Need Help! Can't change OS!

[DD_OneZero]

I am relatively inexperienced when it comes to this sort of thing and Google doesn't have any answers, so I'm going to try here 

A couple years ago I got a laptop for Christmas, and then I changed the OS sometime after that (over a year if I remember correctly.) I don't remember when but a while ago I changed to Endevour which I adore for its flexibility compared to Mint!

Mini Mint Tangent:

Spoiler

I really liked Mint for a while but it always felt too restrictive. There was a lot of things I couldn't do or run and it was Very frustrating. If you've ever tried to get a custom cursor you may have gone through what I did!

[close]

Anyways I learnt recently about CashyOS which I've been eager to try. However, I found out that there is now an "administrator" block in my boot menu? It was most likely a setting I had set for Endevour but I cannot remember the password and I'm worried I'll have to change my hard drive or something! I've used old passwords and current passwords. Does anybody know how to bypass this or am I out of luck? 

If it helps, my laptop is one of those HP laptops at Walmart, it was around $400 and said it could be used for regular work and gaming.

[Dan Q]

It sounds like you're talking about something like a BIOS password (or UEFI equivalent). Everything else I've written assumes this guess is correct, but you might like to take a video or photo of what you're seeing and when to help make sure!

You're probably not bricked. But you might have to force it to reset itself, which in turn might then require (or, at least, be easiest if you do) that you install a new operating system (which is okay if that's what you're planning anyway). Sometimes there's a jumper switch or button on the motherboard to clear the BIOS, which clears the password. My desktop PC has one on the back that looks like this:

If it's on a motherboard, inside the case, it'll probably be either a tiny button, OR a "jumper" (two pins you need to bridge), OR in the worst case a "coin"-shaped battery you need to remove, leave out for a few minutes, and then put back in.. A manual for the motherboard itself - usually available from the motherboard manufacturer's website - will confirm.

If it's UEFI, it could conceivably be something added by your existing operating system. But it'll still be clearable by wiping the flash memory.