[Solved] Can't boot or access BIOS after install

Okre · 2015-11-30 12:53:10

Hello,

I have tried to install Arch on a laptop but it does not turn well. After the install, I am unable to boot correctly (laptop frezzing just after showing DELL logo). It is not my first Arch install and I have already have troubles to setup grub and/or boot partitions correctly in the past. Normally, it is not a big deal, just rechroot using the live CD and fix the issues. Nevertheless, this time I am unable to do it as my computer does not boot on the live CD (using both a CD and an USB key) and does not open BIOS settings (if I press the corresponding button, it displays entering in BIOS settings but the PC is freezing).

I have tried to remove the CMOS battery to hard reset the BIOS but it does not change anything. The laptop was working before I tried to install Arch so it is unlikely a hardware issue. Any idea of things I can do to unlock the situation ?

Thanks

Last edited by Okre (2015-12-05 22:29:06)

Trilby · 2015-11-30 12:56:17

I'd actually suspect it is most likely a hardware (or firmware) issue as the machine isn't getting to a point where anything is read from the hard drive. This can be tested by removing the hard drive completely. Can you then get to the BIOS? Do you get a No OS Found message with the disk (all disks) removed?

Okre · 2015-11-30 21:58:55

I have removed the hard drive but it does not change anything. Nothing appears after the constructor logo, no message, just a black screen. Same thing when trying to access to the BIOS.

I don't know much about the boot sequence, what does this suggest ?

Trilby · 2015-11-30 22:05:40

This suggests that there is a firmware/hardware issue - unfortunately I'm not really qualified to help with that. It conclusively rules out anything to do with any recent OS installation attempts.

I suppose one alternative might be that video output is being sent elsewhere. Have you recently attempted to plug in an external monitor?

If there was actually a POST error, most hardware would give a sequence of tones/beeps that would be indicative of the problem. I assume as you haven't mentioned it that there were no beeps - is this correct?

tyrannis · 2015-12-02 17:05:11

Okre wrote:

Hello,
I have tried to install Arch on a laptop but it does not turn well. After the install, I am unable to boot correctly (laptop frezzing just after showing DELL logo). It is not my first Arch install and I have already have troubles to setup grub and/or boot partitions correctly in the past. Normally, it is not a big deal, just rechroot using the live CD and fix the issues. Nevertheless, this time I am unable to do it as my computer does not boot on the live CD (using both a CD and an USB key) and does not open BIOS settings (if I press the corresponding button, it displays entering in BIOS settings but the PC is freezing).
I have tried to remove the CMOS battery to hard reset the BIOS but it does not change anything. The laptop was working before I tried to install Arch so it is unlikely a hardware issue. Any idea of things I can do to unlock the situation ?
Thanks

I had the same issues with my laptop, product logo screen then black, cannot use live cd, et cetera. It sounds like the same problem I had, which was a dying/dead HDD. I had the same issue, hard drive and laptop working fine, until one day it could not access GRUB (I was dual booting Windows 8.1 and Linux Mint at the time) or any bootable media. So unless it is some sort of software/hardware configuration error such as the one Trilby suggested, it sounds like a HDD issue.

Sorry Trilby I saw your post after I wrote that, searched for the problem online and thought my copy/paste went through and overwrote the text above, intended post is below:

http://www.tomshardware.com/answers/id- … reen.html#

That thread sums up the general consensus on google that the graphics and/or I/O settings where changed somehow, or something is wrong with your graphics hardware, so as Trilby suggested check your I/O configurations and barring that check your graphics hardware.

Last edited by tyrannis (2015-12-02 20:35:02)

Trilby · 2015-12-02 19:38:56

tyrannis - the harddrive was removed. So it can't be a harddrive issue.

Okre · 2015-12-05 22:28:50

If there was actually a POST error, most hardware would give a sequence of tones/beeps that would be indicative of the problem. I assume as you haven't mentioned it that there were no beeps - is this correct?

Yes, there were no beeps.

That thread sums up the general consensus on google that the graphics and/or I/O settings where changed somehow, or something is wrong with your graphics hardware, so as Trilby suggested check your I/O configurations and barring that check your graphics hardware.

Thanks for the input. I will get some help with that as I am unsure to know how to do it by myself (very few knownledge on hardware stuff).

Thanks a lot for your suggestions, I will mark the thread as solved.

shulamy · 2015-12-06 16:15:06

in my experience it's usualy a memory failure

ezik

Arch Linux

#1 2015-11-30 12:53:10

[Solved] Can't boot or access BIOS after install

#2 2015-11-30 12:56:17

Re: [Solved] Can't boot or access BIOS after install

#3 2015-11-30 21:58:55

Re: [Solved] Can't boot or access BIOS after install

#4 2015-11-30 22:05:40

Re: [Solved] Can't boot or access BIOS after install

#5 2015-12-02 17:05:11

Re: [Solved] Can't boot or access BIOS after install

#6 2015-12-02 19:38:56

Re: [Solved] Can't boot or access BIOS after install

#7 2015-12-05 22:28:50

Re: [Solved] Can't boot or access BIOS after install

#8 2015-12-06 16:15:06

Re: [Solved] Can't boot or access BIOS after install

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