Bought Computer but Has Admin Rights

aj9648

Hi

A few weeks ago I bought an old HP PC (about 4 yrs old) to replace my even older PC - just for browsing s/sheets etc - bought from a computer fair - ex company PC by the looks of it as well

Anyway when I got it home I realised that it had admin rights on there and I could not install anything or change setting etc

I took it back to the fair week later and the bloke (not surprisingly) was not there. I have given up hope that he will actually come back !!!

Anyway is there anyway round this e.g. formatting/deleting HD or reinstalling XP etc? Hack p/word?

Please let me know

Ta

The_Grandmaster

I thought reinstalling XP would do the trick but I'm not an expert on these things so this may be wrong/ there may be other simpler methods!

Nickosx

Re-installation of the OS will suffice if it's that which has the admin access on.

If it's for the BIOS then you should have jumpers on the motherboard that can be reset to allow access.

weegie.geek

There are ways around it (there are boot CDs that will let you change the password, etc) but you'd be easier just reinstalling. If they've left it as it is you'll probably have to clear a lot of crap off it so it'll probably be quicker and easier to just reinstall.

Basil1234

think you mean you need admin rights from your first post so can install etc. you may get a prog off something like hirens boot cd to help you out but i would suggest a fresh install including a full format then the machine is clean no bugs etc and will get rid of any rubbish and help speed machine up as well.

ehlo

I've reset passwords with this tool before http://pogostick.net/~pnh/ntpasswd/

As stated above though a reinstall is probably best to clear any clutter

harleq1962

if the computer is on xp try starting in safe mode, if it hasnt been password protected as the main user you will just be able to go straight in and be the admin, i bought an old tower and it worked on that.

eamon

The problem with many ex works PC's is that they are essentially dummy boxes and need to be connected to the works network to have any functionality at all. Having Admin rights may not solve your problem. If you feel comfortable download a version of Linux (free) make an image to a CD and use that to dual boot the PC. This will allow you to see what is on the PC and if it is usable.

tronator

aj9648 wrote: »

Hi

A few weeks ago I bought an old HP PC (about 4 yrs old) to replace my even older PC - just for browsing s/sheets etc - bought from a computer fair - ex company PC by the looks of it as well

Anyway when I got it home I realised that it had admin rights on there and I could not install anything or change setting etc

I took it back to the fair week later and the bloke (not surprisingly) was not there. I have given up hope that he will actually come back !!!

Anyway is there anyway round this e.g. formatting/deleting HD or reinstalling XP etc? Hack p/word?

Please let me know

Ta

What XP is it, Home or Pro? What users do you see on the welcome screen. If the "Administrator" doesn't show, press Ctrl+Alt+Del twice and use administrator as user name with an empty password. This might do the trick if the previous owner left the empty administrator password which is default in XP Pro IIRC.

In XP Home you need to start in safe mode to log in as "Administrator".

aj9648

Hi

Only just managed to go through some of these posts today....sorry

Basically seems the PC has some very tight security on it. I cannot log on to Windows XP. Adminstrator has a p/w on it and also at the start up when |I hit F10 for options I need a password to get in there. Also tried safe mode and again need a p/word.

So without a password I cannot install anything and without trying to identify the CD rom drive as main source at start up I cant use a boot up disk.

Any other suggestions?

rdpro

You'll need to open the case and pop the little coin cell battery out (ensure it's unplugged at the mains too) for a few seconds. Pop it back in, boot the pc and, with luck, the motherboard will have reset itself, including the password requirements for bootup.

Some manufacturers put chips in that remember the passwords even after this trick is tried (like Toshiba), so I can't guarantee a result.

If it doesn't work, post the model of the pc and I'll try to find a backdoor password

For windows, just wipe it and put a fresh copy on - sounds like the existing copy will be full of junk anyway