Samsung Series 7 - NP700Z5C-S03CA: My Last Hope

Mod note:
This is our go-to thread on the subject of clearing corrupt NVRAM -- a common UEFI related ailment on some generations of Samsung laptops, which causes boot problems, breaks Fn-keys and prevents access to BIOS, in many cases effectively soft-bricking the computer. Fitztorious led the way in cracking this as can be read in post #6. If your laptop has any of these problems, this is the thread you want to read. The summary guide in post #7 has been updated with links to other threads on the same subject.

Intro:
Hi everyone. I've used these forums many times over the years for help but this is the first time I've been this stumped so I'm turning to your expertise for help. Possibly bricked my Samsung Series 7 laptop, but you probably guessed that already given the history of these pickles. Bought it in December 2012 with Windows 8 pre-installed and upgraded to Windows 8.1 in 2013. Well that upgrade failed so I refreshed the system and I was left with a $1000 brick. My laptop was still under warranty so I called Samsung and after 15 minutes of arguing and elevating the issue they finally agreed to look at the laptop. 3 weeks later it was returned in working order with the motherboard replaced and Windows 8 installed. Cautiously decided to not even try to upgrade to Windows 8.1 again. I also made sure to keep my BIOS and all other drivers updated so they stayed current.

Background:
Fast forward to a couple weeks ago and the laptop fell off my bed about 3 feet onto a hard wood floor due to gf negligence. The laptop started up fine right away but the next day it was acting very odd with very slow loading and 100% read disk utilization. I figured it must be the hard drive failing so I ran "CHKDSK /r" to locate and recover the bad sectors (if there were any). The computer restarted and on startup it went into recovery mode (Windows did not boot) and the windows icon with "Attempting Repairs" was displayed. This screen remained stuck here for about 14 hours before I said "what the hell is wrong with this thing" and forced shutdown. Now Windows 8 doesn't want to start AND now F4 won't even enter recovery.

Issue:
Windows 8 will not start and UEFI is ENABLED with SECURE BOOT ON (insert rant about secure boot). However something is different this time because I have the option to boot from the CD/DVD [SEE HERE] (not my pic because I have the option to boot from HDD or CD/DVD drive) so I may be able to salvage this thing. I have a Windows 8 install disk that boots fine on my other laptop but refuses to boot when I select the option from the boot menu. I'm not able to get into the bios to turn off secure boot no matter how many times I press F2. I took the hard drive out and put it into my old dying laptop and booted the Windows 8 install disk. Windows 8 said "the windows partition was locked, please unlock it to continue" so I went to the repair options -> cmd -> diskpart and discovered that there are no partitions indicating to me that the drive is probably wiped. So I tried running 'clean' to completely erase (no important data) everything but cmd hangs for 5 minutes and then it says the drive has been removed That's fine, the hdd is probably completely destroyed (now it is for sure because I took it apart to get the magnets to see how they work).

Questions:

1. If I've done my research correctly, pre-installed Windows 8 leaves a signature in this bios so if I buy a new drive and install Windows off my own Windows 8 instillation disk will it even boot since the signatures won't match? (drive will cost $50 to try this)
   
2. Is there a way to boot from a Windows 8 DVD (or any DVD for that matter) with UEFI and Secure Boot turned on?

I've read hundreds of posts regarding this laptop and it has honestly been nothing but a headache. Samsung really dropped the ball and even if this gets resolved I'll be staying away from Samsung's products. If your thinking of buy one of these used, RUN and don't look back.

 

Hi Fitztorious, welcome to NBR.

It sounds like the HDD was probably broken when the computer hit the floor. But in addition to that, you're suffering from a common UEFI issue where the NVRAM/CMOS data gets corrupted and prevents you from using the F-keys during boot (F2 for BIOS, F4 for Recovery, F10 to select boot device).

You need to fix that NVRAM/CMOS before you'll be able to install on a new HDD. Updating BIOS will usually do it, but since you're already on the latest BIOS, you have to FIRST roll back to an earlier BIOS, THEN update again to the latest. And in order to do that, you need a running Windows. Chicken and egg dilemma.

You want to study the following two threads very carefully before you even begin. The first contains a step-by-step guide that partially covers your situation. The second contains more elaborate diagnosis and discussion of the problem.

http://forum.notebookreview.com/samsung/762238-how-unbrick-samsung-laptop-after-win-8-1-upgrade.html
http://forum.notebookreview.com/samsung/755985-how-boot-bios-when-function-buttons-not-showing.html

Here are some summary points specifically for your situation. Again, please read them all before you even begin:

1) Not having an HDD installed is how you are able to boot an external device, which is otherwise impossible when SecureBoot=enabled, OS Mode Selection=UEFI OS and Fast BIOS/Fast BIOS=enabled.

2) If you are able to boot Windows 8 Setup, either from a USB stick or from DVD, you can use its Repair option to enter the Firmware page and change your BIOS settings: SecureBoot=disabled, OS Mode Selection=UEFI & CSM OS and Fast BIOS/Fast BIOS=disabled. That will not solve anything permanently, but it WILL make it easier to boot external devices while you fix this.

3) If you create a Win8 Setup USB stick, make sure you create it as GPT/FAT32, otherwise you won't be able to boot it in UEFI mode. The good old Microsoft ISO/USB tool does NOT work for this. Use Rufus (Google it) or create it manually using this guide in our Windows section. Selecting OS Mode Selection=UEFI & CSM OS will allow you to boot even an improperly created Win8 USB stick (NTFS) but don't install Windows in this mode.

4) Create a WinPE USB stick (see the first of the threads linked above) which you'll be able to boot as long as no HDD is installed, and use that to re-flash your BIOS.

5) Use our BIOS roll back thread to roll back to an earlier BIOS. It's a tricky procedure which I have not tried myself. I recommend you read the entire thread carefully before you start. There is a utility on page 16 that can locate Samsung BIOS files for you. Once you (hopefully) have managed to roll back, you can update to the latest BIOS. Do NOT use SW Update for this, instead download the BIOS updater file and run it standalone. This should clear the NVRAM so you can enter BIOS again (F2) and select boot device (F10). Recovery (F4) was lost when you wiped the HDD.

6) Now (and ONLY now) install a new HDD or SSD. Make sure it is GPT style, which is necessary to install Windows in UEFI mode. You can either do this on another computer (use Minitool Partition Wizard) or use your WinPE or Windows Setup (DISKPART). It's covered in the second of the threads I linked above.

7) Set OS Mode Selection=UEFI OS to make sure Windows installs in UEFI mode.

