HP Envy 14 1000x BIOS Failed

I originally posted this in the HP General Forum, but I think it belongs in here. Mod's, sorry about that. Please delete the other thread.


Hi Guys,

This morning I updated my HP Envy 14 to the latest BIOS that was released yesterday. It, unfortunately, failed half-way through the process. Now my system won't boot.

I've tried to reset the CMOS to no avail. I've also tried the BIOS recovery method. Here are my results:

I wiped a PATRIOT 8GB USB Stick to FAT32 and placed all the PREVIOUS BIOS files on the root of the directory.

I followed the method of Windows + B before inserting the AC adapter (and all that jazz that follows). The system will turn on, but the fan just goes high speed. I hear NO post beeps. After about 15 seconds, the system will just shut off.

The other issue is that I can see that the USB Drive isn't even being read. There is no activity from it.

Any ideas to recover my now bricked Envy 14?

 

Did you happen to review this thread?:

http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...nsyde-bios-recovery-using-usb-thumbdrive.html

Also, you can't simply place the BIOS files on the USB stick. You have to use the .fd file and rename it to just the first four characters. so if it's 307DF4.fd, rename it to just 307D.fd.

Review this post in the above thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...ecovery-using-usb-thumbdrive.html#post3977899

 

I did, but I thought that 307DF4 was for a different model of system. This can be used as well on the Envy?

There other thing to mention, is that when unpacking the HP Envy 14 BIOS files from HP, there is no files with a .fd extension, only the actually .bin bios file.

 

List the .bin filename. You should be able to use just the first four characters of the file when you rename it.

 

The current BIOS included for the HP Envy 14 is a 01436.bin file. I saw the .fd file in the Acer forum. Is this what is used for the .fd file?

 

No, don't use any other file. Make copies of the file and rename each 0143.bin and 1436.bin and place it on the flash drive.

Edit: <s>it may be a ROMPAQ BIOS. In that case, you may need to USB floppy.</s> I'm going to D/L the BIOS and take a look at it...

It's definitely an Insyde BIOS. The trick lies in properly naming the .bin file. Try the ones above. Also, ask someone in the Envy 14 owner's lounge to run CPUz and post the info under the Mainboard tab. It may gives clues as to how to name the file.

 

Tried this. My issue now is that my Patriot USB drive doesn't even load/read (lights don't come on) when following the instructions on the other thread (Windows + B .. .etc. etc.).

 

Alright, let me shoot off an email to my go-to-guy about it. Don't know if he's around. But in the meantime, I'll see what I might come up with.

 

Thanks 2.0! Your awesome! I also have a co-worker of mine who is going to help me out tomorrow, but I was hoping to fix this myself today. He has a USB Floppy Drive that might help out a bit with this.

On another side note, maybe I should try a different USB drive that is smaller and can be formatted to FAT/FAT 16. I can't seemingly format this 8GB stick to anything less than FAT32 (for obvious reasons).

 

Yeah, trying a smaller USB that can be formatted to FAT16 might work. In that case, just leave the filename as is (you know, 01436.bin) when you try that.

 

2.0, whats odd is even on the old bios versions, the BIN name is the exact same (01436.bin) as the current version released yesterday.

 

Yeah, but that's normal. That number refers to the type, so it's cool.

So heard back from my bud, here's the deal:

The 01436.fd file has to be made into 3 files by copying and renaming 01436.FD. 1436.bin, 1436.rom, 1436.fd

Also, in the platform.ini I noticed that it references 1437 under [PLATFORM_CHECK].
So you have to make another 3 files: 1437.bin, 1437.rom. 1437.fd by copying and renaming 01436.FD.

Put all 6 files on the USB stick. Fat 32 format shouldn't matter.

Alternatively, you can rename 01436.fd to intel.fv and try just that. But I'd go with the 6 files first.

Now for the procedure:

(1.) REMOVE ANY CD or DVD if in the drive.

(2.) REMOVE ALL USB DEVICES, NETWORK CABLES, (anything hooked to the laptop)

(3.) PRESS AND HOLD the POWER BUTTON DOWN FOR 5 secs to shutdown the laptop if it not already off.

(4.) REMOVE BATTERY

(5.) REMOVE AC CORD

(6.) PUT the USB THUMB DRIVE IN USB SLOT

(7.) PRESS AND HOLD the POWER BUTTON down for 10 secs... release (This is to empty out any residual capacitance.)

(8.) while holding FN + ESC plug in AC POWER CABLE, (KEEP HOLDING FN+ESC the whole time)

(9.) NOW PRESS POWER BUTTON & HOLD IT DOWN... THE FAN SHOULD SPIN UP (keep holding FN+ESC) ONCE FAN SPINS UP, RELEASE POWER BUTTON

(10.) eventually the fan will shut off.... But you should see the indicator light on the USB flashing (if it has one.)

