ok so i have been trying to fix my wife's friends PC but with no luck as they can't remember the password for 1 of the accounts. i have backed up all files/photo's etc.
now the hard drive is only showing 71GB so i beleive there is a utility or restore partition on there.
the PC is a Dell Dimension 1100. Windows XP home edition
i have tried the Ctrl + f11 but nothing happens, i have also tried f12 boot menu and tried to boot into the utility partition but it will not load it hangs at "initializing USBDEVID.MDM"
i have also tried to