Bought Floor Model Laptop and can't access system! (Solved)

[zettler]

Try this again.

I am not sure if this is correct forum nor where else I should turn to.

Background. I purchased a floor model HP laptop (first mistake) from Wal-Mart (second mistake) that contains an Administrator Password (third mistake) that no one at Wal-Mart knows as I thought it would be easy-peasy (fourth mistake) to redo and be able to give as a gift to my son as if it were new!

Now, I have tried a number of things and here is what I found:

* I cannot open a COMMAND PROMPT.
* I cannot get into BIOS using F10 or F1.
* I cannot make ANY changes whatsoever!
.
So, my dilemma is I want to remove the limitations put on this laptop by Wal-Mart and restore to its original status as a HP Star Wars Special Edition, Model 15-an050nr, PRODID N5R61UA3ABA.

Can anyone assist, or at least point me in the right direction on where to turn in order accomplish this "restoration"?

Thank you all in advance

 

[Crono]

Where are you seeing the password prompt, immediately after turning on the laptop or upon booting into Windows (login screen)?

 

[zettler]

First, upon powering on or restarting, you see the HP logo, then the circle of dots blow that, then blank screen, then PLEASE WAIT, then a name od someone with a picture and then right onto a limited desktop with a STAR WARS character's picture.

If you click on the WINDOWS icon in lower left corner it brings up a limited desktop with just the POWER button and below it an ICON that brings up a list of programs and an icon top left comprised of four parallel lines that buzzes if you click on it with no other response

Everything I want to try has been disabled by ADMINISTRATOR and it looks like even the battery isn't charging...

 

[zettler]

It has a SECURITY symbol in many places that when it popups:

RetailAdmin
DESKTOP-GVLLQTO\RetailAdmin

With the box for Password below it...

 

[Crono]

Okay, thats a good sign because it means it's booting past POST (so it's not a BIOS password, which would be tougher to reset) and up to Windows. Windows is fairly easy to reset/crack for passwords, using a tool like Ophcrack or Trinity Rescue Kit. You need to download the "live CD" or image of either and burn to a cd/dvd or use a program like Rufus to create a bootable USB flash drive.

This article has a good walkthrough for Ophcrack, and I'm sure you can find YouTube videos with tutorials if you prefer, just don't download the tool anywhere but from Sourceforge (link in article).

Once you've reset/removed the admin password, you can reset Windows itself, which will make it nice and clean for you to give to your son (nice gift, by the way ).

 

[zettler]

Maybe I don't know how to create a bootable ISO disk - I have tried twice with it continuing on as before. And I am wondering if the issue is that the two programs above might not work with Windows 10. I will try later...

 

[Crono]

Maybe I don't know how to create a bootable ISO disk - I have tried twice with it continuing on as before. And I am wondering if the issue is that the two programs above might not work with Windows 10. I will try later...

You might need to press a button at startup (usually F11) to select which drive to boot from. Just keep hitting the key right after pressing power until you see the boot menu.

 

[zettler]

Well, not sure what I did or how exactly but I was able to get into BIOS! Tomorrow I will see what else I can do as its late...

Thank you!

 

[Dahak]

You should be able to get to a factory restore.
When it powers on you may have to be quick, I usually start just as the HP logo shows up or the screen flickers
Press ESC to get the boot menu or press F11 to get into the restore.

Once it get into Recovery you should see something similar to this guide
http://hp.dezide.com/ts/start.jsp?g...C26726&session=0edd2bc8-e9ad-4bd7-a1b6-b3e03e

Now just go through the HP recovery option to Factory Restore / Factory State / Factory Condition depending on the wording

This will most importantly format and re-install the factory os as it would have been out of the box.
I would not bother messing with trying to remove the password

 

[RLGL]

Don't waste your time, take it back for a refund!

 

[WilliamM2]

You should be able to get to a factory restore.
When it powers on you may have to be quick, I usually start just as the HP logo shows up or the screen flickers
Press ESC to get the boot menu or press F11 to get into the restore.

Once it get into Recovery you should see something similar to this guide
http://hp.dezide.com/ts/start.jsp?g...C26726&session=0edd2bc8-e9ad-4bd7-a1b6-b3e03e

Now just go through the HP recovery option to Factory Restore / Factory State / Factory Condition depending on the wording

This will most importantly format and re-install the factory os as it would have been out of the box.
I would not bother messing with trying to remove the password

My experience is that if the computer/windows is password protected, it will also ask for the password before it will perform a factory recovery, or restore from any system image.

 

[zettler]

Don't waste your time, take it back for a refund!

Sorry, my first attempt to post contained a "fifth" mistake and that was I am past the time period where I can return it. Way past it as I thought it would be "easy-Peasy" to fix (fourth mistake)....

I will attempt the latest restore as I did see that option come up when I used the F1 or F11key at startup and frankly there is nothing on this laptop that has been added other than the blockage by WalMart.

 

[zettler]

My experience is that if the computer/windows is password protected, it will also ask for the password before it will perform a factory recovery, or restore from any system image.

Damn. I was typing as you were posting...

I will try and get back to you.

 

[zettler]

My experience is that if the computer/windows is password protected, it will also ask for the password before it will perform a factory recovery, or restore from any system image.

Well, I am not totally sure about this for after several hours of updating, it appears I have restored the laptop to its original status BEFORE WalMart set it up!

Right now it is updating Windows and the desktop is new, along with none of the crap WalMart had on it!!!

And, it appears I am the ADMINISTRATOR!!

Hallelujah!

Thank you all, I knew I could depend in the good folks here at Anandtech.

 

[WilliamM2]

Good deal. It may just be a Win7 thing, but when we restore images at work, it always asks for the Administrator account password. Maybe Walmart didn't set that account, just a normal user account with Admin rights.

It's best that you did a restore anyways, even without the password issues you were having. No way of knowing what Walmart may have put on there, intentionally or not (malware).

 

[zettler]

Good deal. It may just be a Win7 thing, but when we restore images at work, it always asks for the Administrator account password. Maybe Walmart didn't set that account, just a normal user account with Admin rights.

It's best that you did a restore anyways, even without the password issues you were having. No way of knowing what Walmart may have put on there, intentionally or not (malware).

Agreed!