Stuck on "POST" screen: HP Touchsmart IQ500

[GoStumpy]

Basically I push the button, and the screen comes up with the HP Logo in the center (artsy) and 4 options:

F10: Setup
Esc: Boot Menu
F9: Diagnostic
F11: System Recovery

It just sits there indefinitely.. I press F10, it says "Entering setup...", yet never does... Sits there for days....

I press Esc, it says "Entering Boot Menu..." and same thing, nothing ever happens.

If I press F9 or F11, nothing happens at all.

Completely stuck here...

My only thought is to take it apart and do a CMOS reset jumper?

What else is possible?

What could cause this?

From what I've google'd, the consensus is always hard-drive, however how can it be the hard-drive if I can't even boot from a CDROM?

Thanks for any help!!!

Here is a thread from HP's support forum that was never solved, with identical symptoms:

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/TouchSmart-PC/HP-TouchSmart-IQ500-not-working/td-p/449081

 

[GoStumpy]

Well, apparently people were right! HDD is causing the freeze. I unplug the SATA cable to the HDD and it boots to "Insert bootable device".

Futureshop wanted $500 to fix it.. Looks like all I gotta do is reformat the HDD, or worst case scenario, replace the HDD.

 

[postaled]

Looks like all I gotta do is reformat the HDD, or worst case scenario, replace the HDD.

I'm assuming you tried just plugging it back in and booting right?

I've seen probably 15-20 machines where just reseating the HDD cable fixed it.

 

[GoStumpy]

I'm assuming you tried just plugging it back in and booting right?

I've seen probably 15-20 machines where just reseating the HDD cable fixed it.

LOL, yeah, I plugged it back in and no-go. Tried a different SATA cable as well.

 

[GoStumpy]

Well, it appears like I am not alone in having this hard-drive crap out... not by a long shot:

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/TouchS...el-7200-11-Seagate-Barracuda-drive/td-p/32984

Apparently a very popular bug in the Seagate 7200.11 500GB drive, especially the ones included in the Touchsmart HP's. Firmware issues cause it to brick D:

Well crap.

So I install a spare 500GB Hitachi I had laying around, and now I find the damn DVD drive doesn't work!!

So I hook up a spare DVDRW that I have laying around, and now I find that neither of my Vista OEM discs work... Windows 8 DEV works, but not Vista...

What the heck! LOL.

Downloading another Vista ISO