Factory Reset Impossible

[HSMR59]

Hello,

following a request for information about my sister's HP Pavilion Laptop 15-eh1019nf (resolved), I find myself unable to reinstall the factory version.
I of course copied the Windows 10 installation version from the Microsoft website onto a USB drive.
I arrived at the repair page, which should allow me to restore at least Windows, except that the "System Restore" page asks me for the key.
On my sister's side, no one remembers which email address this laptop was registered to (four years ago already).
Is it possible to use another address to retrieve this key?
I have the information that corresponds to the ID and the name of the drive.
I have photos of changing the UEFI settings, which are certainly not working; only the USB port allows rebooting.
Thanks in advance.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi:

What kind of key is the PC requesting?

If it is a BitLocker recovery key, then you can't repair the PC's operating system.

You have to clean install Windows, and that would require running the Dispart utility during the installation to clean the disk, so you can reinstall Windows on the encrypted disk.

All data currently on the disk can never be recovered without the BitLocker recovery key.

You can only retrieve the BitLocker recovery key from the Microsoft Account it was exported to four years ago.

If your objective is to get the notebook running again, it is doable, but I need to know how to advise you as to the next steps.

[HSMR59]

Hello @Paul_Tikkanen, and thank you for your reply.
That's the problem.
I'm waiting for a response from my nephew, who started this laptop four years ago.
If we can't get that key, I'll be relieved to get back to you to reinstall Windows 10 Home.
For a standard hard drive, it's not a problem for me; formatting and installing Windows (I've used it several times for my desktop PCs for my music).
For the SSD with its four partitions, I don't really know how to do it (everything has to start somewhere).
Is it better to start over with a new SSD?
I'll get back to you as soon as I have the answer.
Thank you and have a good evening.
Google Translate.
Pascal.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome, Pascal.

There should be no need to install a new drive.

Once you let me know what the situation is, we should be able to get the notebook working again.

There is also this utility from HP called the cloud recovery tool which you can use to create a bootable USB recovery drive that will reinstall W10, the drivers and the software that originally came with the notebook.

Here is an info link for how to use the utility.  You will need a 32 Go USB flash drive for this.

Ordinateurs grand public HP - Utilisation de l'outil HP Cloud Recovery sous Windows 11 et Windows 10...

You can download the software from the Microsoft Store.

HP Cloud Recovery Tool - Free download and install on Windows | Microsoft Store

Since you have to create the recovery drive using another PC, since the one you have is not working, you will have to enter the PC's product number in the tool's search window in order to proceed to make the recovery media.

The 15-eh1019nf's product number is 4C8F7EA#ABF

What I don't know is if you use this tool on the encrypted drive, will it delete the partitions, reformat it, etc.?

If not, we will have to clean the disk using Diskpart, and then you can try to use the USB recovery media again on the clean and unformatted drive, or clean install Windows if that still doesn't work.

[HSMR59]

Hello Paul, thank you very much for your help.
I'll be able to download directly from my HP ProDesk while I go get a 32GB or larger USB flash drive.
I'll start with this first solution without waiting for information from my sister, who I think is quite overwhelmed by anything computer-related.
I'll get back to you depending on the results of this operation.
Thank you again, have a nice day, see you soon, Paul.
Best wishes from Brittany (in France).
Pascal. 

[HSMR59]

Hello Paul,

I have the 32GB USB drive. I downloaded the HP Cloud Recovery Tool on my PC, but the administrator icon doesn't appear.

Even though I click on the icon as an administrator, it's refused, with a message informing me that it's only possible in this format.

Thanks in advance.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome, Pascal.

After you download and install the software, you have to right click on the program in the programs menu and select 'Run as Administrator.'

Hopefully, that will work for you.

Greetings from Illinois, USA.

Paul

[HSMR59]

Hello Paul,

I finally managed to download the correct program and finalize the USB drive (it took more than three hours).

I still need to launch the installation on the other laptop.
At first, it was a program that didn't have the Administrator icon, then I couldn't launch it even when I clicked on the Administrator information.
Then I tried directly from the Start menu drop-down menu and in the HP folder drop-down menu, select Run as administrator, and the program launched.
But it wasn't the one described, and I couldn't find the model.
Then I returned to your page and finally found the correct program, so I was able to relaunch it and, with the ID information, begin the installation on the USB drive. The program crashed. I reformatted the USB drive, and the factory reset program is ready.
All I can do is keep my fingers crossed that it works.
I'll keep you posted on the outcome of this reset.

Thank you again for your kindness and friendship.

Pascal du Theil de Bretagne.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome, Pascal.

Sorry you had such a difficult time getting the USB recovery drive created, but you were able to prevail.

Hopefully the recovery will work without incident.

If not, we'll try some other things.

Cheers,

Paul

[HSMR59]

Thanks, Paul, for your wise advice, everything seems to be going well, I think I'm at 20% of the installation.