Troubleshooting a Stubborn Boot Issue: My Experience with an HP Omen 30L

Greetings everyone! Today, I want to share my recent experience in diagnosing a perplexing boot issue with an HP Omen 30L. A friend of mine asked for help repairing his PC, and after weeks of troubleshooting, I’m here to outline the challenges faced and the steps taken to resolve the situation.

The Problem: Stuck at BIOS Logo and Infinite Boot Loop

The primary issue I encountered was that the PC would neither boot into any operating system nor proceed beyond the BIOS logo. Originally, it had Windows 11 installed, but after performing various diagnostics, I quickly realized that the problem was much deeper.

Steps Taken

Component Verification
I initiated the troubleshooting process by meticulously checking each hardware component. After confirming that the power supply unit (PSU) was functioning correctly, I turned my attention to the RAM. Although I tested the original RAM, I decided to replace it with a spare module I had on hand, which is a common troubleshooting step.

Graphics Card and Motherboard Diagnostics
Next, I examined the GPU, which appeared to be working properly since it was providing a display. I also utilized HP’s onboard diagnostic tools for reassurance and confirmed that the motherboard and processor were functioning as expected.

Storage Checks
The next step involved scrutinizing the M.2 drive. I verified its operational status—check for readability and writability. To rule out the possibility of a failing drive, I swapped in a known good M.2 drive containing Windows 11, but unfortunately, the problem persisted.

Attempts to Install an Operating System

In a bid to resolve the issue, I decided to install Windows 11 on a brand-new, blank hard drive. Despite my efforts utilizing a bootable USB drive, none of the install attempts yielded success. Other bootable environments, including the Windows Recovery Environment and several Linux distributions, also failed to initialize.

BIOS Considerations
I suspected that the BIOS itself might have been compromised. According to my friend, the issues began after an interrupted BIOS update. As a precaution, I successfully reloaded the BIOS to ensure that the firmware was not the root cause of the problem.

A Deeper Dive into Hardware

Believing that the motherboard might be faulty, I replaced it with a reliable aftermarket MSI Pro B550M VC WiFi motherboard. After ensuring that all components were properly seated, I