OMEN freezes during initial setup

[Robyn_Lyon]

My new OMEN is at the spot to "choose privacy setting for your device." While I can move the mouse around, clicking on Next or Learn more does not work. Any thoughts?

[Hawks_Eye]

Hi @Robyn_Lyon 

Welcome to the HP Support Community! We're here to help you get back up and running.

Thank you for sharing this, and I’m truly sorry your new OMEN is freezing during setup—it’s frustrating when excitement turns into a roadblock before you even reach the desktop. 

Let’s walk through a few steps to help you move past the “Choose privacy settings” screen.

 

Step-by-Step Fix for Setup Freeze

1. Perform a Hard Power Reset

• Press and hold the power button for 10–15 seconds until the laptop shuts off.
• Wait 30 seconds, then power it back on.
• This often clears temporary setup glitches.

 

2. Boot into Safe Mode (If Setup Repeats)

If the freeze happens again:

• Power off the laptop.
• Power on and immediately press F11 repeatedly to enter Windows Recovery Environment.
• Choose Advanced Options > Startup Settings > Restart.
• On the next screen, press F4 to boot into Safe Mode.

Once in Safe Mode, Windows may bypass the setup screen and allow you to complete configuration manually.

 

3. Use External Keyboard or Mouse

Sometimes the built-in input devices don’t register clicks properly during setup:

• Connect a USB keyboard or mouse and try clicking “Next” again.
• If it works, you can finish setup and update drivers afterward.

 

4. Reset Windows Setup

If the issue persists:

• Power off the laptop.
• Press F11 to enter recovery again.
• Choose Troubleshoot > Reset this PC > Remove everything (if no personal data is stored yet).
• This reinstalls Windows and restarts setup from scratch.

 

If none of these steps work, the freeze may be caused by:

• A corrupted Windows image
• A driver conflict during setup
• A hardware fault (rare, but possible)

In that case, I recommend using HP’s recovery tool:
HP Cloud Recovery Tool

Let me know if you’d like help in navigating recovery options. I’ll make sure it’s clear and reflects the steps you’ve already taken.

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Take care, and have an amazing day!

Regards, 

Hawks_Eye