Admin password

NW wrote:
> I am trying to boot from the CD since my laptop crashed, and it is asking for
> an adminstrator password. Whenever I logged on to my laptop, I never entered
> a password, just hit enter. What is the password?
>


There would be no password required to simply boot from the CD, unless
you've set a BIOS password. We'd have no way of knowing what that is;
nor could anyone tell you how to bypass it without knowing the specific
make and model of the laptop. In fact, some laptops have to be returned
to the factory to have the BIOS password cleared/reset.

However, if you've actually already booted from the CD and are
subsequently trying to enter the Recovery Console, the password being
requested is that of the built-in _Administrator_ account, not the
password for any other administrative user accounts that the computer's
owner may have created. Unless the owner deliberately set the
Administrator's password via the Management Console (_not_ the Control
Panel), it's probably still blank. WinXP Pro asks the installer to set
the Administrator's password during OS installation, but WinXP Home doesn't.

How to Log On to Windows XP If You Forget Your Password or Your
Password Expires
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q321305

Failing that, Linux-based password cracking utilities abound on the
Internet, freely available to anyone who can use Google.


--

Bruce Chambers

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