I was given an LG Gram laptop (2020) with no known password. How do wipe the files and start with a new password?

Hello Dave Reff ,

The best and most secure way to get this laptop set up for yourself is to do a complete, fresh installation of Windows. This will wipe all the old files and settings from the previous owner and let you set up the computer as if it were new, with your own password and accounts.

Here’s a general guide on how to do it:

1. Create a Windows 10 Installation USB Drive

You'll need access to another working computer and a blank USB flash drive (at least 8GB).

• On the working computer, search for "Download Windows 10" or go directly to the official Microsoft page.
• Download and run the Media Creation Tool.
• When you run the tool, accept the terms and then choose "Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC".
• Follow the on-screen instructions. It will download the latest version of Windows 10 and make your USB drive bootable.

2. Boot the LG Gram from the USB Drive

• Plug the newly created USB drive into your LG Gram.
• You'll need to tell the laptop to start up from the USB drive instead of its internal drive. To do this, you need to get into the BIOS/UEFI settings.
• Turn on the LG Gram and immediately start pressing the key to enter the BIOS. For LG laptops, this is usually F2. Just tap it repeatedly as soon as you power it on.
• Once you're in the BIOS, look for a "Boot" or "Boot Order" menu.
• Change the boot priority so that "USB Drive" or "USB-HDD" is at the top of the list, above the internal hard drive (which might be called "Windows Boot Manager" or show the model of the SSD).
• Save your changes and exit the BIOS. The laptop should restart and boot from your USB drive.

3. Install Windows 10

• If it boots correctly from the USB, you'll see the Windows Setup screen.
• Follow the prompts to select your language and keyboard layout.
• When it asks for a product key, you can select "I don't have a product key." Since the laptop came with Windows 10, its license is tied to the hardware. It should reactivate automatically once the installation is done and you're connected to the internet.
• For the installation type, choose "Custom: Install Windows only (advanced)".
• You'll see a list of partitions on the drive. To ensure a completely clean slate, delete all of them one by one until you're left with just "Unallocated Space."
• Select that "Unallocated Space" and click "Next." Windows will handle creating the necessary partitions and start the installation.
• The laptop will copy files and restart a few times. Once it's done, it will guide you through the final setup steps (connecting to Wi-Fi, creating your user account and password, etc.).

And that's it! You'll have a fresh, clean installation of Windows 10 that's all yours.

Hope this helps you get your new laptop up and running.