reference, do your restore, and then apply SP1, then do your Win Updates. Would have saved you a lot of grief.

 

I had the same thing happen to me after doing a system recovery as well. Only thing is I had all the windows updates installed and even loaded the 11.2 gpu drivers and everything was working then one morning it powered on but no screen.

I might just try your method of leaving it on overnight. I tried just a/c and just battery but nothing and reseating the ram to no avail.

not doing SP1 first will make your screen go blank?

 

Is that a question or a statement question? Doing SP1 first will save you time and possibly a reboot or two. SP1 actually contains alot of the updates. So doing the updates and then applying SP1 is sorta retarted.

 

I understand that part of it, but I was just asking if installing SP1 out of sequence would be related to the screen failing to power up along with the rest of the laptop.

 

No. Not unless youre in the group that believes that user level software routinely kills hardware. There is no windows update that I am aware of that messed with the bios or would cause a machine with the drive removed afterwards to cease functioning as it did from the factory.

Last i checked on the ASUS side there is no such thing as an automatic bios update either. Any company that wanted to try that would be and employ the stupidest people on the planet. Far stupider than anything I can think of. I know someone will want to make a comment on that lol, but it would be so stupid as to randomly brick a large amount of units by accident and costs a couple million in lost labor and shipping at a minimum.

I doubt that any windows updates, drive updates, etc messed with any voltages, etc. Can never rule anything 100% out but its very doubtful. I once changed the spark plugs on my truck and had the abs modulator fail the moment i started my truck, things happen on complete coincidence.

 

I'm just thinking that it's a funny coincidence that this is the third person I've seen who had everything turn on except the screen after doing a clean install using the recovery disc. Maybe a glitch in the gpu driver or something. I'm going to try and fiddle around with it more before I send it back. Hopefully it will correct itself like the OP's did.

 

Have you tried holding down the power button with the battery out? It releases the extra charge in the laptop. If nothing works, try taking out the battery on the motherboard and it'll reset the BIOS settings.

 

Did you try plugging another monitor??

Reason I'm asking, from your description of the problem, the computer is still working, and you are just not seeing anything, the problem might be on the display?

Wouldn't hurt if you do.

 

After trying out all suggestions it looks like nothing is working. left it unplugged without battery for a few days, left it on overnight, I even opened it up and took out the cmos battery, checked all connections, turned it on while open and noticed that the gpu fan wasn't spinning. I don't know if it stays off until it heats up but the heat pipes to the gpu were getting warm. CPU fan kicked in when I turned it on so that's still good.

I guess it has to be gpu related at this point. RMA time again.

 

Wow, shipped it back to Asus yesterday and they are already shipping it back to me today. Must've been a quick fix. Fastest RMA EVER

 

Probably has the guy's lunch packed in there too

 

They seem to be outsourcing their rma's to service centers now. I'm getting it sent back from a place called Bizcom in Milpitas.

Lunch is on them I guess hopefully he didn't pack an egg salad sandwich that day.