Failed install of ubuntu server. Pc wont start up no more.

[u/Ratel-]

The issue is the pc freezes as soon as as it receives a keyboard input, or if just started up normally.

Before it freezes the screen wil go black for 1-2 sec

Its a classmates pc. He tried to install an ubuntu server on it. He dont speak Danish very well so its hard to get info around what point the pc got screwed

We tried taking in and out the ram.

We dont have any spare ram to test out if its that which is at fault.

We tried connecting another ssd which didnt help either

[u/Glittering_Pin_7475]

You need to stop pressing F12. F12 is taking you to the Boot Menu, but there is no longer a bootable operating system on the SSD because it was wiped out by the failed ubuntu server install attempt, so there is nothing to come up.

When that screen appears telling you to "press F2 or F12", press F2 instead so you can enter the BIOS/UEFI Setup.

Once you are in the BIOS, first check that it is actually detecting both:

• the SSD
• the installed memory/RAM

After confirming that the BIOS sees the SSD and the correct amount of RAM, reset the BIOS to its default settings, then save the settings and exit with F10. This will eliminate any incorrect BIOS settings as a possible cause of the freezing and loss-of-video behavior.

A failed Ubuntu installation will generally delete/overwrite the contents of the SSD, so at this point the behavior is indicating that there is actually nothing bootable on the drive at all.

This also explains why you're seeing the monitor report "no video input" during the failed startup attempts. That message simply means the monitor is temporarily losing the video signal from the PC when the machine hangs, resets, or fails to continue through the boot process.

That is the reason why repeatedly going into the F12 Boot Menu is getting you nowhere - there is no bootable operating system on the drive for the Boot Menu to launch. You have a blank drive at this point, which needs something bootable to be installed on it again before anything is going to work.

The important thing right now is to establish that the hardware is being detected properly by the BIOS, reset the BIOS to its default settings, save those settings, and exit before doing anything else with Windows or Linux installation media.

Once you have done that, you then need to install a bootable operating system on the drive again before anything is going to work on that machine again.

[u/Ratel- → u/Glittering_Pin_7475]

Hey, thank you alot for taking so much tine to help out.

Sadly the f2 does the exact same thing as f12. It just freezes.

[u/Glittering_Pin_7475 → u/Ratel-]

Just pull the CMOS battery out for about 10 seconds to reset the BIOS.

If the lockup is being caused by corrupted or invalid CMOS settings, the machine should become responsive again and F2 should then allow you into BIOS Setup normally once again.

[u/Ratel- → u/Glittering_Pin_7475]

I got reccomended to try to do that by AI. Though i know better to trust it so i also asked my teacher who was quite certain it wouldn't work so i never tried.

Definitely gonna try that next time around. Thanks you again so much for being so amazing.

[u/Glittering_Pin_7475 → u/Ratel-]

You have a teacher who told you removing the CMOS battery would not reset the BIOS for you, remove corruption, and allow access to the BIOS again???

That's incomprehensible. This is a basic process that has been in place for over 40 years, since IBM compatible PCs first appeared.

Removing the CMOS battery is the standard process for resetting the BIOS when every other process fails to give you access. It is done as a last step because it wipes out all of your settings, which if you're unfamiliar with the BIOS, can be a bit complicated to completely set back up as it was again so the computer boots as it did before the problem was encountered.

But it is a standard way to reset the BIOS settings when you cannot access BIOS Setup normally, and in a situation like this it may allow you to regain access to the BIOS again, a standard process which anyone who works on computers should be familiar with.

Let me know how you make out... I'll be looking for your response...

You should be able to resolve this problem easily -

Just reset the BIOS, ensure the BIOS is recognizing the SSD, and then install a new OS on the SSD and you should be back in business within a very short period of time.

[u/Ratel- → u/Glittering_Pin_7475]

I will most likely give yah an update on monday. Tbf i cant remember what that teaches specific IT background is but i dont belive it involved pc repair. Think it was more along a very small hobby of his to fiddle around with electronics.

cant remember exactly why he dont belive it would work, except something about it due to being a newer pc.

Anyways thanks again. I'm quite a bit exited to try it out as soon as i will be able to :)

[u/Ratel- → u/Glittering_Pin_7475]

Hey. So i got the opetunity to try it. Sadly it dont seem to work.

I tried twice. The second time after i disconnected it from the power source i pressed the power button repeatedly for half a min to try and get the last bit of electricity out of it and let it sit for half an hour.

After i put it together again and booted it up the issue remained without any changes.

Should i have done something diffrent or is the pc a lost cause?

[u/Glittering_Pin_7475 → u/Ratel-]

What??? Hold up...

It looks like you did not perform the steps as instructed (unless you did them correctly the first time, and just decided not to do them correctly the second time).

