HP ProBook 640 G5 – BIOS Password Locked, OS Corrupted – Unable to Boot from USB

[Alex_Gastene]

Hello HP Community,

I am looking for a solution to a boot and BIOS lock issue on my HP laptop.

Device information:

• Model: HP ProBook 640 G5

• Processor: Intel Core i5-8265U

• RAM: 8 GB

• BIOS: R72 Ver. 01.21.01 (07/27/2022)

What I experienced:
The installed operating system is corrupted. On startup, the system shows a recovery screen with the error:

0xC0000225 – A required device isn’t connected or can’t be accessed

Windows recovery options do not work and the system cannot be repaired.

Steps to recreate the issue:

1. Power on the laptop

2. System fails to boot and shows error 0xC0000225

3. Attempt to use Windows Recovery (fails)

4. Create a bootable USB to reinstall the OS

5. Press F9 or F10 to boot from USB

6. System requests BIOS Administrator Password

After three attempts:

Authentication Failed – System Locked

No “System Disabled” or unlock code is shown.

Result:

• Cannot access boot menu

• Cannot boot from USB

• Cannot reinstall the operating system

What I need:
I am not looking for general procedures. I need a working, HP-supported solution that allows:

• unlocking the BIOS, or

• enabling USB boot on this model

The device is legitimate and the only goal is to reinstall the operating system due to corruption.

Thank you for any concrete solution you can provide.

Kind regards,

Alex

[SteffenBaierUK]

Hello @Alex_Gastene ,

Welcome to the HP community.

A quick community search for the terms BIOS & Password finds all these posts >here<, which are mainly closed.

Here is HP's official policy regarding BIOS passwords:

• HP Business PCs - Forgotten or lost BIOS password | HP® Support

According to the Community's Rules of Participation:

4d. No posts shall include instructions/directions intended to bypass or subvert security mechanisms such as lock screens, BitLockers, BIOS lock, passwords, fingerprint/biometry scanners, PINs, or any other safety measures.

Therefore, this topic is being locked.

Best regards

Steffen Baier