I'll try again...

That first post; I read it but I forgot it.

This post mentions earlier versions of pflash16 included in the Crisis Rescue Disk. An earlier version might solve your problem.

http://web.telia.com/~u43311424/crisis-recovery-disk/

Telia is the Danish national telephone company in it's privatized version.

@thorkelljarl:

In this url, the assumption is that your bios is 'corrupt'. Mine isn't.

In fact, other than I am flying with just one wing engine (core), everything is functioning normally.

If I did follow those directions, it requires a connected floppy drive, which I don't currently have.

Your help is appreciated but I am holding out hope that someone has the answer for how to perform a bios downgrade using phlash16.exe (using a combination of the above documented switches).

Thanks again for your information.

@thorkelljarl:

Ok, I downloaded the crisis-recovery-disk.exe, extracted it and tried each of the phlashXX.exes

o phlash16
o phlash1a
o phlash1b
o phlash1c
o phlash1d
o phlash1e
o phlash1f
o phlash1g
o phlash1h

None worked with: phlashXX bios.wph.

There has to be a way to force a downgrade using the switches.

Follow-up,

Today, I found the *correct* softpaq for the original bios of the HP Pavilion dv2000z here:

http://www.filewatcher.com/_/?q=sp34619.exe

The issue I was experiencing was that the motherboard id (30B5) did not correspond with the board id in the previous 'ill-gotten' softpaq (30B2)--hence it balked at running the installation.

With the correct match on motherboard, the bios installation went through with no issues.
I copied the softpaq bios file (30B5F22.WPH) to BIOS.WPH and booted up the usb pen drive and typed:

c:\>phlash16.exe

No command line switches were required.

P.S. the issue with not having two cores persists, and the only symptom I have found is that kern.log shows just before shutdown a message of: TSC clocksource unstable (--xxxxxxxxxxxxx)

I have tried all manner of kernel switches to get two cores up, but no go. The machine requires an option of either:

nosmp
or
maxcpus=1
to allow it to boot up without experiencing a hard shutdown.

I continue to fly with one engine for now and will troubleshoot this from a different angle now that I've established and installed the original bios for this particular laptop.

Thank you for your help.

Glad to hear BIOS sorted. On the 2 cpus issue:
Have you a home cooked kernel, or a distro standard one?

If the latter, we can start comparing configs. perhaps back up, then clear the logs

# > /var/log/messages
# > /var/log/dmesg

and then turn on any debug option and let it crash. That may indeed tell you why the 2 cpus are causing an issue. Have you tried your install CD? You did get installed, didn't you?

@business_kid:

No, I have not compiled a kernel--yet.

uname -a:
2.6.31-14-generic #48-Ubuntu SMP Fri Oct 16 14:05:01 UTC 2009 x86_64 GNU/Linux

I certainly would appreciate any help you can offer.
Lead the way.

Thank you!!

P.S., I get the same boot fail *regardless* of which Distro I boot from, even Live CD.
This is *The Laptop from Hell*

Right. I'll play once anyhow
I am going on the presumptions that your kernel is ok, your hardware is capable of using 2 cpus (IS IT?) and therefore, your bios version is suspect.

I would try
1. Unless there were MAJOR issues with the original BIOS, go back there.
2. Reboot into the BIOS Setup. How many cpus does it report?
3. Boot into linux after clearing /var/log/messages and dmesg as I showed with a sheet of paper. Take down a few lines before the crash.
It's handy to have so you can put exact errors into google. I see nothing about clocks in my logs. So I don't know where this is hitting.
4. I have a HP Compaq 6715S(slightly later) same cpu, and the following settings on the clock. My kernel, btw is 2.6.30.5
bash-3.1$ grep -n CLOCK .config
13:CONFIG_CLOCKSOURCE_WATCHDOG=y
14:CONFIG_GENERIC_CLOCKEVENTS=y
15:CONFIG_GENERIC_CLOCKEVENTS_BROADCAST=y
91:CONFIG_HAVE_UNSTABLE_SCHED_CLOCK=y
188:CONFIG_GENERIC_CLOCKEVENTS_BUILD=y
386:# CONFIG_X86_P4_CLOCKMOD is not set
1685:# CONFIG_TELCLOCK is not set

Look at those ssettigs in your kernel, and read the help. Most distros put the kernel config into /boot as config-<version>. Install the sources, cd to them and cp /boot/config-<version> .config
Then make menuconfig, and read the help on your friends. Some are automagically generated, but CONFIG_HAVE_UNSTABLE_SCHED_CLOCK=y is a feature of the RCU subsystem, and check that area. I have the Classic RCU set.

