HP Debranded Z552 will not boot: missing BIOS?

  • Thread starter Thread starter whitlom
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whitlom

Hello,

I recently purchased a "HP Debranded Z552" and I am still trying to
figure out what Debranded means.

I know the HD is blank, and MCE is required. However when I plug plug a
VGA monitor and power the device up, I do not get any activity on the
monitor. It acts like there is not a connection, yet I know that the
monitor is good because it is my every day monitor. I was expect to get
some BIOS messages or chance to enter the BIOS setup.

So I am wondering if Debranded means that they (HP) wiped out the BIOS?
If so how can I get this device in a bootable mode.

Also this device has a wireless keyboard which I am sure that there are
no drivers installed on the system so how can I get a keyboard attached
to it so that I can get BIOS installed. There are options for
installing a USB keyboard, but I did not know if the machine will
function with USB keyboard without an OS & drivers

Any direction is most appreciated.

whitlom
 
whitlom said:
Hello,

I recently purchased a "HP Debranded Z552" and I am still trying to
figure out what Debranded means.

I know the HD is blank, and MCE is required. However when I plug plug a
VGA monitor and power the device up, I do not get any activity on the
monitor. It acts like there is not a connection, yet I know that the
monitor is good because it is my every day monitor. I was expect to get
some BIOS messages or chance to enter the BIOS setup.

So I am wondering if Debranded means that they (HP) wiped out the BIOS?
If so how can I get this device in a bootable mode.

Also this device has a wireless keyboard which I am sure that there are
no drivers installed on the system so how can I get a keyboard attached
to it so that I can get BIOS installed. There are options for
installing a USB keyboard, but I did not know if the machine will
function with USB keyboard without an OS & drivers

Any direction is most appreciated.

whitlom
Click to expand...

Since you posted this to a hardware group, have you taken a screwdriver
and opened up the casing ? If you are going to buy stuff like this,
you have to be prepared to get your hands dirty.

Maybe some rocket scientist removed the processor ?

Only a visual examination is going to tell you whether you
got taken or not.

I doubt HP would have "debranded" the machine, and maybe
the party you bought it from has messed with it.

Paul
 
If this was my machine, I'd spend some time trying to find out how to reset
the BIOS to factory settings. Could be that someone had a video card
plugged into it and disabled the on-board video, assuming that's what you're
trying to plug into.

As far as the keyboard goes, if you're still having issues, I'd see about
procuring a PS/2 keyboard if the machine has PS/2 ports, and go from there.
Get things working, THEN use the wireless keyboard once you get it up and
running and can install drivers and stuff.

In general, when trying to troubleshoot, the best solution is usually to
start with the absolute basics, and go from there.

Clint
 
Hello,

I recently purchased a "HP Debranded Z552" and I am still trying to
figure out what Debranded means.

I know the HD is blank, and MCE is required. However when I plug plug a
VGA monitor and power the device up, I do not get any activity on the
monitor. It acts like there is not a connection, yet I know that the
monitor is good because it is my every day monitor. I was expect to get
some BIOS messages or chance to enter the BIOS setup.

So I am wondering if Debranded means that they (HP) wiped out the BIOS?
If so how can I get this device in a bootable mode.

Also this device has a wireless keyboard which I am sure that there are
no drivers installed on the system so how can I get a keyboard attached
to it so that I can get BIOS installed. There are options for
installing a USB keyboard, but I did not know if the machine will
function with USB keyboard without an OS & drivers

Any direction is most appreciated.

whitlom
Click to expand...

Usually there is a way to reset the BIOS (as Clint suggested) where you
turn off the computer, put a jumper on a certain header, and turn it
back on. This might be documented on HP's web site somewhere, or if
not, HP does describe the motherboard, so you might find out the
manufacturer's name, and go to their web site. Be aware that the method
is board-specific, and so you do need to find the instructions.

Once the BIOS is running, just plug a keyboard into the USB port; it
should work fine without any effort on your part (same with the USB
mouse).
 
