Lost bios password for an HP Spectre x360

[Coreyaggie87]

I have an HP Spectre x360 - 15-ap012dx (ENERGY STAR)
Serial number: [Personal Information Removed]
Product number:T6T09UA

I placed a password on the Bios and forgot it now I'm a month out of warranty coverage and have no clue what can be done

[DavidPK]

Hi,

At the password screen, hit enter 3 times and you should receive a 'halt code' - post back with this code.

Regards,

DP-K

[Coreyaggie87]

I receive a message "System SN: [Personal Information Removed]"
I've tried pressing enter 3 times with no response from the computer. The only way I can get the message above to show up is if I enter something in the password field 3 times. Is there another way to reveal the "halt code"

[DavidPK]

Hi,

Shut down the notebook and unplug the AC Adapter. 

Hold  down the Power button for 30 seconds. 

Plug in the AC Adapter, start the notebook and check if you now get a halt code after 3 incorrect entries.

Regards,

DP-K

[Coreyaggie87]

I followed the procedure with not receiving the "halt code"

Just a blue box titled "HP SpareKey Recovery"
System
1. I insert HP SpareKey USB Recovery Key
 

[DavidPK]

Hi,

In that case, you may need to Contact HP support regarding this - if I do think of anything else, I'll post back to this thread.

Regards,

DP-K

[Coreyaggie87]

After several YouTube videos and hardware configuration manuals on the hp spectra 360 looking for any information I could gather on shorting out the CMOS battery to clear the current settings and restore the Bios to its original build. Although I gathered this particular laptop doesn't have a dedicated CMOS battery and I could only assume it was integrated into the main battery. So after disassembling the back of the laptop to gain access to the internal battery I removed the battery terminal which had 7 pins associated with it. So with a paper clip I made an educated guess which two pins were associated with the CMOS and shorted them together. Upon reassembling and powering on the laptop there was an immediate message that flashed across the screen saying your CMOS has encountered an error and has been rest. Following the message the following screen to appear was the HP splash screen then the windows login. I wanted to wait a few days before posting a solution just in case any issues related to shores hardware surfaced. But it appears to be running just fine and all the diagnostic tests passed.

[Coreyaggie87]

After several YouTube videos and hardware configuration manuals on the hp spectra 360 looking for any information I could gather on shorting out the CMOS battery to clear the current settings and restore the Bios to its original build. Although I gathered this particular laptop doesn't have a dedicated CMOS battery and I could only assume it was integrated into the main battery. So after disassembling the back of the laptop to gain access to the internal battery I removed the battery terminal which had 7 pins associated with it. So with a paper clip I made an educated guess which two pins were associated with the CMOS and shorted them together. Upon reassembling and powering on the laptop there was an immediate message that flashed across the screen saying your CMOS has encountered an error and has been rest. Following the message the following screen to appear was the HP splash screen then the windows login. I wanted to wait a few days before posting a solution just in case any issues related to shorts in the hardware surfaced. But it appears to be running just fine and all the diagnostic tests passed.

[samir2002]

can you please show me the pins that you shorted

[TheClioGeek]

Looks like one of my customers is having the same issue.  She put a password on the BIOS, then didn't use it for 5 months and wondered why it "just wouldn't let me in".  I have warned about password protecting the BIOS instead of the software.  I can reload windows, I can't reload a BIOS if password is lost.

I understand this thread is a bit old, but I figured this is a forever issue that will never go away.

My "System Disabled" code is 93221287

Thanks again.