Author Topic: Is anyone else using an HP EliteDesk 800 G6 or something similar for Arca Noae?  (Read 29 times)

Sabon

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Is anyone else using an year 2021 HP EliteDesk 800 G6 or something similar for Arca Noae that came from using an Apple computer OR just had issues installing an operating system on an HP EliteDesk 800 G6 Small Form Factor PC or anything similar (meaning HP EliteDesk something) that might have any answers or all the answers that I need?

I bought a used computer from surplus from the government organization that I used to work for. They wiped the W.2 SSD on it deleted all partitions.

The short version (you can read the long version if you want down below) is that I have NOT been able to create a USB memory card, a 3.5" "floppy drive" or CD-R or DVD-R disks that will boot on the HP EliteDesk computer. Every time when I try to boot up it says,

Bootdevice not found
Please install an operating system on your hard drive.
Hard disk (3F0)
F2 System Diagnostics
For more information, please visit: www.hp.com/go/techcenter/startup

Note that since the computer is out of warranty they would charge for any help that they give. I've asked them and me even asking that question they say that they should charge me for even that. So that stopped that conversation.

I have a bootable 3.5" "floppy" (FreeDOS 1.4) that DOES boot on a year 2000 Compaq Armada 500 computer so I KNOW the floppy is bootable, at least on that laptop.
I also have an eComStation Preview copy of OS/2 that I was able to install onto the laptop. So that IS a bootable CD (DVD?).

No matter what I haven't been a to boot anything from a USB drive with an ISO image on it, nor the eComStation Preview disk or a 3.5" floppy with FreeDOS 1.4 installed as bootable floppy drive.

Any ideas?

-----------

Long Story

I loved OS/2 in the '90s. It was my main operating system and I used it until the power supply on that computer died. Between when I started using that last PC and when IBM announced they were no longer going to update OS/2 I started looking for some other OS to use and ended up going with Apple. Now I'm trying to go back to using OS/2 (Arca Noae OS/2 of course) and I'm running into problems.

Arca Noae has instructions for creating a bootable DVD (MacOS X (10.3 and newer) but not as new as MacOS 15.7 which I have so I hit a wall there. Unfortunately I don't remember the password for my older iMac and haven't been able to find the install disks for it to try the instructions. Until I find them ...

I also have a Compaq Armada 500 from the year 2000 which I had completely forgotten about. I had BeOS 5.0 installed on it along with Gobe Productive, a native office suite for Be. Clever name. I tried to install FreeDOS 1.4 on that laptop but wasn't able to. The only thing I have that I could install was eComStation Preview which I was able to install and boot up and use. But I then installed FreeDOS 1.4 on it with the idea that it would be easier to install Arca Noae 5.1 with the computer having DOS on it.

I've tried setting everything on the HP EliteDesk back to system defaults and

but every time I boot up, it either (or both) comes up with the [______] menu OR it says:

"Bootdevice not found
Please install an operating system on your hard drive.
Hard disk (3F0)
F2 System Diagnostics
For more information, please visit: www.hp.com/go/techcenter/startup"

Note that since the computer is out of warranty they would charge for any help that they give. I've asked them and me even asking that question they say that they should charge me for even that. So that stopped that conversation.

I booted up the HP EliteDesk and hit the Esc key until the Startup Menu appeared. That's where I got the system information from.

HP EliteDesk 800 G6 Small Form Factor PC
Intel(R) Core(™) i7-10700 CPU @ 2.90 GHz
Memory Size 16384 MB
System BIOS
S01 Ver. 02.23.00 07/04/2025

Connected to the motherboard is a SK hynix Model: HFM256GDJTNI-82A0A BA NVM e 256 GB SSD
Component Test: Passed
It does show the BIOS to be 2.3.8.0

All of the tests came back with "Passed" so all the hardware is working.

