ini,

I fully appreciate that you are not a command line junkie.

I posted those links for the benefit of others on LQ forums who may be more conversant with this problem and who can assist you further.

OK
apologies for my misunderstanding

In your initial post, you indicate that you are able to use and log in to Pop OS. If you can use the machine, not much point in doing an udate you don't understand. Too many unknown variables for anyone here to really give detailed help.
Is Pos OS the only OS installed?
Did you purchase this computer new?
Was/is there any other OS installed? If so, what exactly.
If you have another OS installed like some version of windows, did you do an update from windows lately?
If you know how to open a terminal, run this command and look at the output. It won't solve anything or change anything but give information which you could post here: sudo ls /boot/efi/EFI/
Do you have a directory named PopOs or probably ubuntu. What's in it?

Good morning, yancek

performing update you don't understand... agreed

PopOS is the only OS currently installed

Computer was a second-hand buy from ebay & came installed with Windows 10...

I then installed MINT wiping out 'Win10' in the process... exact version of MINT no idea!

Then I began a distro hopping adventure (always full install to wipe out the previous distro I was not comfortable with)
list & versions of said distros.. no idea as I did not keep a list of said installs... duh!

Ran in terminal sudo ls /boot/efi/EFI/

BOOT Pop_OS-62a814a0-c2d5-415f-9678-4ce70f0c5d91 systemd
Linux Recovery-F184-E7B1

Dirctory of Pop_OS / ubunto ???
Is there a command for the terminal I could run?

Hope my reply is easy to understand

In my post above I suggested you check to see if there was an ubuntu directory on your EFI partition. That is because many of the Ubuntu derivatives (Mint for one) use a directory named ubuntu for their EFI files. Since PopOS does not do that, it is not relevant.

If you are asked for an administrator password when accessing the BIOS to make changes including the F9 key for a one time change in the boot order, that is because the previous owner set it and did not give you that information. You need to do an online search for how to reset the BIOS password on your specific model of HP.

The above is a quote from your post (post 3). You don't have windows installed so it is irrelevant. From your output of the ls /boot/efi/EFI command, it doesn't appear you even have a Microsoft directory on the EFI partition. If you run the following command, do you see a reference to windows: sudo efibootmgr -v

Do you have Secure Boot on? Have you tried to access the BIOS, probably with the F10 key? Do you get asked for an administrator password?

Isn't BOOT the Microsoft boot directory? It certainly was on my old hard drive (the one I had to dump because it was failing). It contained a couple of files including BOOT64.efi, which I assume was the Windows bootloader itself.

sudo efibootmgr -v
[sudo] password for ini:
BootCurrent: 0001
Timeout: 0 seconds
BootOrder: 0001,0002,0003,0004,0005
Boot0001* Pop!_OS 22.04 LTS HD(1,GPT,b2ba9adf-71e4-412d-9799-0678ff74f9b3,0x1000,0xf8fff)/File(\EFI\SYSTEMD\SYSTEMD-BOOTX64.EFI)
Boot0002* UEFI OS HD(1,GPT,b2ba9adf-71e4-412d-9799-0678ff74f9b3,0x1000,0xf8fff)/File(\EFI\BOOT\BOOTX64.EFI)
Boot0003 UEFI:CD/DVD Drive BBS(129,,0x0)
Boot0004 UEFI:Removable Device BBS(130,,0x0)
Boot0005 UEFI:Network Device BBS(131,,0x0)

• Boot Device Options (F9): this menu provides UEFI Boot Sources (like Windows Boot Manager and network card) and Legacy Boot Sources (like hard drive, USB flash drive, and CD/DVD drive) for you to choose from.

This F9 is what I've been using at start up to change the boot order to boot from a USB to try another distro However I get asked for an administrator password and the psswrd I use to enter Pop_OS does nada???

will now log off and try the F10 key

• BIOS Setup (F10): you can exit UEFI & enter BIOS by selecting this option. There are 5 tabs in the BIOS Setup to help you change PC BIOS Settings.

Your last question re secure boot ON or OFF No idea!

f10 key at start up same gives the sane result as the f9 key enter administration psswrd??? Will check back in a wee while as I've got some farming to do

I think I can identify these!

