Does anyone know how I, as a novice user, can remove or get around a password protected OPERATING SYSTEM? Specifically WIN 2000. On the log in screen there is an "OPTIONS" tab. That option brings up the choice of logging in using the existing internet connection. There is a dsl connection on this tower. Concidering that I am not the original owner, and that the phone account is not active, will MY dsl and/or phone connection work in order to allow me to log in? Is the users password stored in the system so the user can retrieve it if forgotten? Can I as new user set up my own name/pass that will replace the existing one? There is a video signal but without being able to log in I cannot check the rest of the system. The last time I ran into this I had to have the os replaced with XP. The person who did it is not here anymore. Any ideas? There are 6 of these towers available. I can get all 6 for next to nothing. They are probably pent 11, Not worth anything to any one. I doubt anyone would waste their time on them. Me on the other hand will play with them with some guidence from here Thank you.
Just hit delete when it's running the POST and install something else.. It's not worth the effort trying to recover passwords on win2000.
There are many methods, but they vary by machine and involve usually either crashing the machine while it is booting, then when it starts again and loads the menu starting in safe mode and changing the administrator pass to something you know... or booting a different cd based OS and editing the sam file.
Small linux distros run very well on old hardware as long as it has more then 64mb of ram. Less needs some skills.
Thank you for the info but it sounds to complicated for me to handle. Not worth the effort. I do NOT have a xp cd and even if I did I would not know how to DELET the 2000 os FIRST allowing the xp to replase it. There is an issue I deal with occasionally on TWO towers. One is a TYAN, one is a DELL. Both running XP. TYAN uses a wireless mouse, DELL uses a wired OPTICAL mouse. Once in a while the CURSOR either FREEZES in place, or sometime the cursor does NOT appear on start up. In either case my ONLY choices are to replace the mouse with a wired one while the tower is still powered, or without a cursor I have no choice but to pull the plug. then restart and hope I didn*t screw up the the OS. Sometimes I get lucky and sometimes not. Any advice? This has not been a problem lately. But I know it will return.
As I said the password is REMOVING or IGNORING a password protected pc regardless of the OS. I came across a few GATEWAY matched pcs that were apparently from an office. They all have video and they all show the same password protected log in screen. I tried to bypass the login screen but nothing worked not even the CONTROL/ALT/DELETE as reccomended on screen. I also looked at all the links provided and it still seems a complicated not worth it to me process. Someone told me to simply remove the motherboard battery for a few minuits and then replace it. That will remove the password and probably other settings as well. That means reinstalling my prefered settings. ONE I do not know what they should be, TWO I do not know how to install them, or if the settings that remain would suffice. Any SIMPLE ideas? I keep coming back to my not worth it statement.
Personally if I ever have to remove passwords from a pc I use a software called Active@passwordchanger, but that can cost $$, so the other alternative is to download the live cd of orphcrack and boot your pc with the live cd in your drive and it will decipher the passwords. Orphcrack is freeware and you can download it from here >> http://ophcrack.sourceforge.net/
My pref is for active@passwordchanger but orphcrack is an alternative.
I tried to download the file from your link. It did not work. It is tied into WINZIP. No files were created for WINZIP. I removed the download.I keep coming back to the "not worth it" feeling I have. Thank you anyway.
