So my computer seemingly won't boot. It goes into the HP loading screen and never seems to leave.
Can anyone give suggestions as to what might be going on? I have an HP Pavilion HPE from 2010 or so, running Ubuntu Linux
@mathlover Try hitting F2 or F9 at power-up. It should enter into Bios and allow you to list the hardware. Simply exit then, without changes. If that happens, most likely it’s an Ubuntu update that broke the bootloader. Otherwise it may be a hardware fault. If at boot it beeps a number of times, then it’s a hardware fault. You could google “hp N beeps at startup”, you can find what it means.
@luci It's a desktop, and I have already tried every function key
@luci Since the computer is literally 12 years old and has been powered on for most of that time, I am preparing to replace it. This is more a last ditch effort to salvage a beloved possession then anything
@mathlover I have seen laptops used for 8 years. 12 is quite a lot, especially if it was powered on most of the time. I understand the attachment, but please know that the machine is already a champion who may have no choice but retire.
@luci I think you are very likely right.
Good news is that the hard drive was not the source of failure, so once I get the appropriate adapter cable I will be able to transfer all the data I need from it (I frequently back up my data anyway as is, so there's not a lot I need to account for)
@mathlover support.hp.com could help in this instance. It will ask you the model number (with indications for where to find it) and then will allow you to look at the user manual. It does so for more recent hardware. The manual should have some troubleshooting steps. FN keys work for both desktops and laptops. The manual can even point out to a self-check for hardware. Once that is ruled out, it will tell you how to choose a different boot device(to fix a bad update).
@mathlover F3? F10? Sorry, it’s usually one of these four for most laptops. You could look at HP support site, trying to find the exact info for your hardware, but that takes more time…