Daughter locked out of her netbook.

Pinnacle

Could really do with some help on this one.

I got my daughter a Samsung NC-10 netbook last christmas, but for the past few months she has been unable to login as she has forgotten her windows login password :mad:

She is now hounding me to get it repaired. I was just wondering if there is a way to this myself? A lot of the online programs seem to need a computer with a cd drive in order to work. But this netbook only has a usb drive, which is making it more difficult.

Is there anyway at all I can recover her lost password without havning to go to a shop and pay a fortune? Or could I just reinstall the windows 7?

Any help really is greatly appriciated.

B00MSTICK

Reinstalling the OS would be the easiest option, you could make a bootable USB key or failing that borrow an external optical drive.

There may even be a recovery partition?

Where are you based?

techstuff

hi

go into safe mode by pressing f8 at startup

log in as administrator

go into control panel and change the password for her user account

probably just 15 minutes work

let me know how you get on

mark

enda1

What does this line mean in your post: "A lot of the online programs seem to need a computer with a cd drive in order to work. But this netbook only has a usb drive, which is making it more difficult."?

What online programs need a CD drive?

That seems a bit odd.

old_aussie

Hi,

First try what techstuff said.

If not successfull, the user manual should guide you through the recovery process.

Pinnacle

Thanks for the quick response on this one guys.

I am unable to login as an administator, as that'salso asking me for the password.

With regards to reinstalling windows, I'm trying to figure out how to do that now. We have the windows 7 key, but I do not know where to get the windows installer to install to a flash drive, hope you can understand this

Also, when I was looking for some programs online, a lot them seem to require me to burn them to a cd, and boot from the cd. I think they were iso files? But I need something I can load on a usb, boot from the usb and hope it finds her password. Does something like this exist?

Man, we've tried every single combination of words and phrases, caps, no caps, numbers, you name it! All to no avail, her bebo cold turkey is begining to show!

enda1

Try reading through this: http://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/winservercore/thread/60af3ea7-d843-4b18-ab8e-c5052256554e

Did you try logging in in safe mode as suggested?

ricman

Look at start up screen, theres usually menu option, or press f2 to start recovery process .
see here password reset boot cd, reboot try f8 ,safe mode menu,first.has the netbook got a cd drive?
http://pogostick.net/~pnh/ntpasswd/

WHAT Model is it, eg acer 450m?

Pinnacle

Lads,

Tried to login to safe mode as suggested, but still need the admin password.

@ Ricman, that program is exactly the sort of thing I need.
However, it seems to only be available as a bootable cd image. I need something I can put on a usb flash drive and boot from that.

Is there a way I can make that program boot from flash drive?
Computer is a Samsung N110

Auvers

Pinnacle wrote: »

Lads,Tried to login to safe mode as suggested, but still need the admin password.

there normally is no admin password

Pinnacle

Ahhh! Maybe i tried entering a password.

God this computer is one awful pile..

I no longer have an option for safe mode.
Pressing f8 does nothing in the bios... I'm on verge of giving up now!

Auvers

Pinnacle wrote: »

Ahhh! Maybe i tried entering a password.

God this computer is one awful pile..

I no longer have an option for safe mode.
Pressing f8 does nothing in the bios... I'm on verge of giving up now!

press f8 just after the bios (just when windows is about to boot)

Pinnacle

Thanks Auvers,

I got it in the end.
But once again, this being a computer, nothing is straght forward!
While asking the computer to boot into safe mode, and hoping to get the option for loging in as an admin. It still reverts back to the same windows login, asking for her password.

knird evol

Pinnacle wrote: »

... I'm on verge of giving up now!

don't get frustrated. you'll soon have it fixed.
it's easy to miss f8 at right time, so just keep your finger over it and tap it every couple of seconds, watch the screen . when the windows advanced boot options screen menu appears > select Safe Mode and press Enter on keyboard

Auvers

just type administrator in the username box and leave the password blank

Pinnacle

Not an option!

I just get her User name, which I cannot edit, and a prompt for her password!

What a nightmare!

Auvers

hhmm it must be different in win 7

you could follow this tutorial to reset the password

http://www.windowsloginrecovery.com/forgot-windows-7-password.html

more info here

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/102005-reset-user-account-password.html

ricman

see here http://www.techrena.net/computers/reset-windows-xp-vista-7-password-usb-pen-drive-cd/ boots image from usb key,

first try reboot pc, at welcome screen, press cntrl alt del simultaenously, 3 times ,if admin password screen appears leave password field blank, press ok,or enter,
it should load windows, if not just put in password ,eg user is new password.
Then go to control panel,user accounts, make new account, use password user1.
did you try reboot, hold down f8 , safe mode, use arrows,up,down,enter key,select safe mode.

see paragraph 1 here,http://en.kioskea.net/forum/affich-57873-no-xp-pro-disc-and-lost-admin-password,
Type Control UserPasswords2 from start ,run, allows you to change existing passwords.

ronkmonster

I think F4 key needs to pressed during startup to use the built in recovery. But that will set it back to the day you got it

ricman

shes using a user password,the admin password should be blank,unused, unless it was set up by netbook company,its for lockout, emergency use.most people never use the admin password ,unless the pc breaks down.leave it blank,press ok,enter with the mouse pointer,at least til you see does windows load up.if you get in ,make a new guest account, from control panel,user accounts,use a simple password,eg father.something you will not forget.

knird evol

looks like windows 7 makes admin account inactive by default. OP can't get into only user account.
OP gonna have to edit passwords, activate admin....or reinstall