Need help with boot issue - you are a GOD if you can fix this!

[azkiwi]

My daughter's HP laptop squeals EEEEEP EEEEEP EEEEEP (about 1 second squeals and ½ second silence) at startup and black-screens with blinking cursor. Loud and high-pitched - I just want to beat it with a hammer til it stops! From here it will never boot.

If I can catch it at the BIOS it will boot from a Partition Wizard CD. If I select boot to Windows 7, it promptly does so, and will run for days without a hiccup. In fact she has taken to never turning it off, just to avoid the boot issue.

WTF?

On the off chance it might be a failing HDD I cloned a new SSD and on boot it is exactly the same! Aaarg!


Edit: This is NOT a fan noise, its a mobo-type noise. There are a million "noisy laptop" threads in the multiverse and most relate to speakers, power supplies or display inverters - but I can't think of a single good reason why any of these would go away just because the boot was via CD.

 

[vailr]

Can you enter the bios setup settings? "Load optimized default settings".
How old is the laptop? There may be a coin-sized motherboard battery that needs replacement.

 

[Pantoot]

Check out : http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?cc=us&lc=en&dlc=en&docname=c02222922

And see if you can match the beep code you hear to a symptom.

NOTE:Not all beep codes are shown. For a complete list of beep codes, refer to beep code table specific to the motherboard of the computer. To find the motherboard information, go to the HP Support Web site , enter the computer model number, and then search for product specifications .

 

[Paperdoc]

I agree with vaily. Three additional points:
1. Check for possible loose or dirty connections to HDD. Simple way IF you can get inside the case to where you might replace the HDD: disconnect it, then reconnect carefully, a couple times.
2. Check the battery first, change if needed. THEN do the Load Optimized Defaults.
3. After loading Optimized Defaults, you MAY need to re-set anything that had been customized. For example, you may had set the Boot Priority Sequence to optical drive first, then HDD (or SSD as the case may be).

 

[azkiwi]

First off - thanks all! Several dots connecting together in my tiny brain.

Can you enter the bios setup settings? "Load optimized default settings".
How old is the laptop? There may be a coin-sized motherboard battery that needs replacement.

Optimized defaults are loaded.
I had not considered a CMOS battery ... its about 4 yrs old.

Check out : http://h10025.www1.hp.com/ewfrf/wc/document?cc=us&lc=en&dlc=en&docname=c02222922

And see if you can match the beep code you hear to a symptom.

The beep code is not matched .. BUT a stuck key might do this! And she said she was having some keyboard issues. How would I find the sticky key ... perhaps I can find a replacement keyboard?

I agree with vaily. Three additional points:
1. Check for possible loose or dirty connections to HDD. Simple way IF you can get inside the case to where you might replace the HDD: disconnect it, then reconnect carefully, a couple times.
2. Check the battery first, change if needed. THEN do the Load Optimized Defaults.
3. After loading Optimized Defaults, you MAY need to re-set anything that had been customized. For example, you may had set the Boot Priority Sequence to optical drive first, then HDD (or SSD as the case may be).

As said above, I switched out the HDD. If I boot via PW it runs fine (with occasional typing issues).

 

[alzan]

Check around the web for keyboards for that model. There are reputable vendors who will buy replacement parts for older/discontinued modes and may have new keyboards; Amazon may it as well. I've gotten replacement batteries and power bricks for Dell laptops for cheap from them

You may also be able to get a new keyboard from HP though that may be the most pricey option.

 

[mvbighead]

You might be able to simply unplug the keyboard and use a USB temporarily to verify whether the keyboard is or is not the problem. If it is, buy a new one.

As for beeping, you may consider upgrading the BIOS. Perhaps a newer BIOS will do a better job displaying what it is having trouble with. Also, see if you can set the start up mode to wait on errors.

 

[mfenn]

The beep code is not matched .. BUT a stuck key might do this! And she said she was having some keyboard issues. How would I find the sticky key ... perhaps I can find a replacement keyboard?

At lot of times simply actuating the key several times will unstick it. Press and release every key on the keyboard a few times (laptop doesn't have to be turned on).

 

[Ketchup]

At lot of times simply actuating the key several times will unstick it. Press and release every key on the keyboard a few times (laptop doesn't have to be turned on).

I have done this before and it works. Just hit every key fairly hard a few times. Something wet and/or sticky on a keyboard will do this. Doesn't matter how old it is.

If you are careful enough (somehow my youngest can do it without even trying) you can pull the top off a suspected key and look for debris.