I hit F11 and it starts to work then it just goes to the logon screen

[BigPapaWinn]

OK, so I have been trying to find a solution.  My friend had an old laptop, HP 15 Notebook and I was trying to reset it  back to factory settings.  Just as a side not I know little about computers but was going to load Linux Mint, so the kiddos and I could play with it.  I have hit F11 about 100+ times and each time I get the little comment in the  bottom left corner but then it goes to the load screen.  I am at a loss of what to do because I cannot log in, friend doesn't remember password, I have went throught the bios attempt to get it it to run off the USB and then an attempt to format the computer.

[Echo_Lake]

@BigPapaWinn

Thank you for posting on the HP Support Community.

• Are you using Windows OS or Linux mint?
• Do you HP system recovery media?

The HP Cloud Recovery Tool allows you to download recovery software to a USB drive: https://support.hp.com/in-en/document/c06162205 
In this way, you can download recovery and install windows operating system.

Note: Make sure you have a computer with an active Internet connection. For best results, an Ethernet connection is recommended.

Hope this helps! Keep me posted for further assistance.
Please click “Accept as Solution” if you feel my post solved your issue, it will help others find the solution.