HP Protect Tools WinMagic SecureDoc Bootloader Error

the closer I can see is this to get into BIOS, i see the only mean is to go into recovery esp if there is such error

Resolving an MBR error Message
http://isowiki.tulane.edu/SecureDoc_Guides/Resolving_an_MBR_error_Message

Resolving Improper Key Delivery and Verification and Missing Operating System
http://isowiki.tulane.edu/SecureDoc_Guides/Resolving_Improper_Key_Delivery_and_Verification_and_Missing_Operating_System

Thanks for your suggestions breadtan.  As soon as I get the machine back to our office, I will try those suggestions and provide feedback.

Jebidieh

We followed the links in breadtan's message and could not find a solution in either of them.  We suspect the reason for this is those links are giving directions from the viewpoint that we are able to reach the point when Winmagic securedoc actually boots up, but in reality we are not able to get that far.  The furthest point we can get (outside of BIOS) is to the “HP Drive Encryption LOGIN” page, where our password doesn’t work.  If we could choose another user, such as ‘administrator’, we think we could gain access to the computer since the other usernames and passwords work in the BIOS.  However, we cannot choose another username at the HP Drive Encryption LOGIN page.  We are also not given the option to use the spare key (even though one was set one up), and when we click on “Recovery” it prompts us for a ‘Recovery Key’ – which we do not have.  We are still at a standstill.

Jebidieh

I saw from HP forum saying to login as guest and thought of sharing though chance it is different

http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Notebook-Operating-Systems-and-Software/Can-t-change-BIOS-settings-after-HP-ProtectTools-has-been/td-p/909575

There is another which meant to reset BIOS as below which you may want to further this with HP support to ascertain assurity of its works

http://www.ajagwe.com/how-to-set-or-reset-bios-administrator-password-in-hp-notebook/

Thanks again for the input "breadtan".  Unfortunately, those suggestions have not provided any changes.

The BIOS password and administrator password do not seem to be the issue.   Probably a stupid move on my part, but in an attempt to be able to log in as someone other than the username that the HP Drive Encryption Login Page is stuck on, I deleted all bios users the included that name.  The only bios user is now the administrator, but the HP Drive Encryption LOGIN page is still looking for the original username and password – and I can’t get it to a different user.  The TPM Authentication failed “code” is now 0xb0000012, if that would help anybody.

Also, on the LOGIN screen there’s a button labeled “Recover” and it gives the option of entering a “Recovery Key” (which appears to be a file name.)  Would be nice to know what I could enter here.  HP explained that the user would have been prompted to save the Recovery Key to a USB drive, to print it or to export it somewhere else.  Our user, who is an experienced user, does not recall being prompted for anything like that while trying to set up HP Protect Tools.

Getting close to forteiting the data lost and reformatting the hard drive.

Thanks for any help you can give us.

Jebidieh

Thanks breadtan.  After another exhausting troubleshooting session with HP, they assured us that there was no way to recover the data on the hard drive and that our only alternative was to re-load the operating system.

So, we are in the process of starting over.  It is frustrating that our user, who is a competent user, was able to set up HP Protect Tools and somehow encrypt the hard drive without being prompted to save an encryption key.  He was prompted for a "Spare Key" with several questions to answer, but he was never prompted to print or save to flash drive an encryption key.  He also does not recall them ever asking if he wanted to encrypt the hard drive.  He was only trying to set up the password saver software.  Somehow, we got to this point.

Thanks for your help!  Do you know, should I still award the points for the effort?  Even though we never really answered the question?  Let me know.  If it that is what is properly done, I will award the points.

Thanks again!

Jebidieh

Thanks for sharing, rightfully during the setup as shared in last posting will have prompted to create a recovery key - but it may not be explicit and may also be mandatory ... nonetheless, the tough get going and that is the spirit.

for awarding of points, you can review these articles. You can accept your last inputs as answer and assess if other points are worth placing in as assisted :)

http://support.experts-exchange.com/customer/portal/articles/608621 closing
http://support.experts-exchange.com/customer/portal/articles/608596 multiple solutions
http://support.experts-exchange.com/customer/portal/articles/481419 grading

Breadtan's responses were informative and helpful for further troubleshooting, however, I guess there was no possible answer to correct the problem that we had with the HP Protect Tools.  We eventually needed to forfeit the data on the computer and re-load the operating system to get the computer working again.  Thanks again to Breadtan for responses to a question that received very few responses.

thanks for sharing