HP G60-214EM Laptop Unable to Boot

[stupot52]

Hi guys,

Specs.
Processor: Athlon X2 Dual Core-Speed 2000MHz
RAM:3072MB
Hard Drive: 250GB
Op System: Windows Vista Home Premium 32 bit

When I switch on the "HP Invent" logo appears with the F9/F10/F11 command key instructions listed at the bottom..
Then....a black screen with a flashing cursor top left !

I can run the BIOS and when I attempt the Primary Hard Disk Self Test the following happens :
1st time I press ENTER = Test Status: No IDE Device
2nd time I press ENTER - Test Status (press Esc to cancel)
                                      00% complete

...and there it remains !

I have noticed that the laptop does get quite hot underneath. I have removed some tiny quantities of dust from the fan area, but that
does not help anything. I have read that the NVIDIA graphics chip on some Dell computers does occasionally "melt" and become "welded" to the motherboard due to overheating.
My HP is fitted with the NVIDIA graphics pack...what chance ?

I have also tried using the recovery disks but what happens is : Windows is loading files with the filling up scale moving from left to right...then a few small blue screens flash momentarily and then it's back to the black screen with flashing cursor...then the process starts again...Windows is loading files etc.
 
I have replaced my computer with the machine I am using now, but as this HP G60 is only about 4 years old I would like to have a go at getting it going again as a spare machine for my young nephews and nieces to use when they come round...

Any suggestions will be gratefully received.

Regards,

[patio]

Ist thing i would try is remove all power and the battery and remove and re-seat the laptops hard drive...
It's not a good sign that the BIOS shows it intermittently so after that i would DLoad and run the Free diagnostics on the drive from the drive manuf. site...

Let us know.

[Darthgumby]

A friend of mine had the same problem.  If it is still under warranty, definately send it back to get looked at.  Otherwise what we had done was pulled out the hard drive and backed up the files using a SATA to USB cable.  The hard drive itself was fine, and the data was fine, but the Windows install would not boot up.  It would just blink that little cursor on a blank screen.

What we eventually ended up doing was ordering a standard copy of the install CD's from the manufacturer's website and did a clean install to factory settings.  This seems to have gotten everything working again.  If you can see the HP logo splash screen and get into BIOS, that is a good sign your hardware still checks out OK.  It's either got to be Windows or the hard drive itself.

[stupot52]

Thanks for all the replies to my thread...Regrettably the warranty on the laptop has expired already..

May I ask Darthgumby, what exactly is the procedure for performing a back-up of the extracted hard-drive, using a SATA to USB cable ?

I assume the USB end fits into another PC or an external hard drive, but what is a SATA and how does that fit the extracted hard drive from the computer?
Sorry, but I'm a bit new to this and jargonised initials have little meaning to me unless I know exactly what is being referred to..

May I ask also, if I was to obtain standard copies of the install disks from the manufacturer, how can I be sure that they will install if there is no operating system functioning?  What sort of price does one pay for the standard copies of the install disks ?

Am I right in assuming that if I can get the BIOS up, my NVIDIA graphics is intact ?

Thanks again for your kind assistance.

Regards,

[quaxo]

Ist thing i would try is remove all power and the battery and remove and re-seat the laptops hard drive...
It's not a good sign that the BIOS shows it intermittently so after that i would DLoad and run the Free diagnostics on the drive from the drive manuf. site...

This is really the first thing you should do. It could save a lot of headaches and trouble.

[Raptor]

I can run the BIOS and when I attempt the Primary Hard Disk Self Test the following happens :
1st time I press ENTER = Test Status: No IDE Device
2nd time I press ENTER - Test Status (press Esc to cancel)
                                      00% complete

...and there it remains !

I have noticed that the laptop does get quite hot underneath. I have removed some tiny quantities of dust from the fan area, but that
does not help anything. I have read that the NVIDIA graphics chip on some Dell computers does occasionally "melt" and become "welded" to the motherboard due to overheating.
My HP is fitted with the NVIDIA graphics pack...what chance ?

If it's stuck on trying to detect IDE devices, there might be a problem with the hard drive. You should diagnose the hard drive with another computer and a program such as Hard Disk Sentinel.

Your laptop comes with an 8000-series Nvidia chip. Those become very hot and they might break down. You have to make absolutely sure that the fan is imaculate and you might have to invest in additional cooling for the laptop.

[stupot52]

Ist thing i would try is remove all power and the battery and remove and re-seat the laptops hard drive...
It's not a good sign that the BIOS shows it intermittently so after that i would DLoad and run the Free diagnostics on the drive from the drive manuf. site...

Let us know.

Have been searching for "FREE DIAGNOSTICS" on the HP site...haven't found anything like that yet...Do you have a link ?
How does one use a diagnostic program on a computer where the operating system does not function ?

Thanks again...

[Raptor]

You should diagnose the hard drive with another computer and a program such as Hard Disk Sentinel.

