Screen turns black after a successful BIOS update on your HP laptop
Screen turns black after a successful BIOS update on your HP laptop
I was doing a fresh setup of Windows 11 on a laptop. Everything seemed normal initially. After the installation, I restarted it several times. Then I ran the HP Support Assistant and saw an option to install a BIOS Update: F.72 Rev.A. I downloaded the file using the tool and installed it within Windows via Support Assistant. After rebooting and the BIOS process finished, the laptop went black. I left it that way for some time. Still nothing happened. Every time I powered it on, the lights stayed white – the power indicator on the side and the fan light beside the connector. When I turned it on, the fans spun but the screen remained dark. I had fans spinning.
I tried several solutions:
- Created a USB stick with HP PC Hardware Diagnostics UEFI and another with the new BIOS. I booted using those and used the Windows key + B or V. The BIOS update screen disappeared.
- Removed the CMOS battery (switched to a fresh one) and tested different RAM modules. If I removed the RAM and restarted, the laptop would light up at the capslock key. This suggests some BIOS functions remain.
- Took out the SSD, RAM, and CMOS battery and tried booting again. That resulted in a CAPSLOCK code.
- Removed everything and booted, but still got the same issue.
I checked Reddit forums for similar problems, but most discussions were closed or private. The support pages on HP’s site had no clear public guidance.
Questions:
- Did I use the correct key combination for the BIOS update?
- Since it’s a new laptop, what are my options for official help?
- Are there other ways to recover the BIOS or fix the black screen?
- How could this damage my laptop? It was an official installation.
- Where is the BIOS chip physically on the motherboard? Could it be reprogrammed?
- What should I do if all else fails?
I'm not sure if you've tried it yet, but did you take out the laptop battery (while the power brick was unplugged)? This worked many times for me. Did you stick to the reset steps in the manual? Sometimes just removing the CMOS battery isn't sufficient. Regarding the key combination, check your manual—it's usually F2 or Del, but it could be another key or a different sequence on your device. Good luck!
Thank you for your response! I removed the battery using the power brick and unplugged it. I then used my screwdriver near the metal components and experimented with various speeds and key combinations. However, nothing is showing up on the built-in monitor. I also connected an external monitor via HDMI, but the issue persists.
When your computer begins to boot, consider using Fn+F5 or Fn+F8 to turn on or off the external display. If that doesn’t help, does your laptop still have warranty coverage? Given the HP software issue, reaching out to HP support for an RMA might be necessary. Unfortunately, you won’t be able to make much progress if the device isn’t responding to the power-up signal.