⟐ Commented March 20, 2023 at 6:24 MST

The computer will not post. It shows signs of booting such as fans spinning, and the optical drive audibly initializing.

Symptoms:

With the factory issued charger inserted, I get a white charge-light for about a second, then it turns orange. The power indicator is also lit, however the HDD light is not. If the charger is removed when the computer is “booted” (I.E. Fans spinning) the light flashes white every second.

Things I’ve Tried:

• Different chargers, universal, and brand name. I get the same results.
• Unplugging the battery and CMOS and holding the power button for 30 seconds.
• Tried and external HDMI monitor.
• Swapping RAM with test sticks
• Booting without the HDD
• Booting with the battery disconnected

Notes:

The battery was swapped in November because it was dead.

The heatsink was swapped in November because one of the fans stopped spinning.

Windows was reinstalled because of a drive issue

Conclusion:

If anyone has any insight, I’d love some assistance. The service manual should be linked on the device page if that helps anyone. Thank you!

⟐ Commented January 22, 2019 at 15:02 MST

my battery has a dead cell and will only take a 66% charge and i have been unable to find one.

⟐ Answer edited March 02, 2018 at 12:46 MST

⟐ Commented August 12, 2023 at 14:38 MST

⟐ Answered April 07, 2022 at 13:14 MST

⟐ Answer edited May 01, 2018 at 4:44 MST

The Wi-Fi was and is working fine, as I could access it on my desktop without problem. The normal options for her to select or add a network or connect Bluetooth were missing completely. The "Plane Mode" option was there, but grayed out. I looked up the error message online and performed the fixes I found, all to no avail. I reloaded all the network drivers as well, but nothing worked.

I contacted Microsoft tech support who walked me through some other procedures without success. They suspected it might have had something to do with the last Windows update, but that was loaded before the problem began, so there was a period under the latest update when everything was working fine. Unfortunately the restore point option had been disabled at some point in the past, so a rollback wasn't possible. However, I was able to do a Windows 11 re-installation just to try everything. This also failed to solve the issue.

I let the Microsoft tech know and they feel they had exhausted all the system fixes and wondered if it was a hardware problem. It was just sitting on her desk, so it wasn't dropped or physically damaged. However, they advised to look for HP forums to see if anyone has any further suggestions, so here I am!

I am not experienced with this stuff, but I can follow directions. I was hoping someone out there would have some ideas for me to try to fix this for her. Perhaps some physical network card is broken, for instance, and could be replaced cheaper than a new laptop or professional repair.

Thanks in advance for any assistance and please let me know if you need further details.

--Gordon

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⟐ Commented March 20, 2026 at 6:21 MST

⟐ Commented March 06, 2026 at 23:20 MST

⟐ Answered June 07, 2024 at 13:15 MST

⟐ Commented August 11, 2018 at 11:50 MST

⟐ Answered May 14, 2024 at 2:15 MST

⟐ Answered November 29, 2023 at 6:38 MST

⟐ Answered August 31, 2022 at 1:19 MST

⟐ Answered September 13, 2018 at 10:24 MST

⟐ Answered June 08, 2016 at 8:07 MST

“ Boot device not found

Please install an operating system to your hard drive

Hard disk (3F0)

F2 System Diagonostics

For more information: please visit www.hp.com/to/techcenter “

However, I do not find anything at the tech center and I do not hear if the hard drive spins up, maybe it is quiet??? I am not sure if the error on the black screen is just looking for the Microsoft operating system to be downloaded??? This computer was working then it stopped giving this error above. I am not the only one who uses this computer so I am not sure what another might have done. What should I do? Thank you Vincent. Seaset1@yahoo.com

⟐ Answer accepted December 14, 2025 at 0:51 MST

Thanks a lot

⟐ Answered November 20, 2025 at 6:07 MST

Nothing changed overnight that we are aware of, as it just sits on her desk. So it could not have been damaged from travel. I am presuming the possible culprits might be the battery, the cable, or the start button.

I am guessing it is not the battery. I have an old laptop that no longer works at all off the battery (even a new one), but only works when plugged into the outlet. I would presume this would be the same. Even if the battery was no longer holding a charge, it should still work when plugged in.

We don't have another power cable handy to try. I know it's not a lot to go on, but would it be worth buying another one to test?

Is there any way to tell if it's something like a faulty power button? Is there anything else it might be?

Fortunately, I backed up everything before I tried to replace the WLAN, but obviously she'd rather not have to buy a whole new computer if this one can be fixed for cheap.

Thanks in advance for any advice or suggestions!

--Gordon

⟐ Commented September 20, 2025 at 8:20 MST

⟐ Answered July 16, 2024 at 20:04 MST

⟐ Commented September 24, 2023 at 21:09 MST