XP Pc identity...

  • Thread starter Thread starter Larry Mauriello
  • Start date Start date
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Larry Mauriello

Someone just gave me an old pc. I am looking to clean it up and give it to
someone w/o a pc.
When I boot it up it comes up w/the name/pswd scrren. The person who had it
doesn't even remember
the password. Hitting esc.it seems to load up. I can see the drives and all.
I haven't tried connecting to an ISP yet.
I am curious if there is a way to get it to start w/o that sign-on prompt
w/o loading the OS all over?
It is an AMD K6 cpu. w/what looks like 312Meg RAM and a 25GB HD. I don't
think it's a bad machine
for someone who never had a pc. Outside of the fact it had this HUGE CRT
monitor (17')..

Thanks for the feedback.
 
Larry Mauriello said:
Someone just gave me an old pc. I am looking to clean it up and give it
to someone w/o a pc.
Click to expand...

Do that guy a favour and install Windows from scratch. He/she's not really
interested in all the viruses, worms, trojans, spyware, dialers and the
misconfigurations of the previous owner.
When I boot it up it comes up w/the name/pswd scrren. The person who had
it doesn't even remember the password.
Click to expand...

Installing Windows on a freshly formatted system does not require the old
password.
 
d-d I know what you are saying. The pc afa I know is clean. It was connected
to an ISP before. I can see if connecting to my current ISP will let me d/l
the current updates from MS. Unfrt. I don't have a copy of XP to try
reforematting that system.
 
Larry said:
d-d I know what you are saying. The pc afa I know is clean. It was connected
to an ISP before. I can see if connecting to my current ISP will let me d/l
the current updates from MS. Unfrt. I don't have a copy of XP to try
reforematting that system.
Click to expand...

You need to have the XP cd. If this is a generic OEM machine, it should
have the COA sticker with the Product Key on the side or back. If it
does, you (or a local tech) can install with a generic OEM XP disk. If
it doesn't have a sticker on it and you didn't get the XP operating
system, ask the person who gave you the computer to give it to you.

You will not be doing the person to whom you want to give this machine a
favor unless you also provide the XP CD. But since you are probably
going to go ahead in this half-a**ed fashion anyway, see below for
standard instructions (which would have been easily found by Googling).

*****
If you have forgotten your password, if you have another user account
with administrative privileges you can log into that account and change
your original user account's password from the User Accounts applet in
Control Panel. If you don't have another account like this set up or
don't have the password to it, you'll need to log into the built-in
Administrator account. In XP Home, boot the computer into Safe Mode. Do
this by repeatedly tapping the F8 key as the computer is starting up.
This will get you to the right menu. Navigate using your Up arrow key;
the mouse will not work here. Once in Safe Mode, you will see the
normally hidden Administrator account. The default password is a blank.

In XP Pro, you do not need to go into Safe Mode. At the Welcome Screen,
do Ctrl-Alt-Del twice to get the classic Windows logon box. Type in
"Administrator" and whatever password you assigned when you set up Windows.

If you reset the built-in Administrator account's password in Home or
have Pro and don't remember the password, use NTpasswd to change the
built-in Administrator account's password to a blank.

http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/

Then go to the User Accounts applet in Control Panel and set passwords
that you will remember and make other desired changes.
*****

Malke
 
Larry Mauriello said:
d-d I know what you are saying. The pc afa I know is clean. It was connected
to an ISP before. I can see if connecting to my current ISP will let me d/l
the current updates from MS. Unfrt. I don't have a copy of XP to try
reforematting that system.
Click to expand...

When reformatting, you need both the product key (CoA) and the install media.
Otherwise, the previous owner let you just the piece of hardware and using
the existing WinXP installation won't be legal anyway.
 
Someone just gave me an old pc. I am looking to clean it up and give it to
someone w/o a pc.
When I boot it up it comes up w/the name/pswd scrren. The person who had it
doesn't even remember
the password. Hitting esc.it seems to load up. I can see the drives and all.
I haven't tried connecting to an ISP yet.
I am curious if there is a way to get it to start w/o that sign-on prompt
w/o loading the OS all over?
Click to expand...


"Loading the OS all over" is exactly what you *should* do. 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 kiddie porn, etc., and I wouldn't recommend that anyone
else do either.
 
Ken,
While I agree that is the way it prob. *should* be done. a) this pc is an
older AMD K6 (P-2) compatible (?).
b) It has a special keybd w/special keys from Compaq and c) The guy I am
looking to give it to has never owned a pc and
has no $ to pay for Inet svc. He doesn't even have a phone. Just looking ot
give him some *basic* knowlwedge*.
I have a call to the person who gave it to me to see if they have a set of
Restore Discs. This way I can roll it back
to facotry specs.
 
Ken,
While I agree that is the way it prob. *should* be done. a) this pc is an
older AMD K6 (P-2) compatible (?).
Click to expand...


What does its age have to do with it?

b) It has a special keybd w/special keys from Compaq and
Click to expand...


What does the keyboard have to do with it? (and by the way, a new
standard keyboard cam be bought for under $10)

c) The guy I am
looking to give it to has never owned a pc and
has no $ to pay for Inet svc. He doesn't even have a phone. Just looking ot
give him some *basic* knowlwedge*.
Click to expand...


OK, but a machine that works properly is much better than one that
doesn't. He won't learn much if he gets frustrated by a problem-ridden
installation.

I have a call to the person who gave it to me to see if they have a set of
Restore Discs. This way I can roll it back
to facotry specs.
Click to expand...



OK. My advice stands, but what you do is your decision, not mine.


 
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