I found an HP laptop at work that was discarded, and it's in great condition and charges normally. However, it's locked with BitLocker, and I don't know the user password to log in or wipe the HDD. This was previously owned by an employee of my company. What are my options to unlock or reset this laptop so I can use it for my dad?
4 Answers
Nothing really stands in your way of wiping the drive unless the BIOS is also locked. If it is, HP has a tool for master passwords that could help. You could even try removing the drive and using it in a dock or another machine to wipe it that way. Just ensure you're not facing a locked BIOS situation.
If you're really stuck, you could always just swap in a new hard drive. They're pretty inexpensive and that would definitely get you past the BitLocker issue.
You can attempt to reinstall the OS if you can at least boot the laptop. BitLocker shouldn't block that, but if it’s asking for a password to boot up first, that’s a whole different problem. Just make sure you have a Windows installation medium ready.
BitLocker itself doesn’t stop you from wiping the drive. You can install a new OS on it without the password. Just keep in mind, if it’s under device management, that might lock you out again after installation. Still, it’s worth a try!
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