Cloud Recovery Win10 Pro Creating or Recovering USB Security Key

[joelmglobal]

I am in the process of installing WIN 10 Pro on my Z6 G4 Workstation via HP Could Recovery via USB. I'm at the point in the process that I need to insert USB Security Key and this is something I don't have available. Is there a way I can create or recover it? 

[SDH]

I've not heard of that before so looked it up. To my knowledge HP does not sell such a device. You may be working with a workstation that was not bought by you originally and has some third party 2 Factor Authentication (2FA) software embedded in it. Can you contact the person/business you bought your Z6 G4 from to obtain the USB device being requested?

Probably not. Because the third party 2FA software is presumably embedded on your boot drive (and not in BIOS) you could consider getting a brand-new boot drive (I'd get a high quality 1TB M.2 SSD for that and install it in the "primary" M.2 socket on the motherboard). It should be GPT partitioned, and NTFS formatted first. Then retry your HP Cloud Recovery process. You could consider fully wiping your current boot drive instead, but it would need to be a very thorough and deep wipe.

The HP Cloud Recovery software needs to see that your workstation was originally Windows 10 Pro licensed via HP. Having an originally-Linux-licensed HP Z6 G4 which has later been Windows 10 Pro licensed by you or the prior owner won't work for the HP Cloud Recovery process. You can later upgrade that install via Windows Update to W11. The HP-recommended system settings and drivers will generally be preserved.

Normally in the forum here it is not allowed to discuss circumventing/ cracking HP system/ HP BIOS/ drive passwords but this is a non-HP non-Microsoft third party issue you're hitting.

[joelmglobal · Accepted solution]

Thanks for sharing this information. I found it helpful.