0001 is the systemd-boot Linux bootloader, which has been set up to load Pop!_OS. I assume it could be used to load other Linux systems as well, in the same way that GRUB can.
0002: your old Windows bootloader. Since you no longer have Windows on your machine, this one can safely be deleted.
0003: Self-explanatory. Boot from an optical disc.
0004: This is probably your USB boot
0005: Network boot

You've got me all excited Hazel
Now here's the noobie/the terminal is where the train arrives at question...
a. Do I delete in the terminal?
b. If yes how? Whats the command for deleting 0002: ?

Do I simply repeat the command which gave me 0001: to 0005:

If YES? What do I do then?
I promise I'll devote my time & attention to the Linux Command Handbook after said delete if it sorts out my f9 administration psswrd quandry

Yes, it's efibootmgr again but with a couple of extra arguments:
But get the OK from someone else around here before you do it. I don't want to be responsible for kiboshing your boot!

I've no Idea why everybody is advising on BIOS updates and software solutions when the problem just needs a jumper/shunt removed from the motherboard.

Check out this video where the guy is resetting the CMOS which should also reset the BIOS password. Note the jumper marked "PSWD", just removing this should also work. The CMOS one will require to be replaced as stated in the video plus the system clock will require to be reset.

I'd try removing the PSWD jumper first. Unless you want to set a BIOS password you don't really need to put it back. (I'm currently helping to recycle about 500 HP 800 G3 and G4 All_in_one computers and need to clear out previous owner splash screen data. I've now got a box of the little blue jumpers!)

I'm not sure exactly what the motherboard looks like but check this out for a rough idea of what you're looking for:




Play Bonny!

Attached Thumbnails

 

1 members found this post helpful.

Probably windows files there from the factory but the EFI files to boot recent windows are in a directory named Microsoft on the EFI partition and generally the file pointed to booting windows is bootmgfw.efi which is in EFI/Microsoft/Boot.

You have an administrator password required on the used computer you purchased and you don't know what it is. Neither does any one here so find out from the person you bought it from if possible or reset the BIOS password. Try the suggestion in the post above by Soadyheid.

Removing an entry (your useless windows entry) is not complicated and is explained at the link below as well as any number of other sites.

https://www.tecporto.pt/wiki/index.p...st_%28Linux%29

Thx yancek,

re administrator psswrd: ask the person you bought the 'puter from Hmmm?

This'puter was purchased b4 2020

If indeed the previous owner set an admin psswrd... Can you explain to me how I've been distro hopping, by, accessing boot order at start up by tapping f9 and selecting the USB with new distro file & proceeding to do a full install which wipes out the existing operating system for circa 4 years?

In 4 yrs I've full installed a number of Linux OS, wiping out windows10, linux mint, mxlinux, linux lite...

I landed on Pop_OS & stuck with it simply because of the 'out-of-the box' tiling feature LOL
Now I figure you can set up said tiling feature on any??? distro & so i attempted to test cachy_OS: tiling out-of-the-box? Don't know/don't care
Did my usual f9 to access the Boot order, &, I'm only now seeing the admin psswrd request

...had a look at removing files in terminal last night https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joMMHpjQayQ

OK Seems straight forward enough i'll go for it... Ooooops, cool your jets/wait a mo: I'll log in 2 LQ & lay out my proposed rm strategy & get a Y/N from more experienced peeps before proceeding Saw the replies from Hazel, soadyheid and yourself. Now I'm second guessing/questioning... not to be awkward, simply to understand 'why'

Morning soadyheid,
Yup, had already seen this Day b4 yesterday. I spent about 4-5hrs on 'YaChoob' searching renove BIOS psswrd & various other BIOS conbos
OK that will be plan b. Lets go with the LQ gurus etc, then evaluate all the info: what 'feels' right? & then 'steam in'

Ya got me thinking about Edinburgh last night not visited Scotland since leaving in 2002
So can I add a miss to the IPA? 'rowies' or as you peeps in the sooth call them 'Aberdeen Rolls'

LQ forum... etiquette/protocol/forum SOP's? Which button do I hit to a. find out more b. ask questions

Play Bonny