I'm not trying to fix a kernel, as much as understand why your problem is occurring. But if you don't have a classic rcu, you might try it. Check also your 'processor type & features' area

Here's my grep -n CLOCK .config:

14:CONFIG_CLOCKSOURCE_WATCHDOG=y
15:CONFIG_GENERIC_CLOCKEVENTS=y
16:CONFIG_GENERIC_CLOCKEVENTS_BROADCAST=y
100:CONFIG_HAVE_UNSTABLE_SCHED_CLOCK=y
226:CONFIG_GENERIC_CLOCKEVENTS_BUILD=y
239:CONFIG_KVM_CLOCK=y
243:CONFIG_PARAVIRT_CLOCK=y
457:CONFIG_X86_P4_CLOCKMOD=m
2451:CONFIG_TELCLOCK=m
3357:# CONFIG_SND_BT87X_OVERCLOCK is not set

cat /proc/cpuinfo: #this is machine uses an AMDTurion64x2 TL-52
processor : 0
vendor_id : AuthenticAMD
cpu family : 15
model : 72
model name : AMD Turion(tm) 64 X2
stepping : 2
cpu MHz : 1600.000
cache size : 512 KB
physical id : 0
siblings : 1
core id : 0
cpu cores : 1
apicid : 0
initial apicid : 0
fpu : yes
fpu_exception : yes
cpuid level : 1
wp : yes
flags : fpu vme de pse tsc msr pae mce cx8 apic sep mtrr pge mca cmov pat pse36 clflush mmx fxsr sse sse2 ht syscall nx mmxext fxsr_opt rdtscp lm 3dnowext 3dnow up rep_good extd_apicid pni cx16 lahf_lm cmp_legacy svm extapic cr8_legacy
bogomips : 3214.79
TLB size : 1024 4K pages
clflush size : 64
cache_alignment : 64
address sizes : 40 bits physical, 48 bits virtual
power management: ts fid vid ttp tm stc

Oddly, I have not found clocksource unstable since performing the downgrade to F.22, but I do feel the issue is definitely a timing/interrupt issue.

'nosmp' simply removes the need for handling cross-checks on what the other CPU1 is doing and disables all related threads.

It would be a lot easier if /var/log/kern.log had in it an error which pointed to the problem--but it doesn't get a chance to write back--just craps and shuts down but usually at the same point (I've removed splash quiet).

What kernel option do I add for debug?

Google for a full set of kernel options. You could try 'noapic' which kicks it back to 16 hardware interrupts but sometimes fixes things which go wrong like everything getting the same halfassed irq

@business_kid

Oh, if it were only that simple--'noapic' does not work.

I've spent several weeks going over the kernel options here:

http://www.kernel.org/doc/Documentat...parameters.txt

and have tried all manner of permutations, combinations and as of yet have not come up with the right set.

It's hopeless--the "Laptop from Hell"....

I would suggest you stop playing.
We are pretty sure it's a BIOS problem. Go back to the manufacturer and ask. There are linux programmers from hp. Try an email to one of them.

@business_kid,

Playing? Well, that is flat out inappropriate. And who is *we*?

Pretty sure? Seriously, this is one of my favorites: "Only 'fools' are positive."

Come on. You are giving up too easily.

The suggestion made is of no help, because the motherboard replacement isn't from the manufacturer. And the machine is way beyond warranty.

I am inclined to believe at this juncture that the bios, now downgraded to the original, F.22 isn't in and of itself problematic. The boot issue manifests on F.3D and F.22 and with any Distro.

If I could isolate what the kernel is encountering when it decides to shut off during boot, that would at least give a suggestion of what is happening and how to resolve.

Does anyone else have an idea of how to get the kernel to debug output for the error?

Thanks in advance.

I think you are playing around. As for me, it's not my board. I'll make a suggestion, but it ends there for me. So I'm playing at trying to fix it remotely. You did say in post #1 that a BIOS update started the issue. You will get poor response from forums if you abuse those who offer help. I am a volunteer, not a service.
Goodbye.

Volunteerism is not an excuse for bad behavior. Good bye.