Why I'm getting "Enter Administrator Password " when accessing Bios

[jeobsplyr]

After about 4 years of service, my desktop (HP Pavillion 590-0054, is giving this when accessing Bios, "Enter Administrator Password ". I never set a password in bios, only on Windows login. Article online says to enter a password 3 times and should get a code to delete it. My system doesn't do that. After 3 entries...nothing happens. How do I get this rectified??? Thanks.

[NonSequitur777]

@jeobsplyr,

OK, the password you're being asked for in BIOS is not your Windows login password. They are separate passwords, so your Windows password will not work there.

Also, the "enter an incorrect password three times and receive a code" procedure you found online does not apply universally to HP PCs, so I would not keep trying random passwords.

Since this is an HP Pavilion 590-p0054 consumer desktop, I would first try HP's official CMOS-reset procedure:

1. Shut the PC down completely.
2. Leave the AC power cord connected.
3. Press and hold the PC's power button for more than 20 seconds.
4. Release the power button.
5. The PC should start and you should see a message indicating that the default BIOS settings have been loaded.
6. Allow the PC to restart, then try entering BIOS again by repeatedly pressing F10 immediately after powering it on.

HP specifically documents this procedure for resetting the CMOS on consumer desktop PCs.

Important: resetting the CMOS restores BIOS settings to their defaults. If you had deliberately changed BIOS settings such as the boot order, virtualization, Secure Boot configuration, etc., those settings may need to be configured again afterward.

If your PC still asks for an Administrator Password after the CMOS reset, please don't keep guessing passwords. At that point, let me know exactly what appears on the screen (a photo of the message would be especially helpful), including whether it says: "Enter Administrator Password", "Enter Password", or displays any error/code after an incorrect entry.

That will help determine whether we're dealing with an actual BIOS Administrator password or a different firmware/CMOS issue.

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777

[jeobsplyr]

Thank you kindly, Sir, for your detailed response. I will surely give these instructions a try. I also have an issue with my HP Elitebook 840 G5. Maybe I shouldn't have attempted this, but, I tried to install the 2023 secure boot certificates on my laptop, following instructions given on the Eleven Forum by garlin. Unfortunately, the  process didn't work well. So, I placed my bios back to its configuration before the "attempted " installation. Now, I get a message indicating "No boot device found". My ssd appears in the boot order (first), yet the laptop won't boot to OS. It does boot to OS if Legacy boot mode enabled and Secure boot mode disabled. It was just the opposite before trying to install the certificates. Sorry for the long "rant", but, I want to remedy this. I don't know a whole lot about  such things, but, with concise information, I can follow the instructions, if any. Thanks again for your response. Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

[jeobsplyr]

Now I'm getting error f30 no boot device found. I'm lost!!! Along with invalid signature detected.

[NonSequitur777]

@jeobsplyr,

You have actually given me an important clue: because Windows still boots when Legacy Support is enabled, your SSD and Windows installation are probably not the primary problem. The problem appears to be with the UEFI boot path, which is very plausible given that this started immediately after the Secure Boot certificate attempt.

Please don't reinstall Windows or make any more changes to the Secure Boot certificates for now. Boot Windows using Legacy Support and run: msinfo32. Tell us exactly what it reports for BIOS Mode and Secure Boot State.

Then open Command Prompt as Administrator and run:

diskpart

list disk

list volume

exit

Please post the complete output of those commands (you can omit or obscure the disk's serial number if one is displayed). I want to determine whether the SSD is GPT and whether its EFI System Partition is still present.

If the EFI partition is intact, there is a good chance we can repair the UEFI boot files without reinstalling Windows. Once we have that information, we'll proceed one step at a time.

For now, leave Legacy Support enabled and Secure Boot disabled so that you have a working way into Windows. Don't reset or delete any Secure Boot keys yet.

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777

[jeobsplyr]

I tried the steps given earlier to clear the enter administrator password dialog box. Seems now I'm getting an error "Invalid signature detected". And an error message, F30 "no boot device detected". The enter administrator password dialog is still present blocking any access to the bios. By the way, this is happening now on the HP Pavillion 590-0054. I'm at a loss. It was running Win 11, 25h2 is fine, but, when accessing the bios, I was met with this enter administrator password dialog. I never set a password in the bios, so I'm not understanding why it's there.  Seems I may have to take a loss and get another desktop. Please help!!!

[jeobsplyr]

BIOS Mode: UEFI, Secure Boot state: off

[jeobsplyr]

Disk 0 Online 931 GB 1024 KB *
Disk 1 Online 32 MB 0 B *

DISKPART> list volume

Volume ### Ltr Label Fs Type Size Status Info
---------- --- ----------- ----- ---------- ------- --------- --------
Volume 0 C Windows NTFS Partition 929 GB Healthy Boot
Volume 1 SYSTEM FAT32 Partition 360 MB Healthy System
Volume 2 NTFS Partition 1187 MB Healthy Hidden
Volume 3 Bitdefender NTFS Partition 31 MB Healthy

Here's my results from Elitebook 840 G5.  I know I have 2 pcs with issues. Please help!!!

[NonSequitur777]

@jeobsplyr,

Your results are actually encouraging. Your 931-GB disk is GPT, Windows is on the C: partition, and—most importantly -you have a 360-MB FAT32 partition marked System. That is the EFI System Partition used for UEFI booting. In other words, I see no reason at this point to believe that your Windows installation or hard drive has failed.

The "Invalid signature detected" message is important, however. Combined with the F30 no-boot-device error, it suggests that we're dealing with the firmware's UEFI boot/security configuration rather than a missing Windows installation.

Please don't reinstall Windows, delete any partitions, or run boot-repair commands yet. And don't keep guessing at the BIOS Administrator Password.

Since the BIOS password is still preventing access to Setup, I want to separate that problem from the boot problem rather than make several changes at once.

If you can still boot Windows, please open Command Prompt as Administrator and run:

bcdedit /enum firmware

and then:

bcdedit /enum {bootmgr}

Please post the complete output from both commands. Those results will tell us whether Windows still has a valid UEFI Windows Boot Manager entry.

As for your EliteBook 840 G5: don't make any further changes to the Secure Boot certificates yet. Your disk information shows that the EFI System Partition is intact there too, which is very good news. We'll handle that machine separately after we establish exactly what happened to its UEFI/Secure Boot configuration.

You have not "ruined" either computer based on what you've shown me so far. In fact, the partition information you've provided gives us a good starting point for recovering the UEFI boot process without reinstalling Windows.

Kind Regards,

NonSequitur777

[jeobsplyr]

Yes, I am dealing with 2 separate pc issues. The Invalid signature detected, no boot device found, enter administrator password (locking me out of bios) on my Pavilion 590-0054. Just the F30 error on my Elitebook 840 G5, which still boots up to Windows, but, only when secure boot is disabled. Sorry for the "MESS", I've seem to have created. I appreciate you taking the time to help me figure all this out. I will refrain from doing anything else till directed otherwise. Thanks again.