8) If your Win8 DVD is an official Microsoft one, you should be able to boot it. But if you downloaded an ISO from Microsoft, booting it in UEFI mode may not always work -- unless you have an official TechNet/MSDN ISO.

Note: On this model, you really want to avoid installing Windows from a USB stick, since it will usually be confused by the small SSD used for ExpressCache (so-called iSSD) and place the boot manager there -- even though the iSSD isn't bootable. There is a workaround for legacy BIOS/MBR installations ( here) but installing from DVD is much preferred.

9) Windows Setup should automatically pick up your Product Key from the BIOS. If it doesn't (due to the corruption and subsequent re-flashing) you may have to contact Samsung/Microsoft for help. You can also try using RWeverything (Google it) or a similar tool to extract it before you begin.

10) Once your new Windows installation is up and running on the new HDD, you can re-enable SecureBoot and Fast BIOS/Fast BIOS to improve security and boot speed. Or reset your BIOS settings to default, which is always good practice after a BIOS flash.

As I am sure you gather, this is NOT a trivial procedure. Your laptop is only one wrong step from being perma-bricked. Expect to spend significant time reading BEFORE you do anything with your laptop, making sure you understand the steps and their purpose.

And please don't be tough on your GF over this. It sounds like placing the laptop on the bed, AND neglecting her, was the real mistake

 

Thanks Dannemand for the detailed response!

You seem very familiar with this situation I'll give this a detailed read and try it out this weekend. Don't worry I'm not mad at her, just gives me a reason to buy a new laptop

 

Seem to be stuck on rolling back the bios. This post here is basically what I'm experiencing. Since I have the latest bios I'm tring to downgrade from P07ABJ to P06ABJ. I've found the bios updates fine and I've booted into Win8PE but I think it's impossible to rollback the bios. Samsung uses .cap bios files in their newer laptops it looks like and they use SFlash to update the bios. Using the SFlash64 /s /sd /sa commands to skip the date & version checks is overruled in the bios "WARNING: Rollback flash is disabled in BIOS, build date time check was not skipped." That gives us one more option to use /sforce which forces the rollback. However /pwd xxxx has to be used for /sforce to work and I have no idea what the password is. It cant be blank and I've tried basic passwords but nothing seems to work. The error I get is with the incorrect password is"Error 230 - Failed to verify admin's password!".

All old bios versions available files use .cap files but P04ABJ comes with WinFlash and SFlash. Using WinFlash can't read the .cap files or even the .rom files I attempted to extract from .cap files. WinFlash also can't read the current bios version properly so I think SFlash is the only was to go. But SFlash requires a password apparently. There is little information online regarding SFlash64 or the required password. I guess I can try to get the password from samsung but I think that will require a level of patience I do not possess. My other option is to wait until P08ABJ is released or replace the bios chip (does not look easy but the chip is $30 on ebay).

Oh and some good news is that it doesn't look like the Windows 8 key is anywhere in the bios so any Windows 8 key should work if I can ever re-install it.

Here's a screenshot of the (documented) SFlash64 commands.

 

Well first of all, congrats on making it this far: You've been able to create a WinPE and successfully boot that. Some users couldn't even get that far. You've located and downloaded several prior BIOS versions and managed to extract those, that's another hurdle overcome.

Unfortunately I cannot give you first hand advice on flashing that older BIOS. All I know is what I've read in the BIOS roll back thread. I would expect that WinFlash is the way to go; possibly it's a wrapper that runs SFlash but has the password built in. Did you try WinFlash with P04ABJ, using the exact options described in isosunrise's guide in the OP.? I apologize for even asking, but I wanted to make sure

In your case it doesn't matter to which older BIOS version you roll back, as long as you can make it flash: The purpose is merely to clear your NVRAM. And you won't be re-installing Windows anyway until you have re-updated to the latest version (or a recent version anyway) so whatever bugs existed in older BIOS versions is not a concern.

For this particular step you may be better off posting in that roll back thread until you've (hopefully) managed to roll back. isosunrise has been posting here the last few days, maybe he has suggestions for you. If you do post there, include a link to this thread for context, but describe the details from your last post, so that readers of that thread (and potential helpers) can understand the problem without having come here first.

Edit:

I have to wonder if some of the other Sflash or WinFlash options could be used to clear the NVRAM directly without having to change the actual BIOS, and whether that might bypass any concerns of how to force an older version etc. That cvar option caught my attention. OTOH, the way the updater "clears" NVRAM is probably by re-writing a bunch of parameters to their proper values. Just clearing them could render the machine even more dead.

 

Good news!

You got me thinking that using cvar or the other commands could reset portions of the bios. The following command seem to do the trick from the previous bios version folder (P06ABJ): sflash64 /cvar /patch. I believe it should work with the newest bios files as well (P07ABJ) which is good because you don't need to hunt down old bios files.


The laptop immediately booted and I could use F2 to get into the bios and the "APPS MENU" in the boot selection allowed me to select "Setup" (aka bios) which was never there before. I reset all the bios settings to default including the custom signatures settings, along with SecureBoot enabled and UEFI only mode. Oddly enough FastBios is disabled by default so I'll keep it that way for now since WinPE won't load from the usb with FastBios enabled. Ill enable it again after I install Windows 8. I double checked to be safe and I can still get into the bios with FastBios enabled.

I never found my Windows product key in the ACPI tables using multiple product key retrieval programs since the MSDM table containing product key information did not exist. I also believe I only partially replaced the bios so if the product key does exist in the bios I'm confident it was preserved. My unofficial Windows DVD does not boot in UEFI so my next step it to burn an .iso that will boot in UEFI and buy a hard drive (considering ssd ). I'll update again when I get a new hdd/sdd this week but in the meantime I'll be trying to figure out how to burn a UEFI bootable iso.

Thanks for all your help!!! :thumbsup:

 

Wow, this is exciting! I think yours is the first report I've seen to "unbrick" your Sammy without actually updating (or re-flashing) the BIOS. Very well done!

This could have great potential for helping others with these semi-bricks, since we now have it down to some quite repeatable steps. Roughly like this:

1) Create a WinPE USB stick using the images shared in brainiak4431's guide. Other WinPE images can be used. Essentially any form of Windows 7 or newer that can be booted. That's the key -- and usually the biggest challenge in this procedure.

2) Determine the latest BIOS for the bricked Sammy, download and extract it, using isosunrise's guide in the roll-back thread and copy all the extracted files to a folder on the WinPE stick. (See the note at the end of this post if you have problems extracting the contents of the BIOS update file).

