[akh]

Hi new to the site and need some help please. My husband died really suddently a few weeks ago and the dell mini we have for work has a password on it....and I cant remember it! He told me lots of times but it obviously went in one ear and out of the other and I really need it to take to work! Can anyone help please..do have the cd in the box it came with but there is nowhere to put it in...all assistance appreciated!

[Oldtickertape]

Sorry about your loss... If you send me the laptop I can crack it... Anyone really can... My question is where did you learn what "crack" meant? Most people unable to crack anything wouldn't use that terminology...

[holmes4]

There are at least two different kinds of password that you might be talking about. One is the "BIOS password" which is asked for before the operating system boots. Then there is an account password for the user account on the operating system. Which one is the problem? If it is the operating system password, which operating system is installed?

You would need to use an external CD/DVD reader that connects by USB in order to reinstall the operating system, but you would lose all existing files. These external readers are available for under $50 from any store that sells computer accessories.

If it is the BIOS password, there are offers on eBay that can give you a password if you supply the Dell "Service Tag", the six or seven character code printed on a label on the bottom of the Mini.

[akh]

Hi and thanks....crack probably form yrs working within the CPS and steve its the one that comes up when you turn it on...has my husbands pic above (us skiing) password in a white box andd windows 7 starter below the white box saying password...does this help appreciate the assistance....

[holmes4]

Ok - in that case it is the Windows password and not the BIOS password, as the BIOS password prompt is a very stark black and white screen.

Do you care about the files on the system? If not, you can reinstall Windows, wiping out the existing files. I don't know if there is a way to determine the Windows password. You're hampered by the inability to mount the disk somewhere else (unless you happen to have a RunCore SSD installed with the USB port.)

I suggest you Google "Windows 7 password recovery" and see where that takes you. I'll caution you that offers of tools may actually be supplying malware, so tread carefully.

[lswartz]

As a fellow skier I wish that I could help. Unfortunately I never found a way to do this for my neighbor when he just plain forgot it. I did a clean install for him to get access to his computer & MS indicates the same What to do if you forget your Windows password

As holems4 warned, there are several that offer tools. I have found that most just want to sell you their software & maybe malware too.

[pcmaniac]

You're hampered by the inability to mount the disk somewhere else

Hmm... Not exactly. Unless the filesystem is encrypted you can boot linux from external (USB thumb/pen) drive and mount NTFS. Usually it mounts read-only but you do not need to write on it to backup data files. You get access even to (oh-boy!) all users directories. Details are somewhat technical but data is not lost along with password. Do you have anybody around who knows linux a little bit?