[stupot52]

Thanks to Raptor...

I have looked at the Hard Disk Sentinel website and there are a plethora of different programs to download, some
"trial" versions and others at a cost...Any idea what one I should use ? Most of them appear to assume that the customer is
downloading to protect the devise he is downloading to...

Sorry to be a bit pedantic abt this, but my funds are limited (whose aren't?) and I do not want to waste money.

I assume that I would have to remove the hard drive from the problem computer and connect it to my "new" laptop
where I would have downloaded the Sentinel program.  How do I connect it ?...What sort of cable..is is a SATA to USB ?

If the problem hard drive is infected by a virus, is my "new" computer at risk if I make this connection?

Thanks again...

[Raptor]

You can use the program for free. This one will do: http://www.harddisksentinel.com/hdsentinel_setup.zip

You don't have to purchase it but if you think it's a good product you know what to do.

I assume that I would have to remove the hard drive from the problem computer and connect it to my "new" laptop
where I would have downloaded the Sentinel program.  How do I connect it ?...What sort of cable..is is a SATA to USB ?

Yeah, that is a good way to diagnose a hard drive, make back-ups and remove malware

You can either get a SATA to USB converter kit or you can buy one of those external SATA to USB hard drive enclosures.

They basically do the same but the latter will offer more protection. There is, however, a chance that you will not be able to get a S.M.A.R.T read-out from a USB device. Some devices do work and some don't.

The best solution would be to connect it to a desktop computer with a SATA connector.

[stupot52]

Hi Raptor,

Thanks for the advice and the link. I have downloaded the 30 day trial version of Sentinel
and have ordered a USB to IDE / SATA Adapter Converter Cable for 2.5" & 3.5" Hard Drives.

I'll let you know what happens...

If the hard drive is okay I can use the converter cable to make a back-up and then perhaps order installation
CD-Roms from the manufacturer ?

On the other hand, if there are big problems highlighted the next course of action
would be to replace the hard drive ?
 
 
Thanks again..

[Raptor]

If the hard drive is okay I can use the converter cable to make a back-up and then perhaps order installation
CD-Roms from the manufacturer ?

Even if the hard drive is not 100% O.K, you might still be able to get your data off this way.

If your data is very important to you, you should get it to a professional recovery service and completely side-step any attempts at doing it yourself.

And ordering recovery CD's from the manufacturer is a good idea but are you sure you did not create these yourself when you first turned on the laptop?

Is the rest of the laptop in order? You should test the RAM with http://www.memtest86.com/ (Free download)
Also make sure that the laptop fan is clean. You might want to invest in one of those cooling pads for laptops if you think the laptop is getting warmer than is reasonable.

[stupot52]

I do have the recovery CDs I made from the time I first had the computer. However, I am wondering if they really work, as NOTHING happens when I try to run them on the faulty computer.  This seems hardly likely to change even after I've examined the hard drive via Sentinel. I'm not bothered about the data on the drive, as I was fully backed up when the problem first arose.

I know there is little point in "what ifs?" but I'm wondering what the next course of action will be if the Hard drive is diagnosed as okay, but I still cannot run Windows.

FYI, BIOS tells me that the memory is okay as it tests fine, but when I get my SATA/USB device I will test it again via the link you provided..Thanks indeed for that 

If I can get the machine up & running again I will purchase a cooling set-up, as they are not too expensive on Amazon etc.

[Raptor]

I do have the recovery CDs I made from the time I first had the computer. However, I am wondering if they really work, as NOTHING happens when I try to run them on the faulty computer.  This seems hardly likely to change even after I've examined the hard drive via Sentinel. I'm not bothered about the data on the drive, as I was fully backed up when the problem first arose.

Hmmm... You have to boot from them and not run them after Windows has started. Did you do that? Did you change the boot order to CD-ROM drive?

I know there is little point in "what ifs?" but I'm wondering what the next course of action will be if the Hard drive is diagnosed as okay, but I still cannot run Windows.

Well, like I mentioned above, the boot order in the BIOS would jump to mind. Or perhaps the CD-ROM drive is acting up, not allowing the POST to succeed.

[stupot52]

Yep...I did change the boot order to CD-ROM Drive as the first...Suppose there could be a fault with the CD-ROM drive, but never had that before and it certainly sounds like the computer is reading the disks from the buzzing and whirring that can be heard.

BTW Windows does not start at all....I only get the HP logo splash screen and then a black screen with flashing cursor top left, with or without the disks inserted.. I do get "Windows is Loading Files" on the screen with a scale filling from left to right, then a few flashing small empty blue screens then back to the black...then the process repeats itself ad infinitum...

I have also removed the hard drive and then returned it to the machine(after removing tiny dust particles from the area), but that did nothing to help matters.

I guess the best thing to do is wait until I've diagnosed the hard drive and take it from there...

Thanks for all your help...