Compaq Armada 1590DMT: Lost Password Windows 2000 Professional

[VIPERST]

I have a Compaq Armada 1590DMT which I received from a friend who no longer
used it and of course no disks and locked out without passwords. I am not a
techie so I have tried the site you usually give on here
(http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/) and not understanding it fully i
need help cracking the password. I have a computer which can create CD's but
not floppies. I need to access this computer to figure out if I can possibly
upgrade it with some extras I may find at a local flea market that has
computer shows almost monthly. I want to do this on the cheap obviously so
free sites will work best and detailed instructions for the non-techie would
be greatly appreciated. I know very little about Windows 2000 Professional so
if I get this computer unlocked I will use it mainly as a hobby computer
short of anything else. Please help!!!!!

 

[Meinolf Weber [MVP-DS]]

Hello VIPERST,

Stick to your other posting, Pegasus gives you lot of infos how to do it
and just creating a new posting will not change them. The tool from pnordahl
is great and works easy if you just follow the description. You do not have
to be a techie.

Best regards

Meinolf Weber
Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers
no rights.
** Please do NOT email, only reply to Newsgroups
** HELP us help YOU!!! http://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/mul_crss.htm

 

[VIPERST]

Hello VIPERST,

Stick to your other posting, Pegasus gives you lot of infos how to do it
and just creating a new posting will not change them. The tool from pnordahl
is great and works easy if you just follow the description. You do not have
to be a techie.

Best regards

Meinolf Weber
Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers
no rights.
** Please do NOT email, only reply to Newsgroups
** HELP us help YOU!!! http://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/mul_crss.htm

Well not to sound ignorant or disrespectful but Pegasus tried to sell me his
copy from overseas which sorry but given the state of my economic conditions
is not an option I would want to risk. I explained in my posts that I want to
do this cheaply without going overboard. Wouldn't make much sense spending
more on an old laptop than I did on a brand new one recently. This is a major
pain I know but I need to do this by saving money not wasting it really.

I tried the http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/ site and if you read my
posts you know that I have had no success writing a CD from the image given
on that site. I have Power2Go as my burning software and if anyone knows how
to get a proper disc from that burner and get it to run despite my not being
able to change the password or so far the BIOS (not able to get someone to
explain how to do that to boot from disc on my computer yet either).

I would be glad to thank whoever can untangle this multitaking mess and get
my free laptop unlocked and usable once again without me having to buy a
new/used OS disc, send for mystery unlocker company discs to remove the
password, pay someone overseas postage for discs, etc.etc...

I just want to do this without pulling my hair out like I have for nearly a
year already.

 

[Meinolf Weber [MVP-DS]]

Hello VIPERST,

If you have downloaded the cd080802.zip from the webpage, extract it to a
folder, you get a cd080802.iso file.

Download and install this free burn software, small and easy to use:
http://infrarecorder.org/?page_id=5

If installed start the software, choose Actions, Burn image, browse to the
folder where the cd080802.iso is located, choose open and burn it to CD.
Then you can use the CD to start your computer and follow the instruction
from the webpage.

Best regards

Meinolf Weber
Disclaimer: This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers
no rights.
** Please do NOT email, only reply to Newsgroups
** HELP us help YOU!!! http://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/mul_crss.htm

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Well not to sound ignorant or disrespectful but Pegasus tried to sell me
his
copy from overseas which sorry but given the state of my economic
conditions
is not an option I would want to risk.

I beg to disagree. I never tried to "sell you" my copy of the Win2000 CD - I
offered to let you have a copy for the cost of postage + expenses. In other
words, I would have spent time copying the CD, wrapping it up and taking it
to the post office free of charge, simply to help someone out of a bind. To
see that you interpret my offer as a risky overseas sales transaction
surprises me and I am now withdrawing it. I suggest you take up my previous
suggestion and find a friend near you who is prepared to do the same thing
for you.

