PC hardware forum: Repairing a PC with no Hard-drive or BIOS

You better change your post title, no BIOS will cause no nothing to work. While you do explain it in your post, the answer is get a bios if there is any thought.

Next, you can borrow or swap a CD/DVD(DVD-ROM is required at least) drive from some working PC for the time being??? If yes, then you can proceed if it is the type you need and load whatever into the troubled PC and go from there. If in US, local Goodwill may have one sitting on the shelf(not always) or local shop for older or used drive. of course, online or local a new drive is MUST if you plan to continue using the PC.Of course, the mtrbd. *may have* a bad port for CD drives if as you're explained this is an older PC. I would think a PC that supported Vista if that was initially locaded on the PC will have USB support, so exactly what is this model# HP PC?

tada ------Willy

The desktop is an HP Pavilion a6030n. Already tried changing the boot order in the bios, but there's just no option to boot from USB. I guess replacing the optical drive is my best option right.

I defer to the manual for such direct info since I don't have the PC in my hands. Hopefully, it explains what it can or can't do. HP support website, enter your model or S/N and proceed to what it offers. Yes, HP can limit USB support, but a guess here as I stated prior is the model# came loaded with Vista it may support booting from USB port, either USB flash drive or ext. DVD, provided the device itself have a bootable pgm.. I have a slow WW link, I'll check the manual allow me time to check. -----Willy

I found no reference to USB anything in the manual. If you get a DVD drive, the specs did say it was a SATA type. If you haven't yet, swap SATA cable around and.or reseat them several times(carefully) or get a new SATA cable and check that power cable as well. I did find also, that the HD is suppose to have a recovery/restore partition on it, so if HD is OK, boot into recovery if that was the reason for accessing the DVD drive. If repair only and the OS itself is stable, you can add a USB pci type card to have USB ports. That way, you can use USB, but probably not boot from USB port/device.

http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/ca/en/ho/WF06b/12132708-12133156-12133158-12133158-12133158-79732772-80128535.html?dnr=1

tada -----Willy

is under $30....that's your best option. Easy to replace too.

VAPCMD