A FAT32 formatted USB drive (under 32GB) and access to a second computer.
A BIOS password protects your hardware. Once you regain access, consider leaving it unlocked unless you are in a high-security environment. Happy computing, and may your boot screens be password-free.
To achieve a "top" success rate, you need advanced techniques. Let’s rank them from easiest (least invasive) to most reliable (hardware level). HP sometimes embeds a master password generator based on a system-generated "SKU" or "Invalid" code. This works 30% of the time.
Stuck on a black screen asking for a password before boot? You are not alone.