When fan shuts off, unplugged AC CORD... REMOVED THE USB DRIVE... then plug the AC power back in.

Hit power and it hopefully will boot.

Fingers and toes crossed...

 

Unfortunatley, it still won't read from by USB Drive. I tried another USB Drive, but it didn't read from that either. I took out my hard drive to eliminate this from the boot priority.

Tried resetting my CMOS again, but still nothing.

 

You know what, it might be case sensitive. Rename the extensions using capital letters. .bin to .BIN. .fd to .FD and .rom to .ROM.

 

Should the USB Drive be titled anything? (i.e. HP TOOLS)

 

Nah, but it can't hurt.

EDIT: BTW, have you also tried WIN KEY + B instead of FN + ESC?

 

I did. Seems like it wants to do something. The fans run like you said.

But, I get only the CAPS LOCK LED flashing. No USB. Stupid Patriot Memory. lol.

I know that it shouldn't be my USB ports going bad. I just used them yesterday with an external hard drive with no problem. I blame this USB stick.


EDIT: and I'm plagued with a Black Screen.

 

Quite possibly the case. When you get your hands on a smaller USB Stick, you might want to try it all again.

Meanwhile I'll see what my bud has to say and if he's got anymore suggestions. Might be a while before I hear back from him though. But hopefully before the day is out.

 

Back with mo':

Formatting in FAT seems to yield the highest degree of success.

That said, when you do get a USB STICK you can format in FAT, try this:

Get a copy of the original BIOS it came with.

Then create the following folders on the USB Stick:

Hewlett-Packard/BIOS/current
Hewlett-Packard/BIOS/previous

Put all 6 renamed files in both directories in addition to the root.

Also put the original BIOS file in all 3 locations on the USB Stick. (the 01436.fd file)

Most importantly, take the RTC CMOS battery out while doing it. You can put it back in if and when your recover. My friend thinks that might be the issue.

Don't release the Winkey + B until you hear the laptop beep.

Additionally, you can try instead of WinKey +B or Fn + ESC, holding down all 4 arrow keys. But, that's a long shot last ditch effort to try.

The CMOS batt out seems to be the most promising suggestion. The idea is to clear the BIOS settings so that it will be ready to enter BIOS flash mode when the key press sequence is engaged.

RTC BATT: See page 51 of the service manual: http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c02835360.pdf

 

Trying this now, as I got my hands on a 4GB stick that I formatted to FAT.

I put all the files in the location as directed. I followed the previous instructions and also disconnected the CMOS battery. When I following the boot instructions, I hold down the keys as instructed. I then let go of the power button when I hear the fan start, but I still hold down the other two keys.

The fan still runs. I decide "hey, I'll keep holding them down"...CAPS LOCK LED is still flashing. After a few minutes, I decide to let them then go because the fan is still going. Once I let go, within 5 seconds, it shuts off. Also, during this time, I never hear any beeps.

Tried to reboot, but it still won't post and I still get a black screen.

 

So, I decided on a hunch to call HP. Even though I'm out of warranty, the woman helped me out considerably.

In a nutshell, I told her my situation and she said I was doing everything correctly. She asked if my CAPS LOCK key was flashing and if so, how many times. I told her yes, and it was three times. She said that is the indication of a video card failure and that it would have be replaced. $300, for a video card that is a year and a half old. No thanks.

Anyways, she claimed that the BIOS failing and if the system still turns back on, I should at least be getting messages on my screen. However, I only get a black screen. She claims it was probably just coincidental that my video card stopped working after the BIOS upgrade failure. Could also explain why my screen wasn't turn back on a couple days ago when resuming from standby (had to reboot to get it to come back).

Either way, I'm still going to have my co-worker take a crack at it. If he can't fix it, guess I'll be looking into a new system after the holidays.

 

Actually, whats funny is I found the "blink codes" here:
Blank Screen LED Error Codes - HP Customer Care (United States - English)

And upon further evaluation, I get two blinks, not three. Here's hoping that she was wrong. I'll keep trying.

 

Man, sorry about that. I feel your pain, my friend. This is truly a regrettable episode. I wish there was something more I could have done to help you out.

I hope your friend can work a bit of magic.

But if it turns out that you have to get a new system, you can sell this one for parts on eBay to defray the costs of the new system. People buy broken notebooks to fix up or kit out the parts. I sold a dead TX2500 recently for $140. I figure a dead Envy 14 should go for around $300 - $350.

Again, sorry I couldn't be of more help. Best wishes going forward. And of course, I wish you a Happy Holiday season.

-Deuce dot Zero.


