Question BIOS issue on HP 15-BW060SA laptop ?

[Lee 1]

HP 15-BW060SA laptop.

I have a One long beep and three short beeps that had a Boot error, I literally tried everything, recovery, ISO downloads, HP BIOS updates, went to original settings and installed hard drives including a cloned one from a Lenovo Yoga 520. Eventually by reflashing the BIOS from the cloned drive I got it on. Now it all seems OK, HP splash screen, Windows 10 etc, but it thinks it is a Lenovo Yoga 520!

After so much issues I want to install a brand new hard drive and reload Windows 10 (from a DVD etc), drivers etc and the recovered files.
My query is, how do I get it to now think it is a HP 15-BW060SA?
I am worried going back to original BIOS or updating it from HP might crash it again.
Any other ideas?

Thanks

 

[Colif]

if you flashed the bios from the drive, replacing the drive shouldn't cause the BIOS to play up again.

I think if you clean install windows onto the new drive, while on the right machine, it will know what its on and not think its a Yoga 520

don't install off DVD unless you make a new installer -
On another PC, download the Windows 10 media creation tool and use it to make a win 10 installer on USB or DVD

boot from installer

follow this guide: https://forums.tomshardware.com/faq/how-to-do-a-clean-installation-of-windows-10.3170366/
only have new drive attached when you install windows. Attach any extra drives after it boots from C a few times.

 

[Lee 1]

if you flashed the bios from the drive, replacing the drive shouldn't cause the BIOS to play up again.

I think if you clean install windows onto the new drive, while on the right machine, it will know what its on and not think its a Yoga 520

don't install off DVD unless you make a new installer -
On another PC, download the Windows 10 media creation tool and use it to make a win 10 installer on USB or DVD

boot from installer

follow this guide: https://forums.tomshardware.com/faq/how-to-do-a-clean-installation-of-windows-10.3170366/
only have new drive attached when you install windows. Attach any extra drives after it boots from C a few times.

Thank you for the advice, but now the laptop thinks it is a Lenovo won't it write this to the hard drive?

I couldn't get it to boot using a USB recovery drive, ISO, or the original hard drive. Reinstalling the updated BIOS and going back to the original BIOS did not work. I had to reflash it from my son's lenovo.

This is not something I have ever done before, so although it is now working I was unsure how the laptop would work out what it really is, as I believe I have now told it that it is a Lenovo and it believed me. Lol.

When I install a brand new hard drive into the HP won't it read the current Lenovo BIOS and take it as gospel that it is Lenovo.

I am going to give it a shot anyway and worst case scenario I leave the cloned drive in, but I would have liked to make it believe it was a HP again and then less likely to have a driver issue.

Thank you again for responding so promptly. I will look into your links.

 

[Colif]

the bios image you used, was it this one:

HP BIOS updates

installed hard drives including a cloned one from a Lenovo Yoga 520

Its only the drive that thinks its a Lenovo. You shouldn't have been able to flash a Lenovo bios on and still have a working device afterwards.

can you show me photos of your BIOS if it thinks its a Lenovo?

you don't need the drive, the BIOS is on the motherboard, it can't run off a hdd.

 

[Lee 1]

I will take some later.

That was the only way I could get it to work. It reflashed the BIOS readings from the last known working settings, i.e from the installed hard drive. in this case from a cloned drive with Lenovo Yoga 520. I didn't know you could do that, but was just overjoyed it came on.

Intriguingly it does show the HP splash page at start up, so I will see.

I just recall the product name and ID in the BIOS had changed, but will check the actual screen and take a photo.

 

[Lee 1]

Oh, I think you are right! The BIOS shows Lenovo!
You are spot on, when it is showing Lenovo it is in system I.e Windows.
Hence the HP splash page.

Oh, that makes me feel a lot better.
Sorry, to have been such an idiot. I spent so long on this and with reflashing it from the hard drive I figured I had got it working but messed it up.

Daft question, but I have an original Windows 10 Home installation DVD, why is it best to use the Media Creation Tool option, when I have an actually legitimate Windows 10 DVD. Sorry, for being a bit stupid here and apologies for your time.

And thank you SO much!

(By the way for anyone wanting to reflash the BIOS, if you have a boot problem, and nothing else seems to work - I held down the Windows key and B and powered on, then after a second or so I released the power on, but HELD the other two in for just over a minute, there was NO screen indication at all, so you think nothing is happening but keep them pressed in anyway, it cured mine. So worth a shot).

 

[Colif]

making a new installer saves time downloading updates. Up until last year, windows 10 got a new version every 6 months that include all the updates in the previous 6 months. If you make a new Installer it will only need to install about 5 updates to get Windows 10 up to date.

There is possibly a new version this month but you will get it as an update. Windows 10 now only get a new version once a year, like how Windows 11 does it.

 

[Lee 1]

making a new installer saves time downloading updates. Up until last year, windows 10 got a new version every 6 months that include all the updates in the previous 6 months. If you make a new Installer it will only need to install about 5 updates to get Windows 10 up to date.

There is possibly a new version this month but you will get it as an update. Windows 10 now only get a new version once a year, like how Windows 11 does it.

That is the only reason I could think of, but makes perfect sense.

Thank you again and sorry for being dumb.

 

[Colif]

We can't know everything. I am sure there are things you know I don't

Let me know if you have any problems