Getting the Pavilion dv9260nr Notebook to menu boot when all the suggestion fail

[Sweiner]

I tried all combinations of the boot key that you had posted on the web both with holding down the key before the power was turned on and even starting up by repeatedly pressing the function key for the following combinations:

F12, F11, F10, F9, F8, F2, F1, F1+Fn, Esc, Delete - keys - each as a Hold Down and another time repeatedly pressing the single keys and combinations with no results of a boot menu being displayed.  That was 20 different attempts with no results.

I have a HP Intel/Phoenix BIOS motherboard (I do not know the specific manufacture of the motherboard).  I am trying to boot from a flash drive USB to fix the Adminstrator and password.  (NO, I regret never made an administrator reset USB - but I will!!)   I never get a  statement in the start up HP Screen to press any specific buttons to get to the Boot Menu even while trying the above methods.  I have tried all but wet one finger and holding my hand in the air while I press functions with the other hand.  Do you think if I stand on my head while pressing the function key would work.  All I get is a high pitch warning alarm while it holds in the HP Screen.  The screen progresses to the Windows Start Up if I pause in the pressing of the keys.

I am about to pull out the Windows 8 software and reinstall it while crying over the loss of my data files.  I hope someone has an answer for me.   If you do, thank you very much for saving me and my HP!!!   If not, and you need a crying partner you can join me!

[Paul_Tikkanen · Accepted solution]

Hi;

Unfortunately, I can't help you with that but you have to reinstall W8, you can retrieve all of your data files if you do not delete or format any partitions.

When you get to the screen that asks where do you want to install Windows, install it on  the current Windows partition, and it will create a Windows.old folder.

After W8 installs, you can explore the Windows.old folder find your old user profile where presumably you have all of your files saved in the various folders (documents, downloads, favorites, music, pictures, etc.).

You can copy those entire folders into your new user profile, and let them overwrite the existing empty folders and you will be good to go.

Once you are sure you have gotten everything, you can delete the Windows.old folder by using the disk cleanup utility.

You run the utility.  When it arrives at the disk cleanup window, click on the Cleanup system files button, the program will run again, and you can then check the boxes to delete the files.  One of them will be the Windows.old folder.

[Sweiner]

Sorry for the delay in responding.  I was really hoping for a better answer that was a quick fix without having to clean out my closets to find my Windows 8 disk.  I had purchased a Windows Password Refixer, but you have to be able to boot  to the BIOS Boot Menu to tell the computer to look for a USB flash drive and reassign an Adminstrator and Password.  I wasted my money on that quick fix.  Thanks again for your quick and professional response.   Look out closets!  Here I come!

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

You had already tried anything I could think of in order to get the PC to boot from the flash drive.

You would normally just turn on the PC, tap the F9 key at the beginning of the HP welcome screen to get the boot options, menu, and from that you would select the device you want to boot from.

I hope you can find the W8 installation disk, and I hope you can boot from that.