3) Boot the WinPE stick on the bricked Sammy, which usually requires unplugging the HDD/SSD in order to force booting an external device. In some cases, booting to DVD may work when booting to a USB stick doesn't.

4) After booting the WinPE stick, run sflash64 /cvar /patch in the folder to which the BIOS files were extracted. This should clear the corrupted NVRAM without changing the BIOS or Micom . For BIOS update files that don't have sflash64, WinFlash64 /cvar /patch should work as well. Presumably there is a similar command for BIOS update files using afuwinx64, more investigation required here. WinFlash (as opposed to WinFlash64) doesn't support the /patch parameter and apparently doesn't work. If the latest BIOS update file for your model doesn't contain sflash64 or WinFlash64, try older BIOS versions.

5) Assuming step (4) went OK, re-boot into BIOS using F2 (which hopefully now works) and reset BIOS settings to default values. Carefully check that BIOS values are correct for the Windows installation being used (when existing Windows installation on HDD/SSD is intact) or for the new installation that is about to happen:

AHCI=enabled/Auto (in almost all cases)
Fast Boot/Fast BIOS=disabled (can be re-enabled later to speed up boot)
SecureBoot=disabled (can be re-enabled later to improve security)
OS Mode Selection=UEFI OS (UEFI/GPT installations, usually Win8 and newer)
OS Mode Selection=CSM OS (legacy BIOS/MBR installations, usually Win7)

6) Re-connect the HDD/SDD and boot into BIOS again (F2), verify that it shows up under Boot Priority. Select it there as the primary boot device.

7) If the existing WIndows installation on the HDD/SSD is intact, boot it and verify that everything is working.

Done.

8) To install Windows anew (say on a new HDD/SSD) insert properly created Windows installation media: GPT/FAT32 USB stick for UEFI/GPT installations (usually Win8.x and newer), MBR/NTFS USB stick for BIOS/MBR installations (usually Win7), DVD for models with ExpressCache (to avoid mistakenly placing boot partition on small iSSD; for UEFI installations this requires an official Samsung/Microsoft disc or TechNet/MSDN ISO).

9) Boot Windows installation media by tapping F10 immediately after reboot (or cold power on) to temporarily select boot device. Proceed with setup, making sure the HDD/SSD is converted to GPT (for UEFI installations) or MBR (for legacy BIOS installations). Follow normal installation advice.

Done.

Something like that. My only concern (and warning to any who might try this) is that we don't know with certainly what is wiped by that SFlash /cvar command. The fact that your BIOS default settings had changed makes me a little worried that some other data could have been flushed out with the bathwater, impacting control of fans, keyboard backlight or other hardware features. Or that infamous Windows Product Key.

I'll be very interested to hear any updates once you have Windows installed and running for awhile, whether everything is working as expected.

And yes, getting a proper Win8.x installation DVD that will boot in UEFI mode is difficult: On models WIHTOUT ExpressCache (Series 9, and all 2013 models and newer) it is fine to install from a USB stick. But once again (repeated here for completeness) installing from USB stick on models with ExpressCache (such as the original Series 7 and many Series 5) will cause a boot problem. The preferred way on ExpressCache models is to install from DVD. Win7 DVDs are easy since their ISOs can be downloaded from Digital Rivers. Win8.x ISOs from TechNet/MSDN are fine as well and will boot in UEFI mode. But Win8.x ISOs downloaded from Microsoft using one's Product Key have been known to not boot in UEFI mode when burned to DVDs. In those cases, it may be better to install from USB stick in BIOS/MBR mode, using the workaround here.

This is exciting

Update 1-October-2017

It's been three years, and a lot has happened which may not be apparent from reading this post alone or even reading this entire thread. @Fitztorious' courageous test of clearing NVRAM on his laptop proved successful, with no ill effects reported later. Dozens of other users have since reported doing the same to fix laptops that were (semi)bricked by corrupted NVRAM. In addition to the cases reported here, I estimate hundreds others found this forum through Google and have salvaged their laptops too.

While several more cases have been discussed in this thread, even more cases were discussed in other threads scattered across the NBR Samsung forum. Some of them resulted in successful salvage, others did not -- usually when owners were unable to boot any form of Windows after much trying. A few resorted to re-flashing the physical BIOS chip, which requires soldering skills and access to an EEPROM burner.

Since many of these discussions contain details that are not included in this guide (such as how to locate and extract BIOS files for different models) I am including links to a few below. Also google site:notebookreview.com samsung corrupt NVRAM for even more discussions

Samsung NP530 - boot loop
Soft-bricked NP300E5E-S01PL (boot loop)
NP530U3B-A01UK Can't access BIOS through F2, F4
Samsung NP530U4C boot loop
NP900X4C BIOS Reset Gone Wrong
Samsung NP530U4C Problem with clean windows install and UEFI access
Samsung series 5 bricked bios from windows 10
GUIDE: How to install Windows 7 or 8 via USB on NP700Z (starting around post #175)
2013 Series 7 chronos / Ativ Book 8 15" owner's lounge (starting at post #6006)
Samsung DP700A7D won't start after Bios Default Settings
Unbricking Samsung Chronos and Series 7 Laptops NP-500 and NP-700
NP700Z7C-S01UB and Windows 10 install
I think my Samsung may have bricked itself

Problems extracting BIOS update files

Some members have reported problems extracting BIOS update files, with only a .log file showing up in the C:\Users\username\AppData\Local\Temp\__Samsung_Update folder. In these cases, make sure to run the BIOS update file from an Administrator Command prompt, NOT directly from Windows Explorer, not even As Administrator.

Some of these BIOS update files are difficult to extract with Win10, which goes out of its way to protect users from executing them. The trick I found is to right-click the ITEM file and select Troubleshoot compatibility, choose Worked in earlier versions of windows and select Windows 7.

 

Thanks for the awesome write-up Dannemand!

I've read here that /cvar clears NVRAM variables and sets them to factory defaults. Not sure how trustworthy it is as it looks like he was using a different bios flashing program but I'm hopeful the command is quite standardized between bios flashing programs. This gives me some hope that the hardware should still work properly once windows is up and running as he said his brightness controls started working again. Nevertheless, it won't be easy to determine what /cvar did change and we can only hope it didn't mess anything up.

TBH, I'm not sure if my BIOS default settings have changed. Everything looked normal but FastBios = Disabled caught my eye. I know it was set to Enabled before I started this process but it is quite possible I Enabled it soon after I got the laptop back from Samsung as it sounds like something I would do. Maybe someone with a Windows 8 pre-installed NP700Z5C can verify this.

