HP SpareKey issue with my HP Spectre x360

[tansoftware]

Re: HP SpareKey issue with my HP Spectre x360

Can you see the part number on the chip in the yellow circle

Please find hi res photo of requested chip.

It's:

BH61A
25B64CSIG
P13192

Thanks for your help.

[tansoftware]

Re: HP SpareKey issue with my HP Spectre x360

Here are hi res photos of all the chips on the motherboard excluding the CPU.

The only chip I could find that is relevant to this is the Winbond chip. There are no other Winbond chips on it.

[SMDFlea]

Re: HP SpareKey issue with my HP Spectre x360

Can you see the part number on the chip in the yellow circle

[tansoftware]

Re: HP SpareKey issue with my HP Spectre x360

I did check my bother board again, and this is the only chip that shows that kind of number. I even scanned my motherboard and attached it for reference. Unfortunately most of the numbers on the chips are unreadable. But I'll follow up with some Hi Res shots of all the chips on it hoping it would help.

[SMDFlea]

Re: HP SpareKey issue with my HP Spectre x360

Spectre x360 DAX31MB1AA0 the bios is 8MB /8M-byte

W25Q80DV: 8M-bit/1M-byte

I can`t show you the bios location on the pictures but look for one with 64 in the name

[tansoftware]

Re: HP SpareKey issue with my HP Spectre x360

HI @SMDFlea

I don't recall creating an HP SpareKey USB stick for that purpose. I don't have one. When you say the largest bios chip, which chip would that be ? I've taken photos of what I thought are the relevant chips, but when doing some research, the "Winbond 25Q80DVIG" comes up as being the BIOS chip.

I've attached some photos to give you an idea. If you want me to take more photos of different chips, I can certainly do that.

I'd really appreciate your advice.

Thanks again for your time and support.

Regards,
Terry

[SMDFlea]

Re: HP SpareKey issue with my HP Spectre x360

When you set the "Administrator" and "Power On" passwords you must have opted in for HP SpareKey Enrollment .Enter the wrong pass 3 times,sparekey will ask you 3 security questions such as your mothers maiden name,first pet etc.If you can`t remember those... then post your bios backup,the largest size bios chip ,not the 25Q80DVIG.

[tansoftware]

Hi there,

I've come across an issue with my HP Spectre x360 13-ac033dx laptop after clearing the "Administrator" and "Power On" passwords. Originally I had the same password for both and that worked fine, until I decided to go into the bios and clear them. I'm sure I cleared both passwords as well as save my changes on the bios setup screen, but for some strange reason, my laptop continues to ask for a password and now refuses to accept my earlier password no matter what I do.

The laptop does not produce any halt or error code, instead it asks for HP's SpareKey USB which I'm not sure what that is. The laptop is way past its warranty period and HP's tech support were not helpful at all.

I tried disconnecting the main battery as well as the RTC CMOS battery for more than 24 hours to force the laptop to clear the CMOS but that did not work. I also tried to conduct a BIOS recovery by pressing the "Windows Key + B" button combination at power up, but even after re-flashing the BIOS, it continues to ask for the password.

I am comfortable using the CH341A with a Pomona SOIC 8 Clip to make a bios dump. I'm just not sure which is the bios chip on my laptop's motherboard. I was able to locate a "Winbond 25Q80DVIG" chip, but I'm not sure if this is the correct one or if there are multiple chips that must be dumped.

If anyone has any experience with this laptop, I'd really appreciate your help and guidance.

Here are my laptop's specs:

Model: HP Spectre x360 13-ac033dx
Product ID: Z4Z22UA#ABA
Build ID: 17WW1PXT603#SABA#DABA
Motherboard: 918042-601
Specs: 16GB w/ i7-7500U 2.7GHz CPU

Thank you for your time and support.

Best regards,