[SOLVED] HP Compaq 8100 Elite Small Form wont boot after BIOS change

[jerickson.jel]

Hi I really need some help here.
Im an IT Manager and I have worked on hundreds of systems. I acquired an HP Compaq 8100 Elite Small Form that I was going to connect to a TV for my family. I pulled the video card out since I wanted to use the onboard VGA. When booting the system up it beeped 6 times and then waited for 2 seconds.
I looked up this beep pattern and discovered that it means there is a video error. I put the video card back in and booted the computer up to a regular monitor. Everything was working fine. I wanted to use the VGA onboard for the video though so I went into the BIOS and disabled the PCI slot that held the video card in an attempt to get to read from the onboard VGA. BIIIIIIGGGGG MISTAKE. Now that I have done that the computer will not only ignore the onboard VGA but it wont recognize the video card in the PCI slot because I disabled all of them. I figured if I reset the CMOS it would put the BIOS back to default and allow me to try again however all methods of resetting the CMOS have failed.

I opened the system up after powering off and held the CMOS button for over 15 seconds. Booting up it still does the 6 beeps with no video to show so I cant get into BIOS.

This system does not have a regular CMOS reset jumper but it has a PWD jumper with only 2 pins. I followed the instructions on that and booted it with the jumper on just 1 pin. Booting the system after that again just beeps 6 times with no video.

I tried pulling the CMOS batter out for a full minute along with several other combinations of what was mentioned above. When I boot the system it just beeps 6 times and shows no video. If I could get the BIOS reset I could at least see video and troubleshoot from there but since the BIOS wont reset I cant get any video and the computer is basically a brick.

Anybody have any ideas what I might be able to do to get this computer to boot?

Thanks so much for anyones help.


I also added a link to the motherboard manual so you can see where I got the procedure
http://h10032.www1.hp.com/ctg/Manual/c02034672

 

[ohiou_grad_2006]

Try pulling CMOS battery and leave it out for about 1/2 hour. And leave the system unplugged. Before plugging back in, or before putting the battery back in, press the power button a few times. Saw that trick work on an old dead laptop before.

 

[jerickson.jel]

I really wished that would have worked. I left the battery out for 45 minutes. Before plugging anything back in I pressed the power button several times. I still get the 6 beeps without video. I tried disconnecting the hard drive as well. No luck. I then tried disconnecting all power to the MB, taking the cmos battery out and letting that sit. Still no video. I wished there was a way I could plug another computer into this one and reset the BIOS from there. I dont think that is possible though.

 

[ohiou_grad_2006]

I'm personally not a fan of hp. Seems like they make their stuff harder to work on than it has to be. Even down to using slotted or star type screws. Much prefer Dell. Much easier to work on in my opinion.

 

[jerickson.jel]

I 100% agree. I hate HP systems. I have had problems with every HP laptop, desktop and printer. Not a fan at all. They are the only company I have ran into that makes their MB require an additional video card. If I unplug the CPU will that reset the BIOS at all?

 

[ohiou_grad_2006]

I'm not sure. What cpu is in it? I read that depending on the cpu, since of the old i5 650 and maybe 750 CPUs may not actually have integrated graphics built into them.

 

[jerickson.jel]

so there is a chance if I change out the cpu I might be able to get it to use the onboard video? I'm not sure what kind of cpu is in it since when I first got the system I just looked at the specs and it said I5 I didnt go any further than that. I guess I could try and do that. Now here is a dumb question since an IT manager should know but would the computer possibly post if it had no cpu? or will it just not turn on at all if I do that? Thanks

 

[ohiou_grad_2006]

I imagine it would spit back some type of error code from the board. I don't know what that code would sound like lol, but I am guessing you would get something similar to a no ram or no video code. I work in a helpdesk myself and have done repairs on the side for years, I don't think I've honestly ever tried that. In nearly 20 years of tinkering with systems lol.

 

[jerickson.jel]

Well I guess that's it then. I talked with 3 other computer professionals and I have exhausted all options. Ive already dumped several hours into trying to get this thing to work and now I see that motherboards for the PC are just $19.99 for a used one. Im just going to go that route. I know that the activation of Windows might be tricky after that but I think I can get it to activate following the instructions in this article.

https://scottiestech.info/2017/02/26/upgrade-your-motherboard-without-reinstalling-windows-10/

Soooo...
My final thoughts. HP sucks. Dont ever play around with the BIOS on an HP machine. Something as simple as disabling a PCI slot will brick the machine since you cant even reset the CMOS. I will forever hate HP machines even more from this day on.

Thanks for everyone's help and a big thank you to Ohiou_grad_2006 for their suggestions.