I also found a Windows 8 MSDN x64 iso, so I'm going to burn and test it when I get home today and hope it boots in UEFI. If that doesn't work I'll have to try the dreaded bootable USB install. I have a HDD ordered which should be here between Wednesday-Friday so expect an update by the end of the week.


Edit: The iso burned fine to the dvd and will boot in UEFI only. Now just waiting on the hdd.

 

That's very positive and encouraging (about /cvar). I'd say if everything behaves normally once you have installed Windows with Samsung drivers and Samsung Settings, including all Fn-keys, keyboard backlight, Silent Mode, brightness control (manual and Adaptive), Airplane Mode, Battery Life Extender and touchpad -- then I am ready to declare this our new suggested fix for those with semi-bricked Samsung laptops.

Thanks a lot for trying this (which was a risk) and posting your results!

For others who read this, I would add that updating to the latest BIOS (when not already on the latest) is of course still the safest and easiest approach, since it merely involves running the latest BIOS updater. But DON'T update from within SW Update since that adds a risk in itself. Save the BIOS file and run it standalone.

 

Hi Fitztorious!

I'm actually with a semi-bricked bios on my np700z7c-s01ub

I'm very curious about your process in how to go back to a normal BIOS state.

Can you confirm that you could do a win7 legacy bios install and everything is working fine as Dannemand said?

Many thanks!

 

Hi,

I'm stuck at "3) Boot the WinPE stick on the bricked Sammy."

I could manage to create a the WinPE stick following the instructions. But when it comes to boot under the WinPE stick the windows logo gets stuck after a few seconds.

My case would be quite similar with the difference that I have installed Win7 x64 under UEFI, not Win 8 or 8.1

I've already tried Johns battery pin reset also.

What should I do now?

Thanks!

 

I took the time now to read up on your case by studying the posts from last month when you first posted here. And as discussed here you basically fell through three different trapdoors caused by flaws in Samsung's BIOS design:

1) Your NVRAM is corrupted, preventing you from getting into BIOS (F2) and enable external boot sources (F10).

2) You installed Win7 in UEFI mode (as opposed to legacy BIOS mode) which takes away the backdoor to BIOS settings provided by Win8.x (which has an Advanced Startup option with a UEFI Firmware Settings page).

3) You re-installed Windows from a USB stick which causes your boot partition to end up on the small SSD reserved for ExpressCache (so-called iSSD). That iSSD is unbootable (it's hidden from BIOS until after boot). AND it's soldered to the motherboard so it cannot be unplugged in order to force booting from an external device.

Member KcKepz was in the same situation and eventually had to send his computer in to Samsung. It's discussed in KcKepz's thread here.

BUT, the saving grace in your case (as I understand) is that you have a running Windows installation that you can use directly to re-flash the BIOS (or clear the NVRAM as discussed in this thread) without having to bother with creating and booting an external WinPE stick. I wish I had read up on your history when you came back the other day, because I could have saved you that trouble

I assume you unplugged your HDD in order to boot the WinPE stick. Please plug it back in. I truly hope it will still boot and your old Windows can still run. Just go ahead and copy the folder with the extracted ROM onto your HDD and run SFlash from there.

Again: I recommend waiting for member Fitztorious to come back and confirm that everything is working on his Windows installation after the NVRAM clearing.

At that time I will also update the guide in this thread with any changes. In particular will I incorporate steps (or rather skip steps) for those who already have a running Windows, since this is so much easier for them.

Two questions for you:

A) When you try to boot the WinPE stick does it come far enough that you can verify that it actually began booting from the stick?

B) Did you try both of the WinPE images linked in brainiak4431's guide?

Update:

Check MeGuinness's post here in the roll-back thread. He re-flashed his current BIOS straight (without rolling back first) which cleared the gremlins out without doing that /cvar. OTOH there is always a risk associated with flashing a BIOS, in case the flash fails.

 

Hi Dannemand!

Many thanks for your message and for reading back again my case.
Like you pointed out yes I did whatever was possible to get things wrong.

To clarify I've created the WinPe stick using one of those ISO images, linked by "brainiak4431's guide", most precisely the: Windows 7 Professional x64 SP1 U (media refresh) X17-59186.iso and using Rufus 1.4.10.514

The first time started booting and when the windows logo appeared a "strange red corrupt banner" (sorry for my English) appeared on top of the screen. Like some kind of video issue. I remember it wasn't the first time I saw one of those on this machine, probably saw it first when I pushed the system to be installed Win7 under UEFI.
Then the next 4 or 5 times I've tried again to boot the WinPE stick just freeze after the windows logo appeared after maybe 2 or 3 seconds, but no more red crash any more, just crash :S

Now I plugged the original SSD drive back and luckily boot up directly to windows, so no BIOS access not matter how repeatedly I press F2 or F4

So I'm back at cero in a way, with the calm to know that my system stills boots up (I've been using sleep mode since almost 20 days now)


Then last night after that, I stated the "Roll back BIOS" way. I could manage to identify and download 1 of the previous BIOS my system has.

BIOS installed P03ABP (corrupted?)

So I've downloaded the last one and the previous one. Having both ABP BIOSes, in one normal carpet:

ITEM_20130314_695_WIN_P03ABP.exe

ITEM_20120907_667_WIN_P02ABP.exe

But the rolling back its getting very complicated for me... as I couldn't manage WinFlash to run or to use.


Besides all this I was thinking that if win8 was so important I could try to make a new install, not over win7 but a win 8.1 uefi. But using the "sata dvd drive" that I've installed back to keep it as it Samsung delivered it from fabric.


So which direction I should take?

1-Clear and reflash BIOS using that SFlash command.

2-Roll back to previous BIOS?

3-Try to install windows 8.1 so I can try to use that Advanced Startup you are saying?


I mean to take the safer route, as It would be never possible for me to send it back to Samsung USA as I'm currently living in the Netherlands.

 

@Merlok: Thank you for the update. That's a relief that your Windows still boots and runs off the HDD. That makes this so much easier.

Since we're still waiting for member Fitztorious to confirm that all is well after using the /cvar option, AND since you have the last two BIOS versions already downloaded, I suggest you go ahead and try to flash it instead.

