HP Wolf Security prevents factory reset? [text omitted to protect user privacy]

[GKMRicoF]

Hello,

I have a problem with Windows 11 boot after cloning to a larger SSD.

The first thing I did after buying the Firefly was to install Manjaro Linux in dual boot, which required me to deactivate Bitlocker.

After turning off Secure Boot, both operating systems worked.

There was still a lot of uncertainty about the options in the BIOS.

So far so good, now I also wanted to use a larger Samsung SSD 990PRO (I was told by phone sales support that there are 2 M.2 slots).

Now I noticed that only one SSD is possible, so I cloned the originals with Linux (Clonzilla) via USB.

Errors occurred in the NTFS volume nvme0n1p3.

I booted the original SSD with Windows, where there were no problems.

So I cloned device to device again, again problem with nvme0n1p3.

Now I swapped the SSD and booted Linux without any problems, but it didn't work with Windows.

Automatic repair doesn't work, error code: 0xc000000e.
Boot loop...

I swapped the SSD back for the original one, where the same error occurs when I try to boot Windows. The repair and restore doesn't work here either.

I'm confused and disappointed, searching the internet doesn't help me and I've also looked for documentation of the BIOS without success.

Factory reset in the BIOS is not possible even though there is a network connection.

Now I'm trying to reinstall Windows 11 (original ISO from Microsoft), but it fails because of missing network drivers, which I downloaded from HP onto a USB stick and made available. In the file browser during installation, the folder full of drivers remains empty. Even with the help of telephone support, nothing works. The window cannot be skipped.

Is it possible that Wolf Security is to blame for the fact that nothing works anymore?

What else can I try?

[Jupitero]

Hello.

As far as I know Wolf Security is not persistent.

If you are stuck at logging into Microsoft Account, you can bypass this part with the "bypassnro" trick. Check this page for instructions: https://www.windowscentral.com/how-set-windows-11-without-microsoft-account

If I misunderstood and you just cannot install the drivers for some reason, try downloading HP Image Assistant onto a computer with internet access, and use the Create Driver Pack option to download all your laptop model drivers onto a USB drive. Then you just need run the installer on your Firefly laptop and wait for it to finish.

One option to reinstall the OS is either through BIOS option Sure Recover, but since you cannot get it to work for some reason, another option would be to create a bootable USB media with HP Cloud Recovery Client on another computer. The end result will be pretty much identical to how HP originally shipped the computer.

[GKMRicoF]

Since I had no success booting Windows even with technical support, I sent the device back.