Can't login to laptop.

[Jeepmandan]

I bought a used laptop that didn't come with a charger, after buying a charger and charging it overnight, when I turn it on it wants a password from the old owner. I can't get a hold of her for the password, is there a way to bypass this login?

[IT_WinSec]

Hello @Jeepmandan

Is this related to Windows account login password

or BIOS start-up password (BIOS password before Windows loads)?

* If related to Windows account password, you are strongly adviced to reinstall the Windows operating system. This is a potential security risk running a used OS especially from a person you do not know. Who knows what might be running or what might be hidden/modified on the OS... Best practises suggest you reinstall Windows.  Let me know if this is the case and we will discuss it further.

* If related to BIOS/startup password before Windows loads

In this case, please enter some password (wrong password) 3 times, press ENTER and you should receive a new window stating system disabled and a code similar to this one (usually 8 characters long) :

Please, take note of the system disabled/halted code (write it down) and post it back here in your next reply.

Looking forward to your reply.

[Jeepmandan]

Windows account login

[IT_WinSec]

OK, Thanks for the clarifications.

You definitely do not need and do not want to login to this system - it has been used by someone else and might be infected by hidden threat, might contain personal files or something might have been modified/broken.

Best pracise suggest you should reinstall the operating system whenever you use a secondhand/used PC.

Don't worry - it can be fixed 🙂

This model 15-r029wm comes originally with Windows 8.1 but you mentioned about Windows 10.

Not sure if this PC was upgraded to Windows 10 using the official upgrade campaign and not sure if you will be able to activate it again if you reinstall it now.

It is also important which OS you prefer -> Windows 8.1  or  Windows 10 ??

I'd recommend you Windows 8.1 because you will get original recovery discs which will restore your Windows to default settings, will reinstall drivers and some preinstalled apps. Additioally, it has different update model and might be a bit more stable. The recovery media can be obtained from here >> http://www.computersurgeons.com/p-23562-windows-81-64-bit-recovery-kit-763904-003-for-hp-notebook-pc...

Windows 10 might be free to try to activate *but* not sure if you will be able to. If you like Windows 10, let me know and we will try to see.

Let me know which OS you prefer and I will provide instructions for installation.

[IT_WinSec]

One more thing, since this is a used PC, it would be wise to also perform some basic hardware checks

so that you are sure major hardware componets are OK

1. Please, shutdown the computer using the power button

2. Power it on.

2.1 As soon as you press the power-on button, immediately begin hitting the Esc button (like tap-tap-tap) before any logo appears. This should open a HP Startup Menu

3. Choose F2 to open System Diagnostics. Follow the on-screen instructions to perform System Test >> Quick test.

This will check major hardware componets for issue (do it just in case) . Here is more info >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JXUp43ahHA

If there are no system checks/no quick tests, perform HDD and RAM check.

Let me know the test results.

[Jeepmandan]

Everything was ok

[IT_WinSec · Accepted solution]

@Jeepmandan

Great.

Please, let me know your choice for Windows and I will post details. Would you like Win 10 or would you like to try to see what lic you have ? Or you like better Windows 8.1 ?

[Jeepmandan]

See what lic I have.

[IT_WinSec]

The PC should have a built-in license for Windows 8.1 and the code should be built into the BIOS.

Therefore, using the HP original recovery media can restore Windows 8.1 and activate it just fine.

===

There are several ways to activate Windows 10 - in your case specifically - and it depends on the way it was activated initially. Here they are:

1) No code - no key - just Digital entitlement  - if the previous owner  previously performed upgrade from Win 8 to Win 10 on this very same computer, if Windows 8 was activated fine and if he/she used Win 10 for a while, and if Windows 10 was activated eventually (it's licence was activated), then your computer has a Digital entitlement option stored on Microsoft servers. This is common scenario if it was upgraded during Windows 10 free upgrade campaign.

Because of this, you will no longer need a code/lic key to activate Windows if you need to reinstall Win 10 on this PC - It will activate itself without you entering any key - it will connect online and detect your PC hardware.  More info:

>> https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/12440/windows-10-activation

>> http://www.winbeta.org/news/digital-entitlement-a-new-method-of-activation-in-windows-10

2)  Use of key - if Windows 10 was activated initially with a Microsoft licensing key, you will need to enter this key again and re-activate this Windows using the key again. Only retail type of keys are accepted, aka retail licenses - not OEM/DSP types.

3) Activation using Microsoft account - Digital license - starting with Anniversary update built from last year, if you used MS account to login to the PC and if you enabled a special option, you no longer need a license key to activate your Windows - just login and use your Microsoft account. This is not applicable for your case as the MS account may be from the previous owner.

Based on your specific case scenario, you need to active Windows your method.