no password, no disc need factory reset

mdye
mdye Member Posts: 1 New User

I was given an acer 5050 for my kid.  The lady who gave it to us said she barley used it .  Sounds great however after buying a new power cord, i plugged it in and alas.... password?  I called the woman and she said she has no idea what her password is.  how can i reset the entire computer to factory setting.  i do not need to recover anything other than factory/and windows.  can anyone help.  i simply cannot get past the first screen asking for a password.

Answers

  • Vince53
    Vince53 Member Posts: 805 Practitioner WiFi Icon

    Do you know the operating system?

  • Vince53
    Vince53 Member Posts: 805 Practitioner WiFi Icon

    I looked  it up for you. Unless the owner upgraded, you have Windows Vista.

     

    See if you can log in with a different account. (Probably not, but it's easy to try it.)

     

    Ask the previous owner if she has any software, manuals, or anything at all from the laptop. If she has the installation discs, you can re-install Vista.

     

    If not, (sigh) this is a 6 1/2 year old, low-end laptop. If you buy the full install (not the upgrade) version of either Windows 7 or 8, you cannot be sure that it will work well. You will have to pay extra to get the installation DVD, because you can't install it online. For what you will have to pay, you'd be better off buying a brand-new low-end laptop or desktop.

     

    My advice? Your last resort is to take it to a computer repair shop and explain your problem. MAYBE they have a code-cracker that can get in.

     

     

  • grenada_cat
    grenada_cat Member Posts: 11 New User

    I have a bootable cd that you can load and reset the password. It is simple to use, and I have used it many times to overwrite XP/Vista/Win7 logon passwords for customers who have forgotten their logins.

     

    I am at home now, but will send a link to the details tomorrow.  You DO NOT need to reinstall windows, you simply boot with the CD and choose the option to overwrite the password.

  • triley6
    triley6 Member Posts: 1 New User

    I am having that same issue with my laptop. The laptop is running windows vista. Can u send me the details on that bootable cd that u are talking about. Any help would be much appreciated. Thanks

  • grenada_cat
    grenada_cat Member Posts: 11 New User

    I purchased the password reset disk  2 years ago from the following link for 18$.

    [edited to comply with guidelines]

    I have just checked and it is still active.

    Simply download the program and burn it onto a CD.

    Boot the machine with the CD and enter the licence key where it says register. Once registered sucessfully you can choose which user password you wish to reset. 

    Once the user is chosen, that password is reset to blank. 

    Select restart the computer and remove the CD.  Jobs a good-un.

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