Bios Password Unknown

[Temprahater]

I bought this laptop second hand and the bios password is locked . How do i reset it if i dont know the password ??? . 3 Attempts and required to reboot . I can get into windows but cant get into the bios to do a fresh install from usb

[CherylG]

Can't help with BIOS password on Elitebooks-only HP phone support can help. 

Have you tried tapping the Esc key immediately after powering on, then tap F9 key to select which device to boot from?

[Temprahater]

Yep tried that. It won't show the USB drive on the list. I, ll try phoning support, thanks

[Temprahater]

Received a BIN file from HP Support . Followed all the instructions but i cant get it to work . Still wont unlock the Bios password so a bit stuck now 

[CherylG]

Maybe @REO51ST or @IT_WinSec can help.

[IT_WinSec]

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@Temprahater wrote:

Received a BIN file from HP Support . Followed all the instructions but i cant get it to work . Still wont unlock the Bios password so a bit stuck now 

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Hi @Temprahater

Could you elaborate on what exactly you did and what happened ? Any error messages ?

Here are the necessary instructions you need to follow - read them carefully

Please make sure USB pendrive is > formatted to FAT32 < (not NTFS, not else)

Follow these steps to clear an unknown password for the BIOS administrator:

1. Save the attached SMC.bin file to a blank USB pendrive.
2. Shut down the notebook. Insert the USB pendrive into any USB port. (If this notebook has both USB 2.0 and 3.0 ports, use a USB 2.0 port.)

Here is the trick:

3. Press and hold the following three keys at the same time:

the Windows key (near alt) , the Up-Arrow key, and the Down-Arrow key

4. Click on and release the power button

You will understand it worked

5. Once you see a grey "SMC Command" screen, release the three keys mentioned in step 3.4

(Note: Steps 3, 4, and 5  signal the BIOS of this notebook to examine the USB ports and the HP_TOOLS partition for an SMC.bin file, and if it detects one, to run its command. This SMC.bin file contains the command to allow access into the BIOS as a BIOS administrator without supplying a password.)

You should see a note on your screen

6. Read the grey screen about "SMC Command":

 6a. If you see a message "SMC Command failure", contact HP support and attach photo of the F1 System Information
screen.

 6b. On the other hand, if you see no "SMC Command" message of any sort, try steps 3, 4, and 5 again. You may also use a different brand and smaller capacity USB key. If that does not succeed, contact HP support. Pay attention to step 3 - press and hold the 3+1 button at the same time or very very fast one after another.

 6c. If you see a message "SMC Command success", then the command has worked. Follow the on-screen instructions and restart the device. Begin tapping the F10 key (or the Esc key) like tap-tap-tap during start, so that the machine will go into the BIOS setup screen. (For this boot only, the machine should let you enter Setup without having to supply an administrator password. If the unit is restarted without performing the next step, the process will need to be ran again).

7. From the File screen in the BIOS, highlight and select the option to "Reset BIOS Security to factory defaults". (This will clear the old unknown password.) Follow the prompts, and restart the notebook when prompted. Reminder: if this notebook uses
BitLocker full disk encryption software, please choose to NOT reset the TPM! If it does not use BitLocker, you can also clear the TPM.

8. If you wish to set a new administrator BIOS password, you may do so on a future boot cycle by pressing F10 and setting a fresh BIOS admin password within the BIOS setup screen.
If there is any difficulty, particularly at steps 6a or 6b, contact HP support

If the above does not help, please contact HP Business support

Hope this helps. Please, mark the post as a solution if it helped.

Let me know if you face any difficulties. Provide as many details as possible.

[Temprahater]

Hi

I saved the BIN file to the HP tools drive and to USB (formatted FAT32) . Tried it with 2 USB drives in fact . When i power up while holding the 3 keys it takes me stright to the boot menu . No USB drives are listed on the boot menu and i have tried both USB ports on the laptop 

[IT_WinSec]

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@Temprahater wrote:

Hi

I saved the BIN file to the HP tools drive and to USB (formatted FAT32) . Tried it with 2 USB drives in fact . When i power up while holding the 3 keys it takes me stright to the boot menu . No USB drives are listed on the boot menu and i have tried both USB ports on the laptop 

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Try with a different USB drive and in a different USB port. Make sure you press/hold the right button.

If this doesn't help, contact HP Business support for further assistnace via email (the email they sent you the BIN file from).