HP Z2 SFF G9 - Trying to fix BIOS after “critical failure" > No Recovery

[EpicLPer]

Heya,

I’m currently trying to fix a “HP Z2 Small Form Factor G9 Workstation (5F0D1EA)” after HP issued a warning that some models may become entirely unbootable if left on specific old versions. The exact issue happened to the one I got right now: https://support.hp.com/us-en/document/is...8577455-16
Due to this bug the BIOS is so broken that no recovery option works anymore...  It simply turns off 2-3 seconds after being turned on.

I’ve already desoldered and dumped the broken BIOS, however another person took a look at it and said the dump is apparently not fixable… I guess the current one truly is fully dead, I bet HP forgot to limit something in those older versions and over time overwrites other critical areas… but not sure. I’m a beginner so not even sure where to start looking but willing to learn 

Board Details:
SCRABBLE
REV: A
M11 FMB-2202
Model Nr.: 5F0D1EA#ABD
Ser. Nr.: Please DM if needed, thanks!

Link to the latest BIOS for this model: https://ftp.hp.com/pub/softpaq/sp158001-...158267.exe


Thanks a lot already for any kind of help 

[AdamAli99]

hello. after 1 tried verses, f15 (bbs), f49 clear password, f1 me flash override. Bios should start and try to repair. If that doesn't help enter the serial number of the computer on the page it will take you to repair tools, there you have UEFI diagnostic recovery 4 in 1 (if you don't have HP support I can send you the program and you can replace the bios) use the program in the service version (bbs) it will start with a beep sound due to the limitation of the bios and only then will it start working

[EpicLPer]

hello. after 1 tried verses, f15 (bbs), f49 clear password, f1 me flash override. Bios should start and try to repair. If that doesn't help enter the serial number of the computer on the page it will take you to repair tools, there you have UEFI diagnostic recovery 4 in 1 (if you don't have HP support I can send you the program and you can replace the bios) use the program in the service version (bbs) it will start with a beep sound due to the limitation of the bios and only then will it start working

Hi, thanks for the answer

I'm not quite following what you mean with the first few steps The recovery doesn't start at all anymore, it won't even initialize any USB devices or read from USB sticks, any try to recover the BIOS doesn't work anymore.
When I plug in my USB keyboard to hold down the recovery key combination the keys won't even light up, there is no power delivered to the USB ports. That's how broken the BIOS is right now 😭

[AdamAli99]

I understand that you did it like this: WIN+V as a restore (didn't help <sometimes ctrl+v>), so you formatted the pendrive fat 32, flashed the bios and tried reinstalling win+B) and that didn't help. I suggest something else, preparing the pendrive for UEFI, here it's not enough to format the pendrive, it must be in GPT, fat32, you upload a special hp 4 in 1 service program to such a pendrive, on the computer you reset cmos and switch the BBS stanza to service mode. (1 USB port will be active from the beginning, you need to check which one, it can be 1 port on the front panel, or one of the black 2.0., at the beginning you will hear a beep even 8 times, it means that the computer is not loading the BIOS because it is in service mode and the service pendrive is booting. Do not interrupt the computer until it turns off and resets, unless it enters the beep failure mode, then change the USB port, because it is not booted < you can write a pendrive autostart script if there is none, e.g. starttup.nsh and in it the path it should follow

[EpicLPer]

I understand that you did it like this: WIN+V as a restore (didn't help <sometimes ctrl+v>), so you formatted the pendrive fat 32, flashed the bios and tried reinstalling win+B) and that didn't help. I suggest something else, preparing the pendrive for UEFI, here it's not enough to format the pendrive, it must be in GPT, fat32, you upload a special hp 4 in 1 service program to such a pendrive, on the computer you reset cmos and switch the BBS stanza to service mode. (1 USB port will be active from the beginning, you need to check which one, it can be 1 port on the front panel, or one of the black 2.0., at the beginning you will hear a beep even 8 times, it means that the computer is not loading the BIOS because it is in service mode and the service pendrive is booting. Do not interrupt the computer until it turns off and resets, unless it enters the beep failure mode, then change the USB port, because it is not booted < you can write a pendrive autostart script if there is none, e.g. starttup.nsh and in it the path it should follow

I'm not sure if I understand correctly, the PC doesn't see or try to boot any USB sticks at all, not even the recovery USB. I tried it with the UEFI recovery tool right now but it has the same behavior, it simply turns off after a few seconds and doesn't recovery anything.

Do I have to enable this service mode in a different way?

[AdamAli99]

I will also add how to switch the computer to service mode, near the cmos battery there is a button or cmos/clean cmos verse, remove the battery, switch the verse for 5 seconds, return to the state before the change (all with the power supply disconnected), in another place there will also be a 2nd verse marked BBS, this verse is usually f15, it is on 2 pins, 1 free, switch it from 2-3 pin, to 1-2, you are in the service position (some board models have it the other way around), besides there is a similar verse marked clen password clears the bios password and part of the data from nvram, even further somewhere next to another chip there should also probably be a verse to restore intel me region. but you should focus on clearing cmos and switching to BBS, that's all you should be interested in for now

[EpicLPer]

I will also add how to switch the computer to service mode, near the cmos battery there is a button or cmos/clean cmos verse, remove the battery, switch the verse for 5 seconds, return to the state before the change (all with the power supply disconnected), in another place there will also be a 2nd verse marked BBS, this verse is usually f15, it is on 2 pins, 1 free, switch it from 2-3 pin, to 1-2, you are in the service position (some board models have it the other way around), besides there is a similar verse marked clen password clears the bios password and part of the data from nvram, even further somewhere next to another chip there should also probably be a verse to restore intel me region. but you should focus on clearing cmos and switching to BBS, that's all you should be interested in for now

I can't find any BBS or similar on this board, the CMOS clear is a button. But nowhere does it say BBS or F15 or any jumper pins.

[AdamAli99]

Look right under the processor heatsink, under the RAM, or near the PCI Express inputs, there will be a plastic (rubber) clip connecting the pins together
BBS, may be written differently: E49, svc, svc mode, service mode, bios recovery, rom recoders (check google or the manual to see what name it has)