EDIT: I just thought of something. If you paid with an AMEX or a platinum or rewards Visa/MC, they usually have extended warranty plans that are free of charge as part of the benefits of the card. They extend the manufacturer's warranty by an additional year or more. I used this once with great success for one of my notebooks. You would be able to get this fixed by HP and the Warranty Manager service of the card would either reimburse you the cost of repair or pay HP directly for the repair.

Give the card issuer a call to get all the details of the plan. It's a relatively simple process to navigate.

EDIT 2: I just read your subsequent post about the error codes. (You posted that while I was typing up this Oscar award winning script of a post - LOL). That is a hopeful sign indeed.

 

You've been a great help! Somebody else I know made a good point...I should at least get beep codes, which I don't, which reflects something probably wrong with the BIOS.

We'll see what happens. Annoyed though if I have to trash a system over a stupid BIOS.

 

i'm having the exact same issues, i can't get it to recover from the pen drive...although i'm not sure i have the correct files....but now it wont try to read off the pen drive. PLEASE let me know any updates!

 

Sent you a PM wolf. Unfortunately nothing was able to recover the system. Wound up selling the old system for parts on eBay (got pretty good money for it too (2.0 was right, I wound up getting $300 for it)) and having to buy a new system.

 

I couldn't recover the system either...but i didn't want to sell it, because its a 8-900 $ computer, even if i wanted to buy another one, the 2-300$ for hp to fix it was cheeper. Anyway, I called customer service and they couldnt do anything because it was 3 days out of warrenty, so i asked if i could speak to her supervisor, so she put in a 'work order' to the group that is higher up. They called me on monday and asked what my expectations were. I said that hopefully they could repair it for free since it was just 3 days out of warrenty and the bios failed using THEIR software. He said, yes, I have no problem doing that for you!
Thank goodness! It was a CHRISTmas Miracle! Sorry to you chocobo!

 

hello!
i am in deep !

i tried to upgrade BIOS on my HP Envy 14-1190eo, and it gave some error, and when i restarted, the screen is BLACK! nothing showing! The cap locks beep around 5 or 6 times... i tried to remove and put back the RTC battery, but no success... i have tried hard resetting, no success...
please help me, it is relatively new laptop, less than a year old...

Question: where can i get the default ot original BIOS? HOw can i install them with screen off????
please help me... (
Franklin

 

Hate to say it but considering that the OP was unable to do it with the suggestions given, there may not be a way to revive it other than installing a new BIOS chip. That's not an easy task because you have to unsolder the old and then solder the new BIOS chip onto the motherboard.

Or the other option is to buy a new motherboard. But doing that will break your Windows activation. You'll need to call Microsoft and explain to them that you bought a new motherboard because of a BIOS update failure and they will give get you sorted out.

But look over the thread again and try the suggestions. You never know...

 

Yeah same thing happened to my 16 month old Envy14 Beats (1199ez). I tried updating the BIOS and it failed half way through the progress bar, so I tried again and this time I got some Windows7 security warning - you know the standard yes or no option. Unfortunately I said yes and when I went to restart my laptop a few hours later I got black screen, fan spinning, Caps locks blinking, wifi button light on and thats all. CDROM eject works but doesn't read recovery disk or anything, neither does any USB device (not flashing).... I've tried every recovery procedure under the sun - but because as I suspect the BIOS chip is completely screwed there is no point.... ITS A BRICK!!!!

For the record the it was BIOS upgrade F.26 file sp55493.exe dated 2011-12-16 link here

Its partly my fault for trying to upgrade the BIOS but I am not sure if it was the flashing process finishing half way or the Win7 yes authorisation I gave that messed up my machine.....

Anyone else had problems with this. I feel that it is almost HP's fault but I cant be certain. Problem is I live in Switzerland and I cant speak German so HP will not help me, also out of Warranty.

 

Hello: I had almost exactly the same problem as the above user. I live in Argentina and the Envy notebooks are not sold in my country so
they don't have spare parts nor proper technical support.

I would like to know if anyone has some advice. Basically the Envy don't start I have a black screen, fan spinning, Caps locks blinking, wifi button light and nothing more.

All this happened after updating the BIOS. The process halted under Windows 7, the Envy froze and I had to turned it off. After that it
never booted or nothing. It's dead.

Thanks in advance

Osval

 

I don't know what other instructions were given on this thread, but I can recommend you to try create an HP_TOOLS rescue USB, and try to flash a new bios from there.
You can find instructions here: Re: How to use the HP BIOS update (uefi) utility - HP Support Forum - 337347
Basically, you format the USB FAT32 using HP_TOOLS as label, and then install there the UEFI app and the Bios update. Upon start, the notebook should detect the bios on the USB and start a recovery procedure.
I can recommend you to try with several bios versions, starting with the newest.

Good luck!!!