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HP Recommended

Hi,

Does anyone know how to reset the BIOS password on the Laptop without knowing the current password?

 

Thanks for your time

1 ACCEPTED SOLUTION

Accepted Solutions
HP Recommended

Remove the RTC battery, the main battery and the adapter. Hold down the power button for 30 seconds and leave the laptop sit for at least 20 minutes before inserting the RTC battery back in. Install the main battery and adapter.

 

 When you boot up it will ask to load default BIOS settings, use your arrow and enter keys to do so.

 

 Elite Book RTC Battery.PNG

 

 The RTC battery is pointed out by the red arrow and is behind the memory bay door.

 

 Here is where I got the photo from.

 

 http://h20574.www2.hp.com/default.htm?lang=en&cc=US&hpappid=psml

 

 Make sure to reset the time and date, if you don't do this Windows will think you have an invalid copy.

Next time you boot up, start immediately tapping the f10 key to get into the BIOS to reset the clock and date. You can do it with in Windows, but I think it's better to do this in the BIOS.

View solution in original post

14 REPLIES 14
HP Recommended

Remove the RTC battery, the main battery and the adapter. Hold down the power button for 30 seconds and leave the laptop sit for at least 20 minutes before inserting the RTC battery back in. Install the main battery and adapter.

 

 When you boot up it will ask to load default BIOS settings, use your arrow and enter keys to do so.

 

 Elite Book RTC Battery.PNG

 

 The RTC battery is pointed out by the red arrow and is behind the memory bay door.

 

 Here is where I got the photo from.

 

 http://h20574.www2.hp.com/default.htm?lang=en&cc=US&hpappid=psml

 

 Make sure to reset the time and date, if you don't do this Windows will think you have an invalid copy.

Next time you boot up, start immediately tapping the f10 key to get into the BIOS to reset the clock and date. You can do it with in Windows, but I think it's better to do this in the BIOS.

HP Recommended

Hello,

Have tryed this solution on my HP Elitebook 8540P without any sucsess.. It still wants a password, even though I  unplugged everything for a good 5 hours including the small battery under the ram memory hatch.

 

 

As I experienced, it seems like the password remains like "carved in stone" regardless of power or not, even if you clear CMOS and restoring to factory BIOS... password remains.

 

As for hach codes, there are none from this model and newer I belive, and the BIOS manufactor? Well..HP calls it 68CVD ver.F.08, may be that someone knows what this means?

 

If anyone have a sollution to this problem, no one would be happier than me. I know I am not allone with this issue, so any working sollution would serve many more than me I am sure. searching the web is not helping much. Bougt this used laptop without knowing that it was restricted with secret password, Why HP, APPLE and others like this so much, is probably spelled money, but for the average user its headache!

 

 

HP Recommended

If you can get into the BIOS and reset the factory defaults, then I am going to say you don't have a BIOS pass word, if you did you wouldn't be able to even get that far to reset the defaults. To confirm this, do you have what's in the screen shot when you start tapping the f10 key on boot up ?

 

 BIOS 8540p.PNG

 

 One of the reasons why you can't find anything on Google about your problem is that it's automatically assumed that the person who forgot his pass word or doesn't have it, has stolen the laptop.

 

 What confuses me is that why you didn't boot up the machine before you laid down your money only to find out later that it requires a pass word ???

 

 What I would try is to remove the hard drive (where the pass word is, not on the BIOS chip, assuming what you see in the screen shot)

 

 Connect it up through a USB hard drive caddy on another computer. Go into Windows disc management and delete all the partitions on the drive and create unallocated space. Do not format the drive...

 

 You will need some HP recovery discs from HP to load the OS back onto the drive ounce it's installed back into the EliteBook. The recovery discs are around 30.00 dollars.

 

 I don't know if this will work and there may even be a simpler way. You may choose to wait for someone else to respond or you can go ahead with my suggestion, I can't guarantee anything.

 EliteBook pass words are designed to keep people out.

 

 

HP Recommended

Hello HaggisCat,

thank´s for your reply. Let me start with this, I bought this computor from a serious person, have it registered at HP, bought it with charger, and allso got the HP W7pro and a rescue disc with all the neccesary drivers. Naturally I booted the computor before buying it, it is not the problem. (did not have any reason to press F10, did not know it was an issue at that time)

I restored BIOS like this: unplugged the charger, removed the battery, removed the connector from the CMOS battery located under the memory hatch, and pressed power on button for 30 seconds left the laptop for 5 hours to make sure that no power remained, this procedure should clear the CMOS and restoring the password and set the BIOS to factory default, normal acces to bios with F10 key is restricted with the very Password I am trying to bypass or brake...

The BIOS did change to factory default, and since I at the same time changed the harddrive to a brand new Samsung 830 128Gb SSD it confirms that BIOS password aint on the harddrive for sure! It is like buying a new car and not be able to open the hood, or buying an apartment and have one room locked for access. very frustrating. Do not know what settings BIOS is using for my new SSD since I can not access BIOS. I belive that this password is set by HP from factory, and reason for this is probably as simple as this: HP sells the computor with a 3Yr warranty and dont want you to "brake" anything, also they want you to buy hardware from HP and not any "inferior" hardware that HP do not approve. It is all about the money, as usual.

The only "working" solutions that I have found on the web is: Change a chip on the MOBO (needs to be soldered off and on) but this defenetly would void any warranty for sure.

There are different workarounds on software base, but have not found anyone that have a 100% working sollution. To use CMD at windows do not work, you need to boot it without Windows, and for this you will need some good software on CD- disk, since the only Boot option except HDD, is the upgrade bay, where the CD drive is, or optional second harddrive.. Since you can't access BIOS no other options, like moment 22.

Have been around computors since mid 80´s, have both built and owned several systems, both named and clean desktop PC´s, have never encoutered problems that did not have an sollution avilable. This laptop is my very first laptop, bought this particular model, because it met most of my demands, it will never win any design awards and it is quiet heavy, but over all I like it.

So with all this I hope that the main problem now is clear, BIOS password, or some software based workaround is what I am looking for, have not spoken to HP about this, but I am quiet sure that they will not give me the password just like that.

So if anyone knows some workarround, it would be nice. Sorry for the massive text, made in a haste...

HP Recommended
**bleep**, I have same isuue and didn't solved. T T
HP Recommended

According to the "BIOS-enabled security features in HP business notebooks" for the Elitebook 8540w. 

 

"If the BIOS administrator has not set up HP SpareKey, HP Services can reset the system to factory default (for 2009 and newer commercial notebook platforms)."

 

 

 

I believe that this means HP Services can reset the BIOS upon proof of ownership of the laptop.

 

I believe it was designed this way to help prevent the theft of HP laptops.

 

To me this is one of the better features of HP laptops.

 

I hope this helps.

HP Recommended

MY HP EliteBook 8540w is showing a Blank display immediatetly it tries to boot up but, the Lights for HDD and all componetns are on. 

HP Recommended

Hello nkhomabrighton,

 

Your EliteBook is a Business model.  Your issue would be best answered on the 

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Business-Notebooks/bd-p/General

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Business-PCs-Workstations-and-Point-of-Sale-Systems/bd-p/Business-PC-Wo...

 

Good luck!

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HP Recommended

SOLUTION: This is what I did and worked like a dream. Contacted HP, told them the problem. They "escalated the case," took my info. The next day I was emailed a file called SMC.bin. It is formatted specifically for my machine, has to match the UUID. Copied file to FAT 32 formatted jump drive, booted it as per the email instructions, reset bios password.


I did this via chat on HP's website.

Screwing with the bios battery will not work on Elitebook...

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