If an altboot fails to apply it can only be a hardware failure, and if that is the case, a service tech is required.
An upgrade from USB can fail for a plethora of reasons.
So if you actual did an Altboot load, and attempted to do with with the no data backup option and the forced, then the HDD is bad.
I also fail to see why, when I linked the latest firmware, you went and tried to use one that is 3 years old instead.