Laptop all of a sudden requires power-on password

[GretchenB]

I have been using my HP Pavillion zv5000 for years. I use Windows XP Home edition. All of a sudden it wants a power-on password. I can't imagine what I did to cause this.

Could this be caused by a broken fan? If not, what could cause this?

Thank you,

Gretchen

[Jaytwou]

Hi Gretchen,

Here is the info:

Power On

The Power On password is set in the System BIOS options. It prevents unwanted users from accessing the computer. By default, HP does not set the Power On password. If you set the Power On password in the System BIOS options you will be prompted for it immediately after you power on the Notebook PC.

If this password is forgotten, a repair at an HP certified repair center is required to reset the computer. Please contact HP to schedule a repair. This service is not covered by the warranty.

HP can be contacted at: 800-474-6836

Take care...

HP Employee

[GretchenB]

I am certain I did not go into settings and set the BIOS password.

[Eurometal]

If yours is a Consumer (not Business) laptop, you're in luck.  E.g. "Pavilions" were consumer, but "EliteBooks" were pro/Business at the time of posting this.

In Consumer laptops, all passwords are resettable - so relax & skip the next paragraph, to read the solution under it 🙂

Note:

In Business machines like my EliteBook & ZBook, there're additional & perhaps the ONLY REAL strong passwords, e.g. one properly known as "ATA Security password" or colloquially as "Harddisk password' which can only be cracked at high $$$$expense & enormous effort, or Encryption passwords some of which aren't crackable even by the power of a strong Government (in one historic example, a PGP ["Pretty-Good-Privacy" encryption] password wasn't cracked by FBI by any means [but nowadays maybe it could]; Microsoft's OS professional editions (Windows Pro or Enterprise), asof today included encryption for free ('BitLocker"); some big software co's may leave a BACKDOOR for the government to crack it and I support  backdoors - for the sake of safety of our society, but it's another subject).

Additionally an OS built-in (e.g. Log-On in consumer Windows, LinuX, Apple) & third-party 'soft"  passwords maybe set, but not covered here as it doesn't apply to you.

Anyways, relax if yours is a Consumer computer AND none of the above (professional security) applies to you - it seems your machine is asking for a basic "PowerOn Password" &/or BIOS Supervisor one, both of which are a joke, not real passwords, can reset by:

A)

You can find resetting instructions burried in the Manuals, both User + Service manuals (2 kinds).  Don't have?  Search HP.com or whole Internet for the Manual.  Still not willing or can't find?  No problem, it's fairly generic:

Disconnect ACpower (obviosly), open computer (insides) & REMOVE BACKUP BATTERY, aka "CMOS" Battery (though i avoid the term "CMOS", as it also stands for (& confused with) a type of semiconductor circuits, unrelated to this subject).  Remove battery & SET ASIDE for a WHOLE DAY, then reisntall battery - see if Password is gone.

B)

If Password is still there, then it might be a large capacitor &/OR nonvolatile memory cell that holds it, thus takes more than a day (24hours) to "leak off" & you wouldn't want to wait for like a week or a month 🙂

So instead, you'd short certain pins on that circuitboard with e.g. a screwdriver or similar.  You need to know which pins/point son circuit board to short - that isn't generic - see Manual (meaning Service manual,. whereas User's manual is extremely unlikely to have such deep info), or fist try to Google.

You need to be confident with electronics else + besure to be tied to ground thru antistatic wristband, else you might cause severe dmage & I WON'T be responsible.

Hope is that simple removal of the battery for 24 hours (typ much less, I just say 24 hours in the worst case) - clears off password, if not, clear it by force by a short circuit/metal.

Similar to cars & clearing their computer (ECM or  Engine computer() by disconnecting battery, or shorting stuff if that doesn't help - in the absence of a tool (Scanner)

Other methods exists but it's all simple (unlike the passwords I use, if lost - Computer would be "bricked", no recovery [unless I spend $60K for a professional recovery firm, if possible at all])

C)

As to what may've triggered (undesired) Password activation:

Possibly:

a) Certain Firm/Software products or hardware design flaws can allow spontaneous Password activation - that signals poor testing/quality assurance on the part of the manufacturer, perhaps something you've installed recently or updated mainboard's Firmware (BIOS, Etc.).  Never happened to me, in a lifetime.

b) A MORE OMINIOUS POSSIBILITY is:

YOU GOT A VERY ESOTERIC VIRUS WHICH ENABLED a PASSWORD.  Probability is low & such viruses that get down to Firmware level (i.e. close to damaging hardware) are amongst most sophisticated.

Viruses consumers encounter, seldom go after things like that (BIOS, UEFI, etc.), it's more likely for a government-sponsored or formiddable actor to send such viruses  But viruses messing up BIOS do happen with consumers/common people, too, but who cares - if it's THAT password that I think is your problem (PowerOn or BIOS SUpervisor) - it's harmless b/c as explained above, resetting is easy.

Whereas. the kind of passwords I use , i.e. ATA Security within Harddrive itself + (not alone!) Encryption within SelfEncrypting SSD's/HDD's/3DRAM, etc. is extremely hard to messup by a virus, I also maintain a remote (mirror) storage.  I've gone thru several recoveries for other people, though (one of which happened to be my former Boss) when they've abandoned all hope of recovery, but recovered OK.

Most difficult cases involve removal of the storage unit from affected computer & installing into an extrenal/stand-alone setup to run specialized low-level DOS, Fiirmware, etc. tools.  In one case I ndeed panicked into cold sweat because i was helping a person I absolutely had to get it done... whole sleepless night, but fixed it.

Pro/Business machines are also unlikely to be damaged by this kind of a "low-level hardware" virus, e.g. besides encryption I use ATA Harddrive password & in this EliteBook is a clever ATA protocol spec blocks any viral atack targeting ATA Harddrive pass - called "ATA Security Freeze", it locks access upon detection; but you don't need to know about ATA or whatever, it's not your case.

People who forget ATA Harddrive password are in serious trouble (though fixable at high $expense), you're not.

c) No, the probability of your "Broken Fan" triggering accidental activation of a Password in BIOS (PowerOn or BIOS Supervisor) , is as high as me becoming Japanese prime-minister tomorrow.  I mean it IS POSSIBLE, but HIGHLY improbable (like suppose failed fan caused severe overheating of circuit boards, and BIOS chip/circuit degraded & triggering a password setting - can happen, but hard to imagine the kind of heat would cause it, only in poorly designed electronics).

More likely is you went into BIOS and accidentally turned password on, or you Updated BIOS &/or installed software which got access to it, or a Virus turned it on,

Whatever.

Just remove the Battery for 24 hours, & if doesn't help - short the circuit (see Service manual or Google, for pins/points to short

Stan Starinski , MSEE

engineering & owner

Camarillo Adv. Design Systems (CADS)

MetalBlade@prodigy.net - not a primary address, just using here to prevent spam

+1 (646) 416-2052

[Huffer]

Gretchen you have now posted this question 3 times and you are getting essentially the same advice from several different users. I linked you to the Manual and explained where to access the CMOS battery. There is no quick and easy fix for this, I am sorry to say.

[GretchenB]

Huffer,

As far as I know, I posted it twice, not three times, allthough I did reply to the post. I posted it the second time because I'd learned that HP experts were going to be online for a day last week and the instructions were to post your question at that time. It seems you have more time to check on the answers to my questions than I do. How nice for you. Thank you for your help.

Gretchen