Need help to reset Win10 Admin Password on Aspire A515-43

NativeNewYorker
NativeNewYorker Member Posts: 12

Tinkerer

edited December 2023 in Aspire Laptops

Hello from New York City!

Problem/situation:

  • Laptop is unusable because Admin Password is lost and not recoverable.
  • Pressing F2 at boot time displays BIOS, but an option to boot from USB is not found.
  • Pressing F12 at boot time, displays boot menu with one option to boot Windows from hard disk drive.

Question

Downloaded the Win10 installation and placed on USB but how to get this product to boot from USB Drive? Is there a BIOS option to boot from USB drive?

View screenshots from this Aspire 5 Laptop

Thank you.

[edited the post to hide sensitive data]

Answers

  • Puraw
    Puraw ACE, Member Posts: 12,970 Trailblazer

    An administrator does not require a password in Windows, just leave the login window blank and press Enter. If you have a Microsoft account you can change your Windows password online, click on Forgot Password and MS will send you a link by e-mail that you confirm by clicking on the link and you can than reset your old password.

    Alternatively Reboot and press Shift+F10 as soon as you see the Acer logo and you will get the WindowsRE screen with the Troubleshoot menu, check the link below (EaseUS.com) how to reset password with the Command Prompt and the DiskPart tool in Method 2.

    If none of this works you need to make a Windows Recovery USB flash drive on another PC with the same Windows version, insert a blank 20GB USB2.0 flash drive in the USB2.0 port and in Windows type "Recovery disk", takes 40 minutes on a slow PC. Insert this drive in the USB2.0 port of your A515-43 laptop and boot with F2 to BIOS, move the USB drive to the top of the Boot devices list on the BIOS Boot screen using the arrow key and save settings on exit. Reboot normally with the USB flash drive inserted and you will see the blue WindowsRE screen with the Troubleshoot menu. Use Method 2 in this link to reset the password:
    https://www.easeus.com/partition-master/reset-windows-11-password-with-bootable-usb.html

  • sri369
    sri369 ACE Posts: 2,755 Pathfinder

    @NativeNewYorker You will USB boot option if you have a device inserted; if not it won't show. The USB should be a windows 10 installer media format.

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  • NativeNewYorker
    NativeNewYorker Member Posts: 12

    Tinkerer

    Thank you for reply @Puraw!
    Unfortunately the current Win10 admin password on this Acer Aspire 5 is a local account.
    The Admin password is not set as blank and is not connected to a known Microsoft web login account.

    Clicking "Reset Password," displays challenge questions that require correct responses which are lost.

    The goal is to simply recover the Acer Aspire 5 Windows Admin password because user data on the hard disk drive has to be saved. Re-installing a fresh copy of Windows is not a requirement at this time.

    Concerns about Windows Recovery drive.

    Questions

    1. Are system files required to reset a Windows local Admin Password?
    2. What are System files?
    3. Can a recovery drive on created on Win11 be used to reset Windows local Admin Password on Win10?

    Any clues appreciated. Thank you.

  • NativeNewYorker
    NativeNewYorker Member Posts: 12

    Tinkerer

    Thank you for feedback @sri369!

    Situation
    Downloaded the media creation tool file from Download Windows 10 product page.
    MediaCreationTool22H2.exe is the file name. While the product page prompts me to install this file to a USB drive, it does not make the USB drive bootable. Nor is the USB drive recognized to Acer Aspire 5 as a bootable media.

    Question

    1. Does MediaCreationTool22H2.exe have to be run on the desktop in order to create a bootable USB drive?

    Any clued appreciated. Thank you.

  • Puraw
    Puraw ACE, Member Posts: 12,970 Trailblazer

    You don't need that Media Creation Tool 22H2 that is to clean install Windows losing all your data which you don't want.

    Use another PC that has the same Windows10 version (22H2), boot to Windows and insert a blank flash drive of at least 20GB in USB2.0n, When Explorer prompts what you want to do, you click on Nothing. Then type Recovery Disk in the Search bar and it will Create a recovery disk (download WindowsRE OS on the flash drive) may take 40 minutes. Proceed as per the EaseUS link I sent you.

  • sri369
    sri369 ACE Posts: 2,755 Pathfinder
    edited December 2023

    This is kinda "unnerving". Is this really your own laptop? Forgetting admin password, all questions and answers is not that common for a laptop that you use as a daily driver, considering the importance you are giving to the data on it. Can you prove to the admin @Acer-Ingrid that you are the original owner?

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  • NativeNewYorker
    NativeNewYorker Member Posts: 12

    Tinkerer

    Thank you for feedback @Puraw

    The Acer Aspire 5 was finally able to both recognize and boot from a bootable Win10 USB recovery drive.

    Was able to reach DOS command prompt on the Acer Aspire.

    Hi @sri369, this Acer Aspire 5 is owned by a coworker.
    She asked me to help her fix this computer.

    On to the next step, to recover the admin password.

  • sri369
    sri369 ACE Posts: 2,755 Pathfinder

    Then it makes sense… for generally I see these types of requests from people trying to recover laptops that are not theirs. Thanks for confirming.

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