Urgent help needed with PC password - practical joke gone wrong?

daska

DS2's dad has just dug out a PC he hasn't used for some time only to discover that someone (not him) has applied a password. There is no guest a/c, just the single option and the password hint is "hiccup". Is there any way at all around this? He has an urgent job to complete (first one for over a year) and needs access to the software on it. He's tried all his standard passwords to no avail and also tried 'toothless' and 'dragon' just in case.

I'm trying to contact the kids (15 and 17) to see if one of them did this as a practical joke but as both of them are at school it's a bit of a struggle.

It's running Windows 7 home premium

MadTechie

if you have NOT used windows encryption, then
try this
pcloginnow.com

To create a bootable CD that will remove passwords from accounts,

extract the ISO and use imgburn to burn to a CD, this will create a bootable CD,

use this to boot up the PC with hipcup password and it will remove the passwords

daska

Aargh! Didn't manage to get to him in time, he's found the discs which came with the PC and has started trying to reset everything using that - having forgotten that the whole reason he needed to access that specific PC is for the specialist software that he is now in the process of deleting... it's going to be a late night in his house!

Thank you for your help.

macman

A reinstall or factory restore will wipe all his data and aftermarket programs...

System

and will take much longer than waiting for the kids to come home!

daska

tell me about it! what's that about idiots rushing in...? not that I dare use that word, he's already wound up to the max. Thankfully DS1 has never have had the opportunity to go near that PC so it's far more likely to be DSD's revenge for not getting a new laptop when she wanted one.

Yorkie1

Have you got it sorted yet, OP?

If it was the DSD, removal of online privileges for a while, perhaps, would be suitable punishment for an immature thoughtless joke which had an impact on her father's ability to do his job and thus earn a crust (lay it on thick)??

daska

Not a chance of that happening unfortunately, DSD isn't owning up to it and even if she did she would make their lives a complete misery if she lost her on-line access. But guess who'll be using a sensible password on all his stuff now LOL. Last time we spoke he was spitting feathers so I've left him to calm down, I'll probably get an update tomorrow

macman

Next time tell him to create his own passworded admin account, and only give the offspring standard user accounts.

daska

This machine has been in storage in his room (not office) for over a year. She would have had to plan it carefully as it wasn't cabled up or near a power socket. And she would easily have been able to ask a mate exactly what I have asked here. So I think it might have to be a physical protection, I've suggested that he put a lock on one of the cupboards and secure it that way.

macman

If you have to resort to that leve of security with your own children then I'd be asking the kids to leave home at 16...