 

[VIPERST]

I beg to disagree. I never tried to "sell you" my copy of the Win2000 CD - I
offered to let you have a copy for the cost of postage + expenses. In other
words, I would have spent time copying the CD, wrapping it up and taking it
to the post office free of charge, simply to help someone out of a bind. To
see that you interpret my offer as a risky overseas sales transaction
surprises me and I am now withdrawing it. I suggest you take up my previous
suggestion and find a friend near you who is prepared to do the same thing
for you.

Never meant to disrespect you and I apologize. I may have been offended by
the comment you made about my friend givng me a virus laden computer so we
both kind of got under each others skin over really just poor wording. I also
feel that by paying postage I would be violating Microsoft copyright laws
about their software so take that as a heads up as to your offer. No offense
meant really just covering my butt and yours for offering for any kind of
payment

I tried InstaRecord to write the disc image of the website mentioned in the
other post and still no way to boot from disc when I get the Windows 2000
Advanced Options Menu. Everything defaults to Windows 2000 and the locked out
password screen once again. I did as the last poster said for that software
and unless either of us missed a step seems it won't work with my mini CD-RW
I used with each other trial and error software so far.

 

[Sid Elbow]

VIPERST, this is the second thread you've started because you were
unable or unwilling to follow the (sound) advice you were given in the
first. It's coming across with a bit of a credibility gap:

Well not to sound ignorant or disrespectful but Pegasus tried to sell me his
copy from overseas which sorry but given the state of my economic conditions
is not an option I would want to risk. I explained in my posts that I want to
do this cheaply without going overboard. Wouldn't make much sense spending
more on an old laptop than I did on a brand new one recently. This is a major
pain I know but I need to do this by saving money not wasting it really.

You blithely state that you recently purchased a brand new laptop. At
the same time you claim that you can't afford a couple of bucks to take
up Pegasus's offer of a disc copy ... he was only going to charge
postage and perhaps the cost of a disc.

I tried the http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/ site and if you read my
posts you know that I have had no success writing a CD from the image given
on that site. I have Power2Go as my burning software and if anyone knows how
to get a proper disc from that burner and get it to run despite my not being
able to change the password or so far the BIOS (not able to get someone to
explain how to do that to boot from disc on my computer yet either).

You strenuously objected when you were described as "none too computer
literate" and yet you've demonstrated it several times by statements
like these (the fact that you are aware that the internet doesn't come
on a disc doesn't actually demonstrate computer literacy ... although,
implying that it does so demonstrate might indicate the reverse). Not
being computer literate is not a slur or denigration but it does affect
how much time and in how much detail and effort people will put into
helping you and how much they expect you to be able to do for yourself.

I just want to do this without pulling my hair out like I have for nearly a
year already.

Instead of spending energy pulling you hair out have you actually tried
helping yourself? A few things that come to mind are:

- Googling for help on getting into and setting up the BIOS to boot from CD

- Reading the help file for Power2Go and/or going to the vendor's
website to see if they have any further documentation or a faq

- Going to the laptop manufacturer's website to see if they have a
manual available for download that will help - or other information.


Perhaps you have done some of this, but you haven't said so. And we
aren't mind readers. In any event, snapping or complaining at the people
that are trying to help is counterproductive (even if you feel
justified). This is *your* problem and while the people here have
demonstrated over the years that they are willing to spend a lot of time
and go to considerable lengths to help (witness Pegasus' offer to make
and mail you a disc), they can be turned off very easily if it becomes a
PIA for them.

 

[Sid Elbow]

I tried InstaRecord to write the disc image of the website mentioned in the
other post and still no way to boot from disc when I get the Windows 2000
Advanced Options Menu. Everything defaults to Windows 2000 and the locked out
password screen once again. I did as the last poster said for that software
and unless either of us missed a step seems it won't work with my mini CD-RW
I used with each other trial and error software so far.

It isn't clear that you are doing what you are being asked to do.

- Power up the machine sufficiently to put the disc in the cd-drive.
Then *power down* the machine.

- Turn power on.

- If you still see a Windows menu, your BIOS is not set to boot from CD
and you *will* have to find out how to get into the BIOS to change that
(note that, in this case, you would have to do that even if you wish to
re-install Windows from an install-cd).


- Alternatively, if you now boot to the cd you are almost there. Proceed
according to the instructions for password removal.