laptop won't restart for two hours after a power outage

[GillisA]

After a local power failure and sign-in, my HP laptop displays the following message: "This sign-in option is disabled because of failed sign-in attempts or repeated shutdowns. Use a different option or keep your device power on for at least two hours and then try again."

What other options? How can I defeat this feature from my personal laptop?

[Elohi_NR]

Hi @GillisA,

Welcome to the HP Support Community. 

I'd be happy to help you! 

The message you're encountering typically appears after several failed sign-in attempts or repeated shutdowns. Here are steps you can take to regain access to your HP laptop:

1. Use a Different Sign-In Option:

If you have other sign-in options set up, such as a PIN, password, or fingerprint, you can use them to log in:

• Password: If you normally use a PIN or biometric login, try switching to your password.
• PIN: If you normally use a password, try switching to your PIN (if you have one set up).
• Fingerprint: If you have a fingerprint reader, use your fingerprint to sign in.

2. Wait and Keep the Device Powered On:

As the message suggests, you can keep your device powered on for at least two hours and then try again. This waiting period allows the lockout timer to reset.

3. Restart in Safe Mode:

Booting into Safe Mode can sometimes bypass this issue. Here’s how to do it:

1. Restart your laptop. While it’s booting, press Shift and repeatedly tap F8 or F11 until the Advanced Boot Options menu appears.
2. Select Safe Mode and sign in with your usual credentials.

4. Reset Your Password from Another Account:

If you have another administrative account on your laptop, you can reset the password for your locked-out account:

1. Sign in to the other administrative account.
2. Go to Settings > Accounts > Family & other users.
3. Select the account you’re locked out of and click Change account type to reset the password.

Kindly check the next steps in the next post.

Hope this helps! Keep me posted for further assistance

Please mark this post as “Accepted Solution” if the issue is resolved and if you feel this reply was helpful click “Yes”.

[Elohi_NR]

Hi @GillisA,

Please find the next steps below. 

5. Use a Password Reset Disk:

If you created a password reset disk before encountering this issue, you can use it to reset your password:

1. Insert the password reset disk into your laptop.
2. At the sign-in screen, click Reset password.
3. Follow the instructions to reset your password.

6. Reset Your Microsoft Account Password (For Microsoft Accounts):

If you're using a Microsoft account to sign in, you can reset your password online:

1. Go to the Microsoft password reset page.
2. Follow the instructions to reset your password.
3. Use the new password to sign in to your laptop.

7. Disable the Lockout Feature:

If you manage to log in, you can disable the account lockout feature to prevent this from happening in the future. Here’s how:

1. Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter to open the Local Group Policy Editor.
2. Navigate to Computer Configuration > Windows Settings > Security Settings > Account Policies > Account Lockout Policy.
3. Double-click Account lockout threshold and set it to 0 to disable the lockout feature.
4. Click Apply and OK.

8. Reset Windows (Last Resort):

If none of the above steps work, you might need to reset your laptop. This will reinstall Windows but can result in the loss of data:

1. Restart your laptop and press Shift while selecting the Restart option to enter the recovery environment.
2. Select Troubleshoot > Reset this PC.
3. Choose whether to keep your files or remove everything.

If this does not help, I recommend you contact the phone support. 

Hope this helps! Keep me posted for further assistance

Please mark this post as “Accepted Solution” if the issue is resolved and if you feel this reply was helpful click “Yes”.