Bypassing password question

Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives

When I graduated from my school they offer to sell the laptop you used while attending. I bought it back but have a question. It is set up as a ctrl,atl,dlt and then you type in your password. I want to run it like a regular personal laptop and not still on my school program. I no longer know my password to login which was dumb of me....I wrote it down and lost the slip.... My question is is there anyway I can bypass the password without knowing my password? Is buying a new hard drive my only option? If I need to clarify anything let me know.....Thanks for any help. -Stu

If the password is hardwired into the system, there may be a way to bypass it.

If its a pesky program, its much more difficult without buying a new hard drive.

If it is a windows operating system with the hardwire password. You can go into the configuration setup when you start your computer, by pressing the "Delete" key or whatever it says to push at the first screen. From there, you should find a password protection menu.

I don't know if you need the password for that also, but its worth a shot.

There are several boot cd isos around that will allow you to edit/delete the system user passwords for NT/2000/XP. Google : windows password iso boot.

--JamesT

Also depends on the type of authentication, if it's a network password that adds some complexity as well.

do not buy a new hard drive!! if anything, i'd say buy a copy of win XP pro and install it. or, if your system came with the windows disk, re-install it.

It has Windows XP, it's a IBM Thinkpad T41....The first screen that I can access by pressing the little blue ibm button does nothing to help solve the password problem. How could I re-install somthing if I cant even get past the ctrl,alt,del password. Hold me to my word but if anyones willing help I'll send a few bucks in the mail for your time. Just want to get this figured out because my pc is on its last legs.....-Stu

They should be reghosting the machine when you buy it to remove the system-based setup. I would contact your school.

Originally posted by Zoom Zoom Diva:
They should be reghosting the machine when you buy it to remove the system-based setup. I would contact your school.

Thats what I originally thought was going to happen. Contacting my school would take to long as it would have to ship and that the technology workers are really slow. Keep the knowledge flowing guys!!-Stu

Did you get a restore CD (or any other CD's for that matter)?

To change from Control Alt Delete on XP to regular boot...

Goto Control Panel, then Administrative Tools, Then Local Security Policy

(Note you need Admin privilages)

On local security policies, click Local Policies, then Security Options.

Find: Interactive Login: Do Not require CTRL+ALT+DEL. Double click that, and select Enabled.

Reboot PC.

For normal multiuse, go back to Control panel, then User Accounts. On the mainscreen, select "Change the way users log on or off"
Then select "USe the welcome screen" and then you can enable fast switching too

Now to bypass admin password - I believe their is a method with a Windows XP CD and the recovery console...

This works too http://www.lostpassword.com/windows-xp-2000-nt.htm

1st
Try booting in to Safe Mode, type in administrator as user, Password leave empty. Many people leave this password blank. From the Administrator control pannel you can reset passwords of users

2nd
if that didn't work. Find a way to "Obtain" a copy of Passware, you know were to look. With this there is a program to make a boot disk that will wipe all passwords.

Originally posted by FFE:
1st
Try booting in to Safe Mode, type in administrator as user, Password leave empty. Many people leave this password blank. From the Administrator control pannel you can reset passwords of users

Oh yeah... Muhaha! I love clueless computer users!

Well I tried and downloaded a few of those programs on to disks but the problem is, is when I put the disk in when the ctrl,alt,del page is on the disk wont do anything except spin.....It wont load or ask what I want to do with the disk......any help on how to get the disk to load without auctually being logged in? -Stu

Originally posted by SVTcontourSVT:
Well I tried and downloaded a few of those programs on to disks but the problem is, is when I put the disk in when the ctrl,alt,del page is on the disk wont do anything except spin.....It wont load or ask what I want to do with the disk......any help on how to get the disk to load without auctually being logged in? -Stu

Those are bootable disks. You don't boot to the hard drive. Boot to the disks.