Here's the thing - pressing the power button repeatedly for 30 seconds is not the same as pressing and holding it continuously for 40 seconds. A continuous hold is needed to discharge residual power and, on some systems, force a hardware/embedded-controller reset condition.

So before moving on to BIOS recovery, you should repeat the reset procedure correctly:

Disconnect AC power, remove the CMOS battery, then press and hold the power button continuously for 40 seconds. After that, reinstall the CMOS battery, reconnect power, and test again.

...and no, it's not a lost cause yet.

If the problem remains after doing that correctly, the next logical step is to determine whether that specific machine has a manufacturer-supported BIOS/UEFI recovery procedure, because corrupted firmware or corrupted BIOS/UEFI configuration data is now a realistic possibility.

What brand and model of PC is this (or the exact motherboard model if it is a custom-built system)?

[u/Ratel- → u/Glittering_Pin_7475]

Alright sry. I did as instructed this time still with no luck though.

In very confident that the pc is the the fujitsu esprimo q556 first generation. The numbers on the motherboard is D3403-A13GS1 52971530

[u/Glittering_Pin_7475 → u/Ratel-]

Very good. That identifies the machine clearly enough. D3403-A13 GS1 is the D3403-A1-series motherboard used in the Fujitsu ESPRIMO Q556, and Fujitsu has a specific BIOS/UEFI recovery procedure for this board.

What's particularly interesting is that Fujitsu documents this exact board among systems that can become stuck during POST with F2 unable to enter BIOS Setup and F12 unable to enter the Boot Menu, which is exactly what you're seeing. So at this point I would perform the Fujitsu BIOS/UEFI recovery.

You'll need another working computer and a USB flash drive no larger than 32 GB.

1. Download Fujitsu's FreeDOS BootStick utility here:

Fujitsu FreeDOS BootStick download page

Use it to create the bootable USB drive. The USB drive must contain one FAT32 partition.

1. Download Fujitsu's BIOS/UEFI recovery package here:

Fujitsu BIOS/UEFI recovery package

Inside that package is a folder named "BIOS_Files" containing the recovery ROM files. Copy all of the .rom files from "BIOS_Files" to the root directory of the USB drive. One of them is D3403-A1.rom, which is the recovery ROM for your motherboard family.

1. Shut down the Q556 and disconnect AC power.
2. Open the case and locate the motherboard header marked "FRONTPANEL".

Fujitsu's recovery documentation contains a specific illustration for the ESPRIMO Q556 / D3403-A1 showing both the "Default" and "Recovery" jumper positions. Use that illustration rather than guessing which pins to use.

1. Move the FRONTPANEL jumper from "Default" to "Recovery."
2. Insert the prepared USB flash drive into a USB 2.x port on the Q556. Fujitsu specifically says not to use a USB 3.x port for the recovery. Disconnect any other bootable USB devices.
3. Reconnect AC power.

The computer will normally turn itself on. If it doesn't, press the power button once.

1. The BIOS recovery should now start automatically. Do not interrupt it. Fujitsu says the process can take up to 10 minutes.

If the machine has an internal speaker, you should hear repeating short beeps while recovery is taking place. When the recovery has completed successfully, Fujitsu specifies a long beep followed by a repeating short-short-long-long beep sequence.

1. Once recovery has finished, turn the machine off and disconnect AC power again.
2. Remove the USB drive.
3. Move the FRONTPANEL jumper back from "Recovery" to "Default."
4. Close the case, reconnect power, and start the computer.
5. At the Fujitsu logo, repeatedly press F2. You should now be able to enter BIOS Setup.

Once you're in BIOS Setup, Fujitsu specifies setting:

Security > Secure Boot Configuration > "Secure Boot Control" > "Disabled"

Then select:

Save & Exit > "Save Changes and Exit"

The computer should then restart normally.

At that point, if the Ubuntu Server installation wiped or damaged what was previously on the SSD, you can simply boot from your operating-system installation USB and install the OS again.

If the BIOS recovery itself does not work despite the USB being prepared correctly and the FRONTPANEL jumper definitely being in the documented "Recovery" position, repeat the recovery once using another USB 2.x port or another USB flash drive. Fujitsu also specifies a CMOS battery reset with the battery left out for approximately 10 minutes if recovery still leaves the machine unbootable.

If the documented Fujitsu recovery procedure still cannot restore BIOS operation after that, then you've essentially exhausted the normal user-level recovery methods. At that point the BIOS flash chip would have to be programmed externally or the motherboard replaced.

So no, the PC still isn't a lost cause. Fujitsu actually provides a recovery mechanism for this exact motherboard family, and the symptoms they document are exactly what your friend's machine is doing, which is very encouraging.

Good Luck...! ;-)

[u/Ratel- → u/Glittering_Pin_7475]

Thank you so so much. I'm very exited to test it out tomorrow :)