Does anyone know how to ........?

[Punch]

Ovveride a lost password ?

I bought a Laptop today at auction from from a French building company in liquidation. When it powers up it asks for the password which of course I don't have.

Can anyone tell me how I can either find the password or bypass it to get it to boot up please. It was only 220 euros so I am hoping my money wasn't wasted - hopefully it will become my daughters Pc for college studies!!

All I know about it is that it is a fairly a fairly recent NEC versa M320 pentium 4 with windows XP proffesional.

Any help/offers gratefully received!

 

 

[Albert the InfoGipsy]

If it's looking for an XP login password (likely with XP Pro installed) you'll probably have to wipe & re-install Windows.

If it actually refuses to boot because of a hardware/BIOS level password them you may be able to clear it by going inside and physically resetting a switch or even removing the BIOS battery.

If you go to this site you'll be able to select your machine and search for 'password'.

http://help1.nec-computers.com/main.asp?lang=com

and this page is a sample of the results:

http://help1.nec-computers.com/pib.asp?platform=topic_01303&mode=default&source=1413

Good luck.

[Punch]

 

Thanks Albert, much appreciated. The links you posted seem to suggest that I need to go in - but I am not sure of a couple of things ; 

I am not sure if the the instructions for re-setting the bios jumpers on the motherboard are the right instructions for this model? And also I know it seems daft but I have never owned a laptop and am unsure of how to get the case undone . I have removed all the screws on the underside but would prefer some advice before trying to get it apart . I noticed that there are two removable covers that give easy access to the hard drive and the memory - but I assume I will need to get in deeper by removing the case? 

[Will]

According to microsoft, you will probably have to get a new Windows disc and re-install (assuming no recovery disc came with the machine?) see http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=321305. That makes sense, because if it was easy to override the passwords there would be little point in using them.

This looks like a cheaper alternative, though I have no knowledge of how good it is other than having heard from somebody else who has successfully used it http://www.password-reset.com/

While looking for the above, I found http://sniptools.com/tipstricks/lost-my-windows-xp-password-how-to-recover which seems to have some other solutions, though it seems to be for the geeks rather then us mere mortals.

 

[Punch]

Thanks Will much appreciated.

Unfortunately, the password is asked for even before I can boot up to Windows, so I have sneaky suspicion that it is bios linked . I would assume therefore that those fixes won't work as they seem to be for forgotten windows user passwords only.

I am beginning to feel this could get complicated!

[clarksinfrance]

Hi Punch, don't know where you are,  I live in 56 nr Baud,

Microsoft say you have to re-install, but some of us know different. I

have some software that can recover login passwords, if you are

somewhere nr please let me know  and I will endeavour to help.

[George]

Suggest it would be worth trying the battery route first.  Just remove it for 10-30 minutes.  Not very secure, but have known it to work on some machines in our college

[Albert the InfoGipsy]

Sorry I can't help with getting into your machine. I don't have any personal experience of that model.

You should be able to download a manual which will probably have instructions for getting at the innards.

Some machines have a cunning way of getting in by removing the keyboard, but they're all different.

Although I have owned a number of laptops I prefer desktops because they are so much easier to fiddle with.

[Punch]

Just to give you an update on progress with this machine for those of you who where kind enough to offer advice and help....

Well amazingly I managed to get the thing to boot up past the bios password to the XP windows user account screen . I did this more by chance then error by pressing both F8 and escape at the same time on boot up. I am SO glad I didn't take the case apart as I had started too but chickened out when I couldn't prise the case off! I was ready to bin the thing at one point after someone Pm'ed me saying it was almost irreparable!

Anyway there then remained the user account windows XP password to overcome. Well after a long conversation with Clarks in France last night, it seemd that this wasn't going to be easy either. We couldn't resolve it not without further research - but thanks to the gentleman concerned for all his patience

I won't say how I eventually got the password as it wouldn't be fair to post such information but I did manage get in and  log on and then reset users and new password, I then noticed the machine was strippped of most of it's useful programmes so I did a system restauration back to may this year which recovered such usefull  programs as Excel, word, autocad, etc. So for 220 euros a working P4 Laptop!

[Afy]

Actually it would be of great interest to a large number of us, as to how you overcame the XP passowrd as well. If you are hesitant to post it publicly I would love a PM on this.

 

Thanks.