Getting rid of password on inherited computer (BSOD)

[news.rcn.com]

Having a minor problem getting rid of a password on an inherited computer
which has a good install of Windows 2000 on it but with a password.

How do I get into the %systemroot% directory to delete the SAM file? I tried
with windows 2000 install discs and at the end of the 4th install disc they
give me a UNEXPECTED_KERNEL_MODE_TRAP BSOD. With the 6 windows XP install
discs, after I get into the recovery console, the unit reboots when I try
to press C. Surely I should be able to see NTFS direcotries using the
recovery console from XP install discs?

The CD doesn't work so I was wondering if there was any way of getting to
this directory using a Floppy? Is there such a thing as a floppy boot which
will let me use NTFS? Or which will let the system recognise a USB CD-ROM?
Or do I have to use an external SCSI CD somehow on the parallel port and
boot using BARTPE? Can BARTPE get into the %SYSTEMROOT% directory? Or will
Knoppix let me see this?

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Having a minor problem getting rid of a password on an inherited computer
which has a good install of Windows 2000 on it but with a password.

How do I get into the %systemroot% directory to delete the SAM file? I tried
with windows 2000 install discs and at the end of the 4th install disc they
give me a UNEXPECTED_KERNEL_MODE_TRAP BSOD. With the 6 windows XP install
discs, after I get into the recovery console, the unit reboots when I try
to press C. Surely I should be able to see NTFS direcotries using the
recovery console from XP install discs?

The CD doesn't work so I was wondering if there was any way of getting to
this directory using a Floppy? Is there such a thing as a floppy boot which
will let me use NTFS? Or which will let the system recognise a USB CD-ROM?
Or do I have to use an external SCSI CD somehow on the parallel port and
boot using BARTPE? Can BARTPE get into the %SYSTEMROOT% directory? Or will
Knoppix let me see this?

Here are the usual ways to get into an NTFS partition:
- Boot the machine with a Bart PE boot CD (www.bootdisk.com).
It's a very nice tool but it will take you a few hours to make it.
- Temporarily install the disk as a slave disk in some other
WinXP/2000 PC.
- Boot into the Recovery Console. The fact that the machine
reboots when you try it suggests that there is something
wrong with your installation.
- Buy a copy of NTFSDOS Professional from www.sysinternals.com.
Could be a bit expensive.

The normal way, of course, is to ask the original owner
for the password.

 

[news.rcn.com]

- Boot the machine with a Bart PE boot CD (www.bootdisk.com).

Well that sounds easy enough, especially as I have a BartPE disc already: I
only need to figure out how to get the unit to boot so that it can see an
external CD, possibly connected through a USB port. Is there a way of doing
this? Or I also have a SCSI floppy which connects through a parallel port
and a Mini-SCSI Plus connector wire. Is there a way of getting this to work
with NTFS?

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Well that sounds easy enough, especially as I have a BartPE disc already: I
only need to figure out how to get the unit to boot so that it can see an
external CD, possibly connected through a USB port. Is there a way of doing
this? Or I also have a SCSI floppy which connects through a parallel port
and a Mini-SCSI Plus connector wire. Is there a way of getting this to work
with NTFS?

CD drives are cheap, and you need one sooner or latr anyway,
so why not buy one now?

 

[Gunrunnerjohn]

The really simple way is: http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/ You can have
either a bootable floppy or CD, and it works with NT/2K/XP, I've used it on all
of those platforms. Takes a couple of minutes and you're all done.