1) First try running the latest ITEM_20130314_695_WIN_P03ABP.exe directly as it is: Don't extract it, just try and run it. (Of course close all other programs first, including anti-virus and anything that might run in the background.) If you're not already on the latest BIOS, it should update and fix your problem right there. That would be nice and easy

2) If it won't upgrade (because you are already on the latest BIOS) you can try and force flash the latest P03ABP. Member MeGuiness posted his success here last night in the roll-back thread, using SFlash64 to do that. You can try that too. Of course extract P03ABP first, as described in isosunrise's guide in the roll-back thread. (I described it in a separate post here, basically saying the same thing.)

3) If that won't work either (for whatever reason) you can try force flashing P02ABP instead (rolling back). You can try the WinFlash command in sunrise's guide or the SFlash64 command in MeGuiness post (which, BTW he had from an earlier post here that I had all forgotten about). THEN update to the latest by running ITEM_20130314_695_WIN_P03ABP.exe directly as described in (1) above.

4) After ANY of these, reboot into BIOS with F2 (which hopefully now works). It is easiest to catch it after a cold power on by tapping F2 2-3 times per second (NOT holding it). Win8 users may have to force a "real" Shutdown by holding the power key for 5 secs (or temporarily disable Fast Startup in Windows Power control panel before Shutdown).

5) Once in BIOS, reset settings to default, save and reboot back into BIOS. Now inspect the settings and make sure they are to your liking (in particular UEFI or CSM to match your installation). It is a good idea to temporarily disable SecureBoot (for those who have it) and Fast BIOS/Fast Boot. That will allow booting external devices easily by pressing F10. Once everything is up and running (including a new Windows installation, if so planned) SecureBoot and Fast BIOS/Fast Boot can be re-enabled.

Regarding your Win8 question: There is no reason you cannot run Win7 just fine on this computer. Just make sure to disable UEFI first (OS Mode Selection=CSM OS) and convert your HDD/SSD to MBR. Basically, follow the exact steps in this Win7 install guide, including the section for downgrading from Win8. AND make sure to install from a DVD (NOT from a USB stick) on this model (and ALL models with ExpressCache).

You mentioned that the WinPE image you used was a Win7 one (the two listed in brainiak4431's guide are Win8.1 and Win8, respectively). Since your computer is in UEFI mode, that could easily be why that Win7 image would not work, since it is probably for legacy BIOS mode.

If you decide to install Win8 or 8.1, UEFI mode is fine. You can use member Obyboby's guide here.

As always, please keep us posted on your progress. Fingers crossed for you

 

Many thanks again for your detailed guide!

But I have a big problem. When I open either BIOS archives they don't decompress into "C:\Users\\AppData\Local\Temp\__Samsung_Update" like everybody else.

In both BIOS that I have downloaded (the current installed + the previous) an alert window appears saying:

"......The system BIOS is a newer version than the update.
The update will be terminated........"

So even extracting the BIOS packages with lets say 7zip, they don't show the SFlash64 .exe file that I need to force flash.

Sorry for so many inconveniences... getting crazy and learning a lot of course

Edit:

I was making a mistake. Now follow the proper way and been able to copy the folder before clicking OK.

I'll update in a new post.

 

For those following this thread, I should have the HDD tomorrow, so I'll try the install tomorrow evening (EST).

Hopefully everything goes well for you Merlok.

 

When I sorted mine the Samsung update folder had zip files and other files already extracted ,I deleted the zip files and kept the already extracted files including SFlash64.exe

 

@Merlok, @Fitztorious: Thank you for the status, both. We'll be here when you're ready and have something to report.

Edit:

Oops, @MeGuinness you jumped in front of me there. Thanks for joining here. As you'll see, I referred to your post in the roll-back thread.

 

Hi all !

I was undecided in which SFlash64 command to use if:

sflash64 /n /s /sa /ips /file P03ABP.rom (like MeGuinness did)
or
sflash64 /cvar /patch (like Fitztorious did)

So now I've tried both but this legend come after and I don't know what it means:

" Failed to detect phoenix BIOS.

ERROR 255 - TDK library initialization failed! "

 

Do you mean that using one or the other command give u this error??

 

yep..... I've read all the pages and tutorials but I might be doing something wrong...?

It made me wonder that your command ended as: /n /s /sa /ips /file xxxxxx.rom where in my temp bios carpet i don't have a .ROM file but a .CAP file

In the other hand in the same "temp" carpet I've place in desktop with the unpacked last BIOS, I have the option to run a program called winflash.exe

But there are many option and I don't know if I should use/

So your method should be better because doesn't touch something called MICOM am I right?

Many thanks!

 

Can you make a screenshot of what files are inside the Samsung folder and post it in here?

 

I hope you can see it.

Just a carpet on desktop.

I've also added the original and last BIOS package at the end.

 

SFlash64 /cvar /patch (like Fitztorious did) does NOT flash the BIOS, but rather clears the BIOS variables. That is indeed what we want in order to fix the corruption problem, but we don't know yet for sure if this leaves something empty that shouldn't be empty. Maybe some of the variables need to be set to certain values after being cleared (SFlash has commands to do that as well, we just don't know those values). That is why I recommended you wait until Fitztorious has reported a successfully installed and running Windows before attempting it.

Instead of waiting for that, I suggested you force flash the latest BIOS, EITHER using SFlash64 /n /s /sa /ips /file xxxxxx.rom (like MeGuinness did) OR using WinFlash.exe xxxxxx.rom /v /cs /sd /sv /svs (like isosunrise did). Or you could force flash an earlier version then update to the latest (which will ensure that Micom gets re-flashed as well).

But your BIOS file is one that contains .CAP files instead of .ROM files (as you pointed out) which is why SFlash64 couldn't find it when you executed sflash64 /n /s /sa /ips /file P03ABP.rom. So that command must have just failed. Presumably you need to use sflash64 /n /s /sa /ips /file P03ABP.cap instead, although I don't know if the same parameter work for .CAP files.

BUT WAIT: Fitztorious found that he was unable to force flash .CAP files, which is why he made the courageous step of trying the SFlash64 /cvar /patch command as the first member here. Since you also executed that command, I would assume that your computer is now in the same state as Fitztorious': The corruption is fixed and you will be able to enter BIOS (F2). And hopefully there is no collateral damage, neither from the SFlash64 /cvar /patch command (which cleared variabled) nor from the SFlash64 /n /s /sa /ips /file P03ABP.rom command (which we presume just failed).

I don't think there is anything else you can do now than reboot and hope you can enter BIOS with F2. You may have to try a few times to catch it. My fingers are crossed

 

Many thanks for the writing!

well I've just introduce

sflash64 /n /s /sa /ips /file P03ABP.cap

and again this legend pop up:

"Failed to detect Phoenix BIOS.

