Dear members,

I bourght a computer with some programs installed that I don't want to loose by reinstallating windows, unfortunately I only have the password of an user without power to do anything to administrate the system. Please to help how I can access or initialize the administrator password without loosing the installated programs.

best regards

Some info first...

1. did you buy it new...
2. why can you not get the password needed from the person you bought it from...
3. what can the computer do...what functionalities are still operable...
4. do you have access to another computer that can download software...
5. do you have access to the computer's burner option...
6. do you have the original install disks for the OS...either OEM or MS...
7. how would you qualify yourself as a computer user...
8. are afraid of the registry...
9. if it is a MS and not an OEM computer, then why have you not contacted the MS tech help service...
10 do you like coffee

1. I did not buy it new, second hand computer.
2. I bought the computer from a company who close the doors and the personal have been all filed and I don't even know who was the former user. The service in charge of saling the equipment don't even have a knowledge of computers.
3. The computer has windows XP P2, Microsoft Visual Studio 6.0, Driver Genius Professional Edition, Java Web Start, Offfice 2003, Packet Tracer3.2, Saga, USB Serial cable driver, AVG Antivirus instalated.
4. I have acces to other computer that can downlod software.
5. As I am an user with limited rights I cannot update, make changes or install any software on this computer.
6. I have original Ms windows xp p2 CD
7. I can install all programs in new computer or fromatted disk and code with Foxplus commands for small applications writing procedures and menus.
8. I can not make changes in the registry and I am not familiar with the content.
9. I did not either contact the Ms Help services for any troubleshooting before and I don't want to jump into questions of registration and other request from MS.
10. Thanks a lot for the coffee. I will probably send you some beans because we are producer.

best and warm regards

It sounds to me like you have a job on your hands. It's a shame that you did not know of the situation before you bought it. I assume that it is a private user computer, not one you use at the office, or wherever...

From what you have shared with us, I think that you have very limited options. And the suggestions I make here are the best you can hope for on a legitimate level.

Since you have nothing to lose by messing about a wee bit, you can try a variety of things.

One method might be to install a parallel operating system on a different partition on the same computer, then use a simple trick to gain access to the old system. Check this URL out... it has some great suggestions... Forgot the Administrator's Password? - Alternate Logon Trick

OR...If it were me, I'd take it to a small computer shop that builds computers, not a franchise operation, and have them break it open for you...ie. kill the SAM file and re-write it, or the syskey.exe file, etc....

If they cannot do it, then I'd ask their advice about doing the following, and if they can do it for you...or even if it is possible...
i] buy a new hard drive and set it up as a slave drive on the same computer
ii] reset the BIOS to accept the slave as the new main drive and install a fresh copy of XP on that drive, with the old main drive now set up as a slave...
iii] it is the system32\config folder and files in it...that is causing the problem ...in those files is held the password...we need to isolate them...
iv] once that has been done, and the "new version of XP" is operational, copy the old hard drives files on to the new hard drive set up EXCEPT FOR THE FOLLOWING FOLDER AND FILES...windows\system32\config\*.*

That you want to leave where it is. If this works, then kill the entire slave drive's contents OR by take it physically out of the computer...it will probably go belly up soon anyway because of age...so no loss...trash it!

Another suggestion, if it were me, and I await a correction on this from other readers and the forum chairman...would be to get what you can off the hard drive by burning the progs to disks, and then f-disk the whole thing. That will eliminate any need for password salvaging. You would need to be able to access the setup from a reboot. Then reinstall a clean version and follow that up with a reinstall of the other apps.

1. do you have the install disks, or the install progs, for the extra apps on board...
2. if you do, or if you can burn them on to a blank CD, then we need to do that...
3. once that has been done, insert the original XP CD and go through a complete re-install, pausing for the f-disk process...ie. do a complete reinstall, but at the set up stage, you will want to chose the appropriate option to completely clean the hard drive, and set up a new installation of XP... p.s. order a new CD for XP SP2 or download the whole upgrade while you can still access MS from whichever computer you chose...
4. I am hoping that you have enough access to be able to do this...

Other options are way too complicated to explore here, or involve some activity that is not appropriate for this forum

I have a little to do but it is usefull. Thanks to all members even those who did not reply they will do it for other threads.

regards