Dokki said:
I have the same problem (HP Compaq nx 7300). No one appears to realise that
I
can't get past the Vista (Business) log in page so I can't do anything at
all
on the computer - I am completely locked out. I have done the F11 system
recovery which is supposed to put it back to factory condition - I am
still
asked for my password. HP ignore requests for help. Desperate for help.
I've played with the F11 System Recovery again.
After removing the hard drive I had added, it is possible to get close to
'out of the box' condition, but the prompts to get there are confusing.
On hitting F11 (many times) during bootup, I get a screen saying Windows is
loading files, with a progress bar below it. A short while after the
progress bar is complete, I get the small Microsoft starting up picture for
a short while, then a window titled Recovery Manager. I assume this is a
program running in the Windows Preinstall Environment.
The Window says:
Welcome to the Recovery Manager
Use this program to recover your computer to its original factory condition.
For additional information, refer to your documentation.
And there are four buttons:
Advanced Options, Back (greyed out), Next, and Cancel.
Since my intent is to get to original factory condition or at least back to
where I have the choice of what password, if any, to use, I click next.
The screen now says:
Microsoft System Restore
Microsoft System Restore uses restore points to return your system to an
earlier point in time.
Would you like to launch Microsoft System Restore?
Yes
No
It is not obvious to me that this really means: if you want to eventually
get to a screen that gets the system to original factory condition, choose
No.
Choosing No brings up a screen that says:
System recovery
System recovery is a procedure for restoring your computer to its original
factory shipped condition.
Would you like to perform a system recovery?
Yes
No
At last, a screen that explicitly tells me that choosing yes will move me
toward my goal.
Choosing Yes brings up a screen where you can choose to back up files first,
or recover without backing up your files.
The backup choice leads to a screen that allows you to check which
categories to back up. The files are backed up to removable media. If
insufficient media is installed, it will tell you, but it does not tell you
how much media is required.
If you select the recover without backing up your files option and click
next, the system immediately starts reformatting the first partition on the
drive, and then adds files and folders to make it look similar to how it was
out of the box.
On reboot, the screens during 'first boot' are significantly different that
the actual 'out of the box' first boot, but you will eventually get to the
point of entering the first-user name & password.
-Paul Randall