So it DOES have a 256 GB SSD connected directly to the motherboard without cables and it passed the Hardware Diagnostic test

The Boot Menu (picked from the Start Menu after hitting F9 at boot up) shows:

"UEFI - hp HLDS DVDRW GUID1N
UEFI - SK hynix BC511 HFM256GDJTNI-82A0A-CS0BN41291500BB5W
Boot from file"

There isn't an option to boot from USB memory card.

BIOS Setup (hitting F10 at bootup)

ADVANCED System Information shows:

Product Name: HP EliteDesk 800 G6 Small Form Factor PC
Memory Size: 16384 MB
Storage Device: SK hynix BC511 HFM256GDJTNI-82A0A-CS0BN41291500BB5W (256 GB)
--------------
Processor: Intel(R) Core(™) i7-10700 CPU @ 2.90 GHz
Cache Size (L1/L2/L3): 512 KB / 2 MB / 16 MB
Processor Speed: 2900 MHz
Processor Cores: 8
MicroCode Revision: 100
Processor Stepping: 5
Memory Speed: 2933 MHz
DIMM1: 16 GB Samsung
DIMM2: empty
DIMM3: empty
DIMM4: empty

FIRMWARE------------
System BIOS: S01 Ver. 02.23.00 07/04/2025
ME Firmware Version: 14.1.7.2497
ME Firmware Mode: Enable
Audio Controller Realtek ALC3205
Video BIOS Version: Intel(R) GOP Drive [9.0.1113]
Reference Code Revision: 9.0.C0.20
Super I/O Firmware Version: 9.8.26
USB Type-C Controller(s) Firmware Version: Onboard PD Front1    1:7.1.0

Serial Number type information I'm not including

Feature Byte: 3E3Q3X476J6S6b7B7H7M7Q7T7W7maBap
                     aqaubhcAdUdpdqfPhKhZjhk8mEnp.5B

Build I.D.: 20WWF8BT601#SABA#DABA

I also tried to use the instructions from https://www.arcanoae.com/wiki/arcaos/obtaining-arcaos/ for MacOS to create a bootable Arca Noae boot DVD but my version of MacOS is too new so it doesn't give the right output at one point in the directions so I couldn't finish that. But I was able to burn what I THINK is a bootable Arca Noae 5.1
install DVD

I'm stumped. Anyone have any answers?
« Last Edit: Today at 01:19:06 am by Sabon »

David McKenna

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 The problem is almost certainly in the computer's BIOS. You need to look there for a 'Boot Order' section and make sure it is configured to boot from floppy or DVD or USB or whatever BEFORE the hard drive. It's impossible to tell you exactly where without seeing the BIOS screens themselves. Good luck!

Dave Yeo

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Seems I read somewhere that HP computers aren't recommended for AOS, something about crappy BIOS. Might be mis-remembering.
As David said, the problem might be able to be fixed in the BIOS. If eCS boots on DVD, I'd think that AOS would too. I haven't burned an AOS DVD since USB sticks started working so not sure how they work given that they can install to BIOS or UEFI. The USB sticks have 2 partitions, UEFI and BIOS installs and which gets started depends on the BIOS settings. Something like legacy or/and CSM for BIOS and UEFI for UEFI. Perhaps in the boot order page in your BIOS. Don't forget to turn secure boot off.

Neil Waldhauer

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A lot of people here drive Tesla cars, and they've been putting stickers on them apologizing for Elon. I don't see the same for HP computers. Meg Whitman famously brought HP from the largest computer company in the world to one that was not even in the top 10. After than, she ran a very unsuccessful campaign for governor of California.

I don't want to demonize HP, but your headline go me thinking about computer history. I don't advocate politics -- OS/2 users from all political camps are welcome. But I do acknowledge that politics exist. When I did OS/2 consulting, I supported HP computers along with the rest. HP isn't going to help us much. Lenovo, my goto brand, isn't going to help much either.

It would be cool if we could align with one of the brands with open-source BIOS and non-proprietary hardware. They are obscure at this point, but I hope they will grow. The right to repair movement might help us get better long-term prospects for OS/2-compatible hardware.
Expert consulting for ArcaOS, OS/2 and eComStation
http://www.blondeguy.com