How to delete Challenge Phrase of A1B2C3 on startup.

Question

After multiple failed attempts, my HP Laptop began requiring a "challenge phrase" of A1B2C3 be entered. This has occurred even AFTER I established a new PIN AND rebooted my laptop.

How do I get rid of the Challenge Phrase on start-up?

The laptop was purchased in early 2025 at Costco. Serial # 5CG4202B9G.

Answer 1

Hello,

Type “A1B2C3” and press the Enter key.

If the challenge phrase is entered correctly, you will return to the PIN entry screen.

Enter your PIN.

If you enter the wrong PIN again, you will see the message:

“You’ve entered an incorrect PIN too many times. To try again, restart your device.”

Click the Power icon in the lower-right corner of the screen and select Restart to reboot the PC.

Once the restart is complete, you will be able to enter your PIN again.

If you enter the wrong PIN multiple times, you will be locked out until the specified waiting time has passed.

After that, the cycle will repeat:

enter the challenge phrase → enter the wrong PIN → restart → enter the wrong PIN again → wait for the required time → enter the challenge phrase again.

The waiting time increases each time you enter the wrong PIN:

30 seconds → 1 minute → 2 minutes → 5 minutes → 10 minutes → 30 minutes → 1 hour → 2 hours.

Please wait for the required time before trying again.