Gene E. Bloch said:
Usually there is a way to reset the BIOS (as Clint suggested) where you
turn off the computer, put a jumper on a certain header, and turn it back
on. This might be documented on HP's web site somewhere, or if not, HP
does describe the motherboard, so you might find out the manufacturer's
name, and go to their web site. Be aware that the method is
board-specific, and so you do need to find the instructions.

Once the BIOS is running, just plug a keyboard into the USB port; it
should work fine without any effort on your part (same with the USB
mouse).
Click to expand...

S9nce this is not just a computer, but a Digital Entertainment Center.
This thing is a pretty strange beast and does not have any PS2 connectors
only USB. It really is Media Center centric.I'd start by downloading the
manual.
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/manualCategory?product=451457&lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&lang=en&cc=us
My personal suspicion is that the hard drive was wiped. Further info here;
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/product?product=451457&lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&lang=en&cc=us
 
S9nce this is not just a computer, but a Digital Entertainment Center.
This thing is a pretty strange beast and does not have any PS2 connectors
only USB. It really is Media Center centric.I'd start by downloading the
manual.
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/manualCategory?product=451457&lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&lang=en&cc=us
My personal suspicion is that the hard drive was wiped. Further info here;
http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/product?product=451457&lc=en&cc=us&dlc=en&lang=en&cc=us
Click to expand...

If the manual is like the one for my z555, it's not worth the effort to
fetch it, IMHO.

Since Whitlom is not seeing any image at POST time, it's very likely
that the issues are completely unrelated to Windows MCE.

This computer (not my MCE one) had similar problems to Whitlom's
(that's the OP). It had to go back to the manufacturer :-( He might be
luckier :-)

Anyway, somewhere on HP's site I once found a description of the MB of
the z555; maybe Whitlow can find one for the z552. With luck, it'll
tell him how to reset the BIOS from its current state or lead him to
somewhere that will tell him.
 
Usually there is a way to reset the BIOS (as Clint suggested) where you turn
off the computer, put a jumper on a certain header, and turn it back on. This
might be documented on HP's web site somewhere, or if not, HP does describe
the motherboard, so you might find out the manufacturer's name, and go to
their web site. Be aware that the method is board-specific, and so you do
need to find the instructions.

Once the BIOS is running, just plug a keyboard into the USB port; it should
work fine without any effort on your part (same with the USB mouse).
Click to expand...

Here's the motherboard page for the z552. It has instructions for
clearing the CMOS.

http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/...c=en&product=451457&lang=en&docname=c00307480

Watch out for wrapping in the link.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions! I got it working, but it was not BIOS
related. Apparently the processor chip was not seated correctly in the
socket. I took the chip out to investigate and when I put it back it,
the darn thing started booting up a storm.

Again thanks!
 
whitlom said:
Thanks for all the suggestions! I got it working, but it was not BIOS
related. Apparently the processor chip was not seated correctly in the
socket. I took the chip out to investigate and when I put it back it,
the darn thing started booting up a storm.
Click to expand...

Good for you. Also it is good that you reported back the actual
cause.

--
Some informative links:
<<http://www.geocities.com/nnqweb/>
<http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html>
<http://www.caliburn.nl/topposting.html>
<http://www.netmeister.org/news/learn2quote.html>
<http://cfaj.freeshell.org/google/>
 
Thanks for all the suggestions! I got it working, but it was not BIOS
related. Apparently the processor chip was not seated correctly in the
socket. I took the chip out to investigate and when I put it back it,
the darn thing started booting up a storm.

Again thanks!
Click to expand...


If the system starts acting flaky again you might want to
closely examine the socket, even with strong light and
magnifying glass to determine if some pins were bent or
dirty or ??? Trying to track down exactly what the physical
connection problem was previously.
 
Thanks for all the suggestions! I got it working, but it was not BIOS
related. Apparently the processor chip was not seated correctly in the
socket. I took the chip out to investigate and when I put it back it,
the darn thing started booting up a storm.

Again thanks!
Click to expand...

Thanks for telling us.

Who would have thought to look there? Besides you, I mean :-)

You've gotta love computers.
 
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