Preboot Menu on HP Printers

If you are trying to locate the Preboot Menu on HP Printers, I have some information to get you there from troubleshooting Compaq and HP hardware over the years for businesses, colleges, and universities.

Partitions on a Printer’s Storage:
* PREBOOT
* CEKERNEL
* Core
* Machine
* DataModel1
* DataModel2
* CtbData
* Interrupt
* Customer
* Extensible

Before You Proceed (Optional)
If the printer is configured to be used by numerous devices or people (such as in an office environment), be considerate and let those other users know that print access will not be available for a few minutes so that they can make the choice of either waiting for the repairs to complete or choose to send their print jobs to another printer as this will help you save on wasted ink and paper. I would go a step further and disconnect any data cables (ie. Ethernet, USB) so users who have a memory relapse of your request won’t send print jobs through until your task is complete. If you are female or have very long fingernails, I encourage you to have a stylus handy.

After Your Task (Optional)
After you have finished your task in the Preboot menu, take the time to look over the printer. Are the vents clean and clear? If dust is building up, it can lead to internal parts failing faster than normal thus producing frequent paper jams errors.

Note: Multiple options represents models with and without the touchscreen.

HP Equipment Tested
* HP Color LaserJet CM4540 MFP (Option B)
* HP Color LaserJet CP5520 (Option B)
* HP Color LaserJet Enterprise M553 (Option C or D)
* HP LaserJet 500 Color MFP M525f Printer (Option A)
* HP LaserJet 500 Color MFP M575f Printer (Option A)
* HP LaserJet Enterprise 600 Printer M602 (Option B)
* HP LaserJet Enterprise M4555 MFP (Option B)
* HP LaserJet Enterprise M604 (Option C)
* HP LaserJet Enterprise M605 (Option C)
* HP LaserJet Enterprise M606 (Option C)
* HP LaserJet Enterprise M607 (Option D)
* HP LaserJet Enterprise M806dn (Option C)
* HP OfficeJet Enterprise Color X555 (Option C)
* HP PageWide Enterprise Color 556 (Option C)

HP Equipment Requested To Be Tested
– HP Color LaserJet: M651, M855 (Option C)
– HP Color LaserJet MFP: M680, M880 (Option C)
– HP LaserJet Enterprise M750 (Option C)
– HP LaserJet: M806 (Option C) See video below.
– HP LaserJet MFP: M630, M830 (Option C)
– HP Officejet MFP: X585, X585dn X585z (Option C)

Unlisted Models
* HP Color LaserJet Enterprise MFP (Option C)
* HP LaserJet Enterprise (Option C)
* HP LaserJet Enterprise MFP (Option C)
* HP OfficeJet Enterprise (Option C)
* HP PageWide Enterprise (Option C)

M607, M608, M608nk, M609, E60055, E60065, E60075, E60155, E60165, E60175 : 05060717

Locate Preboot Menu – Option A
1. Turn off (for ten seconds) then turn on the HP Printer.
2. Wait for the HP logo to display on the product control panel.
3. When an underscore displays below the HP logo, touch the logo.
4. Review the screen. You should now be in the Preboot menu, otherwise, start over.

Locate Preboot Menu – Option B
1. Turn off (for ten seconds) then turn on the HP Printer.
2. Wait for the LEDs to illuminate solid.
3. Press the Stop button when the 3 LEDs illuminate solid.
4. Review the screen. You should now be in the Preboot menu, otherwise, start over.

Locate Preboot Menu – Option C
1. Turn off (for ten seconds) then turn on the HP Printer.
2. Wait for the HP logo to display on the product control panel.
3. When “1/8” displays below the HP logo, touch the logo.
4. Review the screen. You should now be in the Preboot menu, otherwise, start over.

Locate Preboot Menu – Option D
1. Turn off (for ten seconds) then turn on the HP Printer.
2. Wait for the HP logo to display on the product control panel.
3. When “1/8” displays below the HP logo, touch the X button.
4. Review the screen. You should now be in the Preboot menu, otherwise, start over.

Locate Preboot Menu – Option E
1. Turn off (for ten seconds) then turn on the HP Printer.
2. Wait for the printer to awake itself.
3. When “1/8” displays, push the center of the screen.
4. Review the screen. You should now be in the Preboot menu, otherwise, start over.

Locate Preboot Menu – Option ZZZ
1. Turn off the printer
2. Check to see if the printer is off.
3. Unplug the power cord
4. Press the power button once
5. Press the power button a second time.
6. Check for and disconnect the internal (SanDisk) SSHD.
7. Reconnect the power cord and turn it on.
8. Look to see if there is a preboot menu.
9. If no preboot menu or the SSHD was present, it’s unsupported.

Access Reasons
* Cold Reset an MFP HP Printer
* Enable the (SSHD) Solid-state Hybrid Drive
* Enable the (TPM) Trusted Platform Module
* Update an HP Printer’s Firmware

Updated: Nov. 1, 2020

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Stephan Pringle

Technology Support Specialist at Sipylus
About The Author: Stephan Pringle is an Information Technology Support Specialist. He covers hardware and software and provides tips for you to troubleshoot and repair issues on your own. In his spare time, he writes articles about the State of New York on his Hackintosh and HackBook and that has helped him to become the top contributor of the New York City section of Yahoo! Answers.
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Stephan Pringle

About The Author: Stephan Pringle is an Information Technology Support Specialist. He covers hardware and software and provides tips for you to troubleshoot and repair issues on your own. In his spare time, he writes articles about the State of New York on his Hackintosh and HackBook and that has helped him to become the top contributor of the New York City section of Yahoo! Answers.