Inheriting HP laptop

BOBBIs_MUMMY

Inheriting my uncles HP laptop. Unfortunately it is currently locked due to us not knowing the password. We have taken to our local computer shop who have quoted £40 to unlock it and £80 to unlock and reset to factory settings. Is this something I could potentially do myself? Hesitant to spend too much on it as know 4 years old. Any advice gratefully received

arrallas

Which version of Windows?

Jon_01

Windows password or Bios password?

BOBBIs_MUMMY

arrallas wrote: »

Which version of Windows?

Currently at computer shop so unable to check. Is there a way of finding out without the password?

BOBBIs_MUMMY

Jon_01 wrote: »

Windows password or Bios password?

Password that you enter when computer first switched on

GunJack

So probably a windows pw...and prob W10 if 4 yrs old. You could create a W10 installation/update USB stick, boot from it and reinstall W10 (keeping no files/settings).

BOBBIs_MUMMY

https://www.tunesbro.com/reset-hp-laptop-login-password.html


Is the 2nd option worth trying?

Obviously not sure what’s on laptop don’t want risk of loosing photos etc

psychic_teabag

BOBBIs_MUMMY wrote: »

Password that you enter when computer first switched on

I'd interpret that as bios password, rather than windows password.

I think a windows password would prompt for both username and password. (But long time since I've actually used windows.)

If it's a windows password, you could boot an alternate OS (eg linux) from CD or USB stick and see the files that way. (Unless the filesystems are also encrypted.) Or you could probably take the disk out and access it from another computer to see what's on there.

grumpycrab

BOBBIs_MUMMY wrote: »

https://www.tunesbro.com/reset-hp-laptop-login-password.html


Is the 2nd option worth trying?

Obviously not sure what’s on laptop don’t want risk of loosing photos etc

That'll cost you $30. You talk of risk of losing photos. So there's stuff on the laptop that you defintely need?

emptybox

BOBBIs_MUMMY wrote: »

https://www.tunesbro.com/reset-hp-laptop-login-password.html


Is the 2nd option worth trying?

Obviously not sure what’s on laptop don’t want risk of loosing photos etc

Yes it looks like the 2nd option there would work, if it's the Windows login password that we are talking about, although I can't vouch for that program.
(and I see grumpycrab says it's a paid for one)

If it's a BIOS password it would come up before Windows starts to load.
In order to reset there are several methods in the link below. The first one would work best for a laptop.
https://www.wikihow.com/Reset-a-BIOS-Password

There's also a way to reset the Windows login password manually, but it's quite involved and involves using the Windows Command Prompt.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIOIe0nr6DQ
(with the proviso that you would lose access to any encrypted drives or folders that your Uncle had set up)

If you felt able, I would use the methods in psychic teabag's post to access the data first, by burning a Linux live ISO to USB and booting the laptop from that, or by tempoarily connecting the laptop's drive to another computer.

googler

Whether it's a Windows password or a BIOS password, surely if the drive is unencrypted, the OP could take it out of the laptop, put it in a USB caddy and connect it to another machine to copy/paste whatever they need from it?

As in;

psychic_teabag wrote: »

Or you could probably take the disk out and access it from another computer to see what's on there.

emptybox wrote: »

or by tempoarily connecting the laptop's drive to another computer.