Forgot Laptop Password.....

[hamerhead]

My wife got a new laptop and I inherited the old one. I haven't used it in a while and now can't remember the *&^*&^(&*^(*& password. It's a brick without it.

HELP!

[tbonesullivan]

What model laptop, and what operating system is on it? Is this a Windows password, or does it have a BIOS password set up? Are you able to log in at all without an account?

[velorush]

^^ OS is key!

Do you need anything that's on it now?  If not, your options are greater.

[hamerhead]

Windows 8 or 10. I don't have a 'reset password disk'. I am unable to log in.

I don't believe there's anything important on it, but re-installing Windows would be my least-favorite choice.

ETA: It's an HP 450GS.

Edited November 5, 2024 by hamerhead

[kizanski]

Have you tried "password"?

[hamerhead]

Usually it's "1", but that didn't work...

[tbonesullivan]

Was it set up for multiple users? Is your wife still a registered user on the laptop?

[velorush]

If it's 10, I have a back door.  Let me see if I can find the PDF and I'll message it to you.  Just a minnit.

ETA: Sorry, I had to get in my cloud drive and look in the backup of an old computer. I didn't realize how old it was - the instructions are for how to get into a back door on Windows XP(!).

I know there is a back door into 8 and 10 because I've done it (more than once).  Let me have a look around. It had something to do with entering a boot menu at startup (pressing F8, maybe, multiple times?) and then walking through a Restore menu.  I'll keep looking. 

Edited November 5, 2024 by velorush

[velorush]

This worked at least once:

Reset Forgotten Windows 11/10 password in 3 minutes

Don't forget the last step!

Let me know if that does not work and I'll see if I can find what worked when that method did not work (I think the failure was due to the lost account not being administrator level).

[velorush]

[scottcald]

On 11/5/2024 at 12:36 PM, velorush said:

This worked at least once:

Reset Forgotten Windows 11/10 password in 3 minutes

Don't forget the last step!

Let me know if that does not work and I'll see if I can find what worked when that method did not work (I think the failure was due to the lost account not being administrator level).

I'll say put on the captions and don't listen to that voice.  

[hamerhead]

11 hours ago, velorush said:

Well...the weather's been nice so I was getting shit done outside before the the snow flies. I'll get back to it .....pretty soon......

[velorush]

15 hours ago, hamerhead said:

Well...the weather's been nice so I was getting shit done outside before the the snow flies. I'll get back to it .....pretty soon......

Believe me, unless it's an emergency (and frankly, it typically is...), I'd rather do anything than touch a computer. Every time something pops up I am reminded of the second "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" movie, "Rodrick Rules" wherein the older brother, Rodrick, expresses one of the most incredible rules for life ever presented:

"Never be good at anything you don't want to do."

Let that sink in for a minute.

Should I ever change jobs (unlikely), when questioned, "how are you with computers?" rather than expressing any proficiency whatsoever the correct answer will now be, "eh, I can turn one on and off if I have to."   

[cynic]

On 11/9/2024 at 2:16 PM, velorush said:

"Never be good at anything you don't want to do."

Let that sink in for a minute.

Should I ever change jobs (unlikely), when questioned, "how are you with computers?" rather than expressing any proficiency whatsoever the correct answer will now be, "eh, I can turn one on and off if I have to."   

Somehow I've become "computer guy" to my elderly mother, and "computer" encompasses anything that involves electricity.  It's my least favorite thing in the world, made worse by a woman that goes out of her way to sabotage her electronics.  Most recent case: When she got a new iPhone I set it up for her and let it do its auto-copy thing from the old phone.  After a week or so she complained her new phone was no longer working.  Turns out she'd swapped the sims for some reason, although she swears she didn't.  I assume she read somewhere that you should swap sims when getting a new phone?  She's as bad as my lying teenage ass ever was.

 

Edited November 12, 2024 by cynic