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Need someone with computer knowledge

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Bloinkxp:

Moondog,
To delete the old password search your c:\windows dir (and subdirs) for *.pwl.  Delete the .pwl and you will be good.

For Windows 2000 the above mentioned exploit does not work on post w2ksp3 machines (i believe).

-d

shadowdrak:

Well try it out I guess.  Don't worry if it messes up your registry.  It is just about the only option you have.  If it doesn't boot after do it, set the bios to boot from a CD and format and install any OS you have a disk for.  Any problems there and I would be glad to help.  Let's be optimistic though.  We'll burn that bridge IF we come to it.

Tahnok:

You know, it is a lot easier to work with a locked harddrive if you just drop it into another computer as a slave. I think that should work, but I have never done it personally.

shadowdrak:

There are only a couple of reasons you would want to drop it into another computer.
A: If you need to get data off of it.
Not the case here because he has never used this computer before.
B: If you are having trouble formatting it... either because you aren't comfortable using dos or some other reason.
In the case of a computer with a weird partitioning scheme or certain NTFS volumes it may be difficult to get it partitioned and formatted using a boot disk.

I see no reason in this case to put it into another box (although be my guest if you decide to do so.  Make sure you reset the jumpers if you do.)

In any other case, fdisk and format from a boot disk should cover it.  I have had to transplant hard-drives in the past, but only for reason A.  Usually it is easier to leave the drive in place if you can boot to a floppy or CD.  As long as you can get to a C prompt it takes exactly two commands(in some cases 3) to get a drive formatted(assuming you only want one partition).

So I don't I don't honestly see how opening up two cases, unscrewing a hard-drive, setting jumpers on two drives, then reversing the process is simpler than typing 2 commands on a console.  To each his own I suppose.  I have been doing this a long time and I could easily be classified as lazy, and trust me, this requires an absolute minimum of effort(so long as you know how to use console commands).  This reply is meant to be blunt, not condescending BTW.

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