Win 11 Desktop Won't Boot After Windows Restore (restored because sound device failed)

[MikeD8791]

Hi tech tips folks.  I'm having a major issue with my work PC, and I figured I'd try to tap into the wealth of knowledge here before resorting to calling HP tech support.

 

I have an HP Z2 G9 SFF Workstation.  It has a core i7 13700, 32GB of ram, a 512GB system drive and a 1GB secondary drive, both m.2, and an AMD Radeon Pro WX3200 GPU running Windows 11 Pro.  (link to specific machine: https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1764076-REG/hp_87c37ut_aba_z2_g9_sff_workstation.html?fromDisList=y)

 

It installed a windows update the other day that made the built in sound stop working.  I could still get sound out of a TV that was connected to the graphics card, but the on board Realtek audio simply stopped working after the update.  I tried installing an updated driver from HP with no success.  If I looked at device manager, I could only see the Realtek audio device if i viewed hidden devices.

 

After multiple attempts to update the driver with no success, I tried uninstalling the device with the hopes Windows would see it and reinstall it.  That did not work and Windows doesn't see it at all any more.  If I go into the BIOS, the device is there and can be seen, but Windows has no clue it exists.

 

After a few hours of troubleshooting, I decided to turn to Windows Recovery and restored from a restore point that happened to conveniently be there from the day before, before the Windows update was installed.  The system hung on reboot after the restore, but I left it alone and went home for the weekend.  When I came back on Monday, it was still on the same initial startup splash screen, so I turned off the computer and attempted to reboot.  Now, the system simply won't turn on.  The power LED will come on for a few seconds when I push the button but then the system turns right back off and nothing comes up on the screen.  I disconnected the power cord and left it until today.

 

My next step in the thought process is to disconnect every external device except my keyboard, mouse, and a single monitor and see if it will boot into something, even just to get to the BIOS.  If that doesn't work, the only other thing I can think of is to call HP since it's under warranty but that is really my last resort.

 

Any legitimate suggestions are greatly appreciated while I work on my personal laptop until I can fix this thing.

[OddOod]

28 minutes ago, MikeD8791 said:

The power LED will come on for a few seconds when I push the button but then the system turns right back off and nothing comes up on the screen

So it's not even POSTing. That's much more concerning than a borked windows install and points me to a hardware problem. Is it perchance still in warranty? If so, I'd contact them for more targeted troubleshooting
It's possible you have unplugged something so do go and make sure all the cables are fully seated, especially the 4pin CPU and 24pin mobo connectors. Couldn't hurt to try clearing CMOS as well. Also try a different outlet on the off chance your power is really dirty. 

[MikeD8791]

2 hours ago, OddOod said:

Is it perchance still in warranty?

It is 100% still in warranty, I just figured I'd check here to see if someone had a similar situation happen with a solution before I spend hours of my life on hold with HP.

 

 

2 hours ago, OddOod said:

Also try a different outlet on the off chance your power is really dirty. 

It's connected to a UPS so power shouldn't be an issue.

[OddOod]

Perfect. If you confirm all the cables are seated correctly, you should probably hit them up for an RMA