Password Problems

[Jrs4life]

I brought a used(old) Computer at a Thrift Store for my 9 year old Daughter.
When I plugged it in, it asked me for a password. I tried to change the name
to admin and press enter, but that didnt work. Did I just buy a dud and need
to trash it?

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I brought a used(old) Computer at a Thrift Store for my 9 year old Daughter.
When I plugged it in, it asked me for a password. I tried to change the name
to admin and press enter, but that didnt work. Did I just buy a dud and need
to trash it?

Probably not, but what you certainly need to do with any used
computer, in my view, is reinstall Windows cleanly.

If I acquired a used computer, the first thing I would do with it
would be to reinstall the operating system cleanly. You have no idea
how the computer has been maintained, what has been installed
incorrectly, what is missing, what viruses and spyware there may be,
etc. I wouldn't want to live with somebody else's mistakes and
problems, possibility of kiddy porn, etc., and I wouldn't recommend
that anyone else do either.

 

[Leonard Grey]

The first thing to do when you acquire a used computer is to erase the
hard disk and reinstall all the software. No joke. That's the only way
to know that the computer is free of malware and misconfiguration.

Otherwise, you're inviting a stranger into your home, and what you don't
know about that stranger can hurt you.

If you weren't provided with installation media for the software on the
computer you have to go out and buy it yourself. Some deal, huh? Given
the choice, I'd buy a brand new cheap-o computer over a used computer.
It comes with all the software and a warranty.
---
Leonard Grey
Errare humanum est

"A Day in the Life of a Web 2.0 Hacker" - PC Magazine
http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2330952,00.asp

 

[db.·.. >]

you would really have to
be familiar with computers
to utilize someone else's
junk.

just take it back and leave
old equipment for the geeks
that enjoy browsing the
thrifty marts.

 

[sandy58]

I brought a used(old) Computer at a Thrift Store for my 9 year old Daughter.
When I plugged it in, it asked me for a password. I tried to change the name
to admin and press enter, but that didnt work. Did I just buy a dud and need
to trash it?

Remove the Cmos battery for 30 minutes. Replace & startup. The
password most likely will be gone. (Looks like a watch battery
clipped to motherboard. Hope it's not soldered!)

 

[Jrs4life]

Remove the Cmos battery for 30 minutes. Replace & startup. The
password most likely will be gone. (Looks like a watch battery
clipped to motherboard. Hope it's not soldered!)

Is that the same as BIOS?

 

[ju.c]

Resetting a Forgotten Password


NOTES

- The built-in Administrator account is found on the
Welcome screen only if there are no other accounts
available, other than Guest, or when the computer is
booted into Safe Mode.
- To get Admin account on the "Welcome Screen" make sure
that there are no accounts logged in.
- The built-in Administrator account can create and
change passwords for all users, but cannot restore a
forgotten one.
- When a password is changed, that account will lose
all encrypted files, personal certificates and stored
Internet Explorer passwords or network resources.
- Press "CTRL-ALT-DEL" twice to get the classic Windows
logon box. Type: Administrator. If this account has a
password, enter it. Otherwise, leave the it blank.
- Recovering a password is much more difficult. Using
a cracking program can take weeks!


RESET A PASSWORD USING THE ADMINISTRATOR ACCOUNT

1. Boot into Safe Mode.
2. Log on using the built-in Administrator account.
3. Open: Control Panel -> User Accounts.
4. On the Users tab, select a user name, the password
to change and click Reset Password.


RESET A PASSWORD USING MICROSOFT'S ERD COMMANDER

1. Download a 30 day trial from here:

Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset 5.0 $65 64 MB
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/...69-0554-4595-8AB4-C34B2860E087&displaylang=en

2. Install it, run it and burn the image to a CD.
3. Boot the CD and run the Locksmith Wizard, found under
Start -> System Tools.
4. The Locksmith Wizard very easy to use, just select an
account and input a new password. Too easy!


RESET A PASSWORD USING OFFLINE NT PASSWORD & REGISTRY EDITOR

Bootable CD (Freeware):
http://home.eunet.no/pnordahl/ntpasswd/bootdisk.html

- This disc can set, reset or unlock the password of any
user account.
- You do not need to know the old password to set a new one.
- Works with Windows NT/2k/XP/Vista.


RESET A PASSWORD USING NT PASSWORD HACK

This will blank the Administrator password (Freeware):
http://www.webtree.ca/windowsxp/tools/ntpassword/ntpasswordhack.zip


RECOVER A PASSWORD USING THE LOGIN RECOVERY WEB SERVICE

Login Recovery is a service to recover passwords for Windows NT,
2000, XP, 2003 and Vista (Fast = $30, 3-day wait = Free):
http://www.loginrecovery.com/index.php


LINKS

How to reset the Administrator's password:
http://www.petri.co.il/forgot_administrator_password.htm

EFS, Credentials, and Private Keys from Certificates Are
Unavailable After a Password Is Reset:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q290260

Administrator and User Passwords in Windows XP:
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/win_xp_passwords.htm


ju.c

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

Remove the Cmos battery for 30 minutes. Replace & startup. The
password most likely will be gone.

Although Jrs4life *may* be talking about the BIOS password, that isn't
at all clear from his message. He may be talking about a Windows
password, and in that case what you suggest won't help.

Also the question of how long the BIOS battery must be removed to
reset the settings is variable. Although 30 minutes is more than
sufficient in most cases, it's not sufficient in all cases, and I've
seen some computers where a few hours were required.