Hi PC-Newbie,
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I understand that you are trying to recover you notebook, but as you do not know the admin password or answer to the hint, you are unable to complete the process.
I believe it is asking you for your Windows Administrator password, not a SimplePass password. If you are unable to access the Recovery Manager, you have 2 options left. If you created recovery CD/DVDs or USB stick then you can use those to recover your system. If you did not, I suggest calling HP support and inquiring about a USB recovery stick option. Here is a document to aid with the recovery. Performing an HP System Recovery (Windows 8)
Please call HP technical support at 800-474-6836. If you live outside the US/Canada Region, please click the link below to get the support number for your region. HP Technical Support Sitemap