ERROR 255 - TDK library initialization failed! "

None of these commands works for me... its so strange.

I wonder that I'll have to take the "roll back" route as you explain also guarantees the correct re-flashing of Micom aswell?

or maybe I'll make some experiment using Winflash.exe directly and not with a command prompt.

Somebody knows which options should I choose?






I wish I have a .rom file instead of a .cap so I can get this done...

 

Make sure u do type the commands, don't copy paste

 

Please read my last post again: I know I tend to be verbose (write long posts) but that's because this is a somewhat complex subject.

You are past trying to roll back or re-flash your BIOS. You already performed the SFlash64 /cvar /patch command. That means your problem is probably (hopefully) fixed -- though we don't know yet if there are any side effects.

You need to reboot now and try to get into BIOS. Remember, your BIOS has just been cleared. That's like cutting the branch on which you are sitting. So don't keep running Windows and performing more experiments in there!

Essentially continue from step (4) in my post from yesterday.

 

I've just tried this last command

C:\Users\Admin\Desktop\__Samsung_Update>WinFlash.exe P03ABP.cap /v /cs /sd /sv /svs

and WinFlash kinda of tried to work but then this message pop up

 

Please, Merlok, just follow my suggestion. While I cannot guarantee it will work, it is your best chance. You are putting your computer at risk with these continued experiments. After you performed the SFlash64 /cvar /patch, your BIOS needs a reboot and have its settings reset to default.

 

I've unplugged and did the cold power on but nothing, pressing continuesly F2 sends me to Windows Manager where I can choose to boot on the current windows or give me also the option the press F8 for recovery.

But theres something that you all are missing. When I introduce the commands sflash64 /n /s /sa /ips /file P03ABP.cap or any sflash64 command this legend appears:

"" Failed to detect phoenix BIOS.

ERROR 255 - TDK library initialization failed ""

So Dannemand I don;t think that anything really happened in fact..

Performing the SFlash64 /cvar /patch does the same...

 

Well sorry but his method didn't work for me.

I'm collecting information to perform a roll-back BIOS.

I've already identified and download all the BIOS for my system and luckily the first BIOS, P00ABP, has a .ROM file instead of a .CAP file. Although I still don't understand properly the difference and how to install the "Micon"

Very sorry to mess up this thread.

Anyway I'm positive with the roll-back and many thanks!

 

Don't worry about the thread, I consider this a work in progress to gather knowledge about unbricking Samsung laptops.

And you are right, I thought that "Failed to detect phoenix BIOS" error only came when you tried to flash a .ROM file when there was no .ROM file (only a .CAP file). I didn't realize it also happened when you did the SFlash64 /cvar /patch command. So none of the commands "took".

I am quite surprised that that /cvar command doesn't work. When you ran SFlash64 /cvar /patch you had an Administrator Command Prompt and were in the folder with the BIOS files, right? (I am sorry, I do notice that your last screendump with the WinFlash was correct, I just had to ask).

In your last screenshot, WinFlash complains about a missing SMM Service, which is System Management (ACPI). Did you install Intel ME (Mangement Instrumentation) driver in this Windows installation (Samsung calls it HECI)? Not that I would think it should be necessary... How about Chipset drivers (those ARE necessary)?

If you cannot get any of these commands working in your Windows installation, NOR the roll-back to P00ABP, my only other suggestion is to go back to WinPE, but this time try a Win8 PE image (since you are in UEFI mode). I realize that requires unplugging the HDD, again

I'll be very interested to hear how the P00ABP roll-back goes.

Edit:

Micon is "the other half" of your BIOS, handling various peripheral devices (such as keyboard and touchpad). According to isosunrise ( here) it will NOT be rolled back when you force flash P00ABP. That is why you must update again immediately after to a newer BIOS version, by running the updater directly (ITEM_20130314_695_WIN_P03ABP.exe in your case). That updater should now work, and will flash both BIOS and Micom to the new version.

 

Yes like you said any of those SFlash64 commands worked for me. So that why now I'm going to roll back the BIOS, although the first attempts were not successful.

I've also later check those Intel ME drivers/programs but I think that I didn't installed them. The other hand yes the chipset drivers were the 1st thing installed in this system.

To summarize, I really messed up.. but NOT now in the last 20 days but from the very beginning of the system installation. I'm almost certain that the system has been in this state since the last 9 month.
Just I didn't realize till "I've tried to install a new windows swapping another HDD" that really woke up the "virus" :S

So hopefully to everybody collaboration and Dannemand I'll fix the bios some other way.

And don't worry about me unplugging the HDD for the WinPE (any Win8 PE image will do?), I took the bottom of the laptop away since these problems started... lets say 20 days ago

I'll be away for the weekend so I'll be not able to make any update till next Tuesday evening!

Thanks all.

 

Everything works!

All the function keys work and all the drivers seem to be cooperating correctly. Windows 8 installed from the DVD perfectly. I didn't even have to do any pre-install drive formatting, I just let the Windows install do it automatically for me.

Thanks for all you help Dannemand!! :thumbsup:

So for people who:

• can boot into WinPE
• can't get into their bios and need to clear their bios NVRAM
• have sflash64 & a .cap file in their __Samsung_Update folder

Use sflash64 /cvar /patch to clear and reset your NVRAM to get into your bios.

I'll come back and see if I can offer any more advice to you guys when I have more time.

 

@Fitztorious: That's awesome! Once again very well done, and thank you for sharing your results here. This will be of great help to others. As you've probably noticed, we almost constantly have one or more cases of this ailment going on here.

Strangely, Merlok's computer (whose BIOS updates contain .CAP files like yours) does NOT want to accept the same SFlash64 command, acting as if it cannot really communicate with the BIOS. We have yet to find out why. If you have suggestions, I am all ears.

@Merlok: You worked hard, have a good weekend now! I look forward to hearing back if you manage to roll back to P00ABP. Since it has a .ROM file, we can hope MeGuinness' command will work.

 

Hopefully Merlok found a solution to his issue. Unfortunately, I don't have any advice to offer if the sflash64 commands are giving errors. If I understand correctly he had Windows 7 pre-installed while I had Windows 8 and he has a .rom bios file while I could only find .cap bios files. This could be why the commands worked for me but not for him. Maybe someone has found a command that works in the bios rollback thread.

