ibm thinkpad

timbim_2

You'll need a Win2K CD, if indeed it's 2000 you've got installed. Is the password prompt the Windows one, with the blue background and the screen showing the box with administrator and then one below for the password, or is it a black screen with white text? If the former, then a re-install of windows will do the trick, if the latter, looks like it may be curtains for the system.

sarah-t_4

i dont have a cd. thought i had a windows Xp from my pc but cant seem to find it.:(
is there any other way please?

timbim_2

Is it the standard windows password prompt or not?

beardiedog

Hi sarah-t

Do you have a Windows boot floppy disk or CD? If so, switch off the computer, insert floppy or CD and turn on. Once at the command prompt try this method to delete the SAM file and then reboot.

Edit: The floppy is the best option here if you have one on the laptop as it needs to copy the SAM file to it. Otherwise delete the copy command but you will lose the SAM file.

sarah-t_4

hiiya
its a cd drive and i dont but i dont have a cd

sarah-t_4

timbim wrote: »

Is it the standard windows password prompt or not?

i turn it on ant it asks for administrators password.

beardiedog

timbim - I think it's the standard password prompt as sarah-t has removed the CMOS battery in an attempt to clear the BIOS password assuming one was set.

sarah-t_4

beardiedog wrote: »

Hi sarah-t

Do you have a Windows boot floppy disk or CD? If so, switch off the computer, insert floppy or CD and turn on. Once at the command prompt try this method to delete the SAM file and then reboot.

Edit: The floppy is the best option here if you have one on the laptop as it needs to copy the SAM file to it. Otherwise delete the copy command but you will lose the SAM file.

hiya
beardiedog
Can i take the hard drive o ut of the laptop and connect it through another laptop and copy that ?

thanks alot.

beardiedog

sarah-t wrote: »

hiya
beardiedog
Can i take the hard drive o ut of the laptop and connect it through another laptop and copy that ?

thanks alot.

Probably but you would need to connect it via USB/Firewire. You can try it but you have to boot from a separate OS otherwise Windows won't let you access the SAM file.

Strider590

You could get into a right mess deleting the SAM file.... You'll end up with file access problems because the NTFS file system uses the password hash in the SAM file to encrypt files and folders that have restricted access.
(in the best possible layman's terms there)

I suppose its worth a try, but I would prefer a clean install, with peace of mind that it won't give me any nasty surprises further down the line.

Got a disk for 2000 Pro Sp2 lay around here somewhere hmmmmmmm