Issues with Windows 11 Pro Upgrade and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 Update on HP OMEN 45L

[luxuriantoctopus]

I encountered a problem with my OMEN HP 45L Game DT GT-22 1455tx, which came with Windows 11 Home 64-bit preinstalled. There was no Windows 11 Home product key found on the case, boxes, invoice, or quick start guide.

Doesn't HP have to provide product owners with the product key for a preinstalled Microsoft Windows 11 Home OS? Is it supposed to be a genuine OS product key or a digital download key that you purchase? Luckily, I still have my old computer to get online, but I don't have the MS Windows product key to provide to Microsoft support for download.

Here's what happened:

I created a Windows 11 recovery on a USB flash drive before upgrading to Pro.
I did not save the Windows 11 Home to Pro upgrade on my computer.
I installed the upgrade from the Microsoft Store upgrade web link but found no Windows 11 product key (neither physical nor digital on the invoice).
I forgot to make a Windows 11 recovery drive after the Pro upgrade and didn't get the product key.
While away for 30 minutes, I received a notification that updates were installed for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090. I clicked OK to restart.
After restarting:

LEDs blinked, fans ran, and there were beeps, but the monitor had no signal.
I had to press the on/off button for 5 seconds to shut down.
On reboot, there was no black or blue screen, just blank.
After pressing the ESC key, the HP restore utility screen appeared.
I tried restarting in Windows 11 with no success.
I entered the BIOS, set it to defaults, and exited, but after a couple of beeps, there was still no success.
I attempted recovery using the Windows 11 USB drive from June 24. Upon plugging it into USB 3.0 and starting, a blue screen appeared, asking for the BitLocker encryption key for the recovery drive.
I entered the encryption key, but the blue screen returned with the same request.
Does Windows 11 Pro have a restore or reset option? Could an update for the NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4090 24GB DDR6 discrete chipset cause boot or firmware corruption?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

[VirtualVirtuoso]

It sounds like there are multiple issues at play here. First, regarding the Windows product key, for preinstalled Windows 11 Home, the product key is typically embedded in the BIOS/UEFI firmware. You can retrieve it using a dedicated tool from within a working Windows environment.

As for the NVIDIA update causing the issue, it’s possible. GPU drivers can sometimes cause conflicts. Here are some steps to try:

- Boot into Safe Mode: If you can get into Safe Mode, you can uninstall the NVIDIA drivers from Device Manager.
- Use a different monitor or port: Sometimes updates can mess with display settings. Try using a different port on your GPU or a different monitor.
- System Restore: If you can get into Advanced Startup Options (via the Windows 11 USB), try using System Restore to revert to a point before the update.
- Reinstall Windows: If all else fails, reinstall Windows using the USB recovery drive.

 

[magistratekennel]

For the BitLocker issue, make sure you’re entering the correct BitLocker key. You can find this key by logging into your Microsoft account on another device and checking under the Devices section.

To reset or restore Windows 11 Pro:
1. If you can access the Advanced Startup Options, you can use the "Reset this PC" option to reinstall Windows. Choose "Keep my files" to preserve your data.
2. Another option under Advanced Startup Options is "Startup Repair," which can fix some boot issues.

For future reference:

• Before making major changes or updates, ensure your data is backed up.
• After any significant changes like OS upgrades, create a new recovery drive.

 

[luxuriantoctopus]

Thank you all for the suggestions. I managed to get into Safe Mode and uninstall the NVIDIA drivers. After that, I was able to boot normally. I reinstalled the drivers from the NVIDIA website, and everything seems to be working fine now. I also used ProduKey to retrieve my Windows 11 Home product key from the BIOS. Appreciate the help!