I want to say that my laptop is still running perfectly and that all the drivers are installed properly. The SSD I put in increased performance considerably. Cold boot to desktop is about 10 seconds now :thumbsup:

I'm working on replacing more parts:

• The DC jack is somewhat broken and won't hold the plug in tight anymore. I bought a replacement DC jack off ebay and took the motherboard out but my 30 watt soldering iron can't seem to get hot enough to desolder the lead-free solders so I'll have to bring it in to a repair shop and get them to de/solder the part if they don't charge too much. Update: Unless you have a high watt solder gun this won't be possible to do at home. I brought it to a computer repair shop and they did a good job for $25.
  
  
• I found a bottom cover cheaper than ebay (shipping to Canada) here for those looking: FOR Samsung NP 700Z5A Z5C z5b plastic bottom cover case-in Laptop Bags & Cases from Electronics on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba GroupUpdate: Looks like they closed their shop =(
  
  
• This is the only place I was able to find the top cover (Canadian version) at a really good price too: new!! For samsung NP 700z5c 700z5a ca Canadian language laptop keyboard with case Palmrest Touchpad BA75 03962j backlit-in Replacement Keyboards from Electronics on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group Update: Looks like they closed their shop =(
  
  
• I also want to swap out the 4gb memory stick with an 8gb. Will the timings and frequencies of the new stick need to match what's currently in the system? I've read something about this laptop being particularly fussy with some memory and not even recognizing it. Update: An 8GB SODIMM DDR3 PC3-12800 1600MHz 1.5v CL11 will fit in my version of the NP700Z5C bringing it to an unnecessary 12GB.
  
  
• Lastly, I need to replace some of the screws in the bottom cover. I measured them and they appear to be M2x6 screws but I'm not sure. Update: They are indeed M2x6 black nylon coated screws with Tuflok.

 

Hi Fitztorious, thank you for the update and confirmation that your computer still works correcly after the sflash64 /cvar.

I have added this thread to the Samsung Forum sticky list as our now preferred thread about unbricking. In light of that, it would be better if you post about the replacement information and questions in another thread, so we do not attract other topics here.

I suggest you post it in one of the threads linked below -- or feel free to create a new thread if you prefer.

Samsung Series 7 NP700Z5C (15.6" Ivy Bridge) Owners Lounge

Samsung Series 7 Chronos NP700Z5A Disassembly Guide

Samsung Series 7 Chronos NP700Z5A Disassembled: Parts analysis

 

Okay sounds good, Dannemand.

I think you're right - keeping the focus of this thread on unbricking is a good idea.

 

Hi everybody. I have a Samsung 770Z7E with Windows 8 and broke it trying to update to Win 8.1. It wouldn't boot any more, just display "Attempting Repairs". After about 5 minutes it would say "Unable to repair". There would be different options to proceed, like "Restore from a system
restore point", "Refresh your installation" or "Reinstall your system". Refresh and reinstall
worked at first, in that Windows booted, but on the first reboot it wouldnt work anymore and
display the "Repairs" screen again.
Upon finding this thread about the corrupted BIOS I was fairly sure I had not updated to the latest BIOS version yet. So I reinstalled Windows again (from the partition on the hard drive). When it booted I updated the Samsung SW Update Tool, ran it and was luckily able to update the BIOS to the newest version from there.
And lo and behold: my laptop boots and works like normal again!

I am really happy, because I like this laptop a lot and it runs great when it's not bricked...
So thanks a lot for this thread!

 

Hello Taku62, welcome to NBR.

Thank you for sharing your story. Good job salvaging your computer after the failed Win8.1 update.

I would add that using SW Update to update the BIOS can be risky: We have had several reported cases of failed flashes this way, which is generally terminal and requires Samsung repair. A few members with access to EPROM burners have been able to re-flash their BIOS chip after such a failure, but that is rare.

The safer approach is to use Samsung's BIOSupdate utility to download the BIOS file, then run it standalone. It is described in our BIOS Update thread.

Also, for others who run into boot issues after a failed Win8.1 update due to their BIOS not being updated, member brainiak4431 posted a guide here using WinPE to update the BIOS. It only works in cases where there is a newer BIOS that can easily be updated, and does not address semi-bricking issues from corrupted NVRAM -- as discussed by member Fitztorious in this thread.

 

Hi all!

I just wanted to verify this solution works, and thank everyone who has done so much leg-work in figuring this out! You guys are so dedicated and so helpful for brazen idiots like myself. (This is actually my first internet forum post EVER, so that's how much I feel I need to thank you =D)

I have a Series 3 NP300E5C laptop (for reference), and I began installing Linux on a separate SSD. Completely disregarding anything I've read regarding that and Samsung notebooks, I decided to boot using EFI =P. After installing Linux, tried to boot with the original windows HDD and my laptop was bricked up.

So reading through the hundreds of posts on the topic - including Dannemand trying to help people through this for like 2 years now - I finally came across this one...so good...so, so good. Consolidates exactly what needs to be done!


I could not access BIOS or Boot menu, but I could access the recovery partition (crtl+alt+F10 for CMD prompt).

I did take the laptop apart to remove the CMOS battery, but that did nothing.

I had also already been messing around with trying to install windows on the SSD (failure), so I had a Samsung AdminTool USB (access CMD Prompt), and had set boot priority to USB and DVD devices for that and for Linux. To load from USB I had to hit F9 repeatedly for it to boot off the USB. This is all just to say, I didn't need WinPE.

To figure out my BIOS I got to a CMD Prompt and entered wmic bios get smbiosbiosversion, then proceeded to downlaod ALL BIOS version using the BIOS ItemList downloads from the link above.

I had the downloaded BIOS on a separate USB stick, but was able to navigate to it through the cmd prompt (DISKPART list vol). I also had 2 versions of SFlash (sflash32 and sflash64), and ended up having to use sflash32 /cvar /patch as the command - even though I run a 64bit OS.

So thank you, thank you, thank you!

Also, is there also a method to clear the NVRAM using WinFlash? My laptop being a few years old only had 1 BIOS release with SFlash, but if others don't have sflash, or don't download all BIOS versions, it may be useful.

Anyways, thanks for everyone's navigating through the convoluted mess that are Samsung laptops.

Now it's back to being brazen and irresponsible now that I have a quick fix =P.

Paul

 

Hi allrejoice, welcome to NBR.

That's great! Thanks a lot for sharing your story here and for confirming that this approach worked for you as well -- though you did it a bit differently

In particular, thank you for mentioning the wmic bios get smbiosbiosversion command as a way to identify the BIOS family and version. I was not aware of that. It made me wonder if some of the other wmic bios commands (such wmic bios create or wmic bios delete) could be used to clear or change the corrupted NVRAM entry directly (so users wouldn't have to locate, download and extract a BIOS update first). But I didn't find enough information to pursue this any further.

I wonder why you had to use SFlash32, that's puzzling. What happened when you tried to use SFlash64? That said, SFlash32 may be the better general recommendation, since it should work on both 64-bit and 32-bit versions of Windows and WinPE.

I don't know if WinFlash provides a clearing command or can only be used to update/flash a new BIOS.

As I am sure you gathered, Neither John nor I have had to do this unbricking ourselves (and we have no intention of performing any risky experiments on our smoothly running Sammies). So our role is purely one of trying to keep track of useful information shared by other members (like Fitztorious and yourself) and point to it when needed. This thread is becoming better and better, and is now our preferred resource for unbricking, listed in the Samsung forum sticky list.

Thanks again!

 

Hey guys,

I have the Series 7 Chronos NP700Z5C-S01UB, and was/am running MBR Windows 7. It seems to be one of the least common models that people have had problems with, but this story should help people with the


1) I was trying to boot Linux Mint on a 32gb flash drive. To do so, I had to go and play with the EFI settings and the fastboot, and turn them off of factory defaults. This was the beginning of my problems.

2) When I had Linux Mint running on the flash drive, I decided to do the install option, installing it permanently on the flash drive. This, however, also installed Grub2 over the Windows bootloader. After a whole day of writing Grub scripts to try to get it to find windows, I found numerous threads about how using UEFI or EFI on these Samsungs could brick them.

3) I decided that I would use my Windows disk to reinstall Windows 7, but needed to change the boot order. This is when I learned that I could not F2 into the bios screen. Eventually, playing with Grub got me to the point where I was just in a BIOS spiral: power up, see splash screen, power down. I thought that it was totally done-for. I saw someone suggest elsewhere that disconnecting the CMOS battery would resent the BIOS to its original settings. So I did that. I cracked the case and disconnected the batteries for 5 minutes. I put it all together, and hit the power button: still no F2 into bios, but goes directly to my Windows install. Since I thought I had lost everything, I just let it run this way for about 4 months.

4) A couple of weeks ago, Microsoft pushed a Windows Update that required a restart. The computer shut itself down, and instantly went into the BIOS spiral again. F2 still wouldn't get me to the BIOS screen, and F10 took me to the one-time boot menu, but it was blank. Surprisingly enough, F4 did launch me into Samsung Recovery Solution 5.

5) Once I had access to the Recovery Solution, I backed up my files with the backup tool, and I restored Windows (I figured maybe their update did something to the boot record or something. This restore did not work. Then I learned about the admin tools in Samsung Recovery 5, which is Shift+Ctrl+F10, and the password is "secclx" (without quotes), which takes you to a place where you can do a handful of things, like (what I assume is a graphic interface for) diskpart, and go into a command prompt.

6) None of the .exes for flashing bios that come from the Samsung Mobile site that is in this thread run in the Recovery version of Windows at that point. Plus, anything with dependencies on the OS are probably not there. Also, no WI-FI, but I'm not sure if you can use ethernet connections there (wouldn't have helped me anyway).

7) Doing the rollback style BIOS flash from the command line works. My BIOS, for NP700Z5C-S01UB, is P00AAS. There are no revisions, and it is the only thing that I've seen that uses AAS series. You can get the ITEM_.... from isosunrise's method. I had to unpack the .exe on another computer because you cannot do this step in Recovery. I moved the files to a flash drive, and ran them from there (Recovery Solution does support USB and DVD, you can just navigate to them in the command prompt). This model uses Winflash.exe for its flashing, and I flashed it about four times with isosunrise's flags:

Code:

WinFlash.exe P00AAS.rom /v /cs /sd /sv /svs

This did not work. It seemed as if it was actually writing it and verifying it, but it didn't help. I looked at all of the flags in by doing

Code:

Winflash.exe -help

I hadn't read this thread, with its discussion of /cvar yet, and I saw it on the list. I saw somewhere that afuwin had a similar flag that was supposed to clear the settings that are in the BIOS as part of the flashing process. So I ran this:

Code:

WinFlash.exe P00AAS.rom /v /cs /sd /sv /svs /cvar

...that was the trick. This is flashing while not checking for versions or dates and then setting all of the BIOS variables back to default. As soon as I did that flash, the computer powered down and went right into Windows on my C: drive. I restarted, F2 went right to the BIOS screen, was already on factory defaults. Restarted again, F10 goes to the one-time boot menu, and lists my HDD and my optical drive as options.

I hope this helps a few of you. I've been running the machine for the past five days and everything is working great, restored back to the factory image in the recovery mode and got back to worrying about other things in my life.

 

@evilsheep23: Thank you (again) for sharing this report. Particularly for the information about /cvar working with WinFlash, since that answers a question for those who are not able to run SFlash32/64.

One question: Did you try using using WinFlash without actually flashing a new BIOS, ie with just the /cvar parameter (similar to what member Fitztorious posted here using SFlash64). Ideally, we want as "light" a solution as possible, that still solves the problem of corrupted NVRAM.

 

I did not try it without doing the full flash. It is entirely possible that /cvar without flashing would have fixed it.

 

Hello everyone, I have a bricked NP700Z7C. Here is a link for a post I made earlier.

I am not able to get into Samsung Recovery Solution. I believe I formatted over that a while a go if that is possible?

I cannot boot from a usb with WinPE for windows 8.

I have tried to boot from the Windows cd that was given to me with the laptop, which still did not work.

This is what my laptop does when I turn it on. Displays the Samsung bios screen (with the F2/F4 keys at the bottom) then reboots, displays the Samsung bios screen again and then displays the boot menu with no options to select from.

 

Did you try removing the internal storage drive which might force the computer to try to boot from USB?

John

 

Yes I have removed the internal HD.

EDIT: Would it matter what port I used? I am using a USB 2.0 on the right side.

 

I used one of the USB 3.0 ports on the left side but I don't think it should matter - I would try the USB 3.0 port too just to be safe. If the internal HDD is removed and there are no other storage devices or USB devices connected to the laptop then I believe the issue lies in the WinPE USB assuming all hardware is functioning properly.

When you used Rufus to create the WinPE bootable USB what partition scheme did you use? I would try creating the bootable WinPE USB again using one of the other partition scheme options (MBR, GPT for UEFI computers, ect.).

 

It would also be worthwhile creating a bootable flash drive of a different brand.

I recall that the Samsung notebooks get confused by one or more brands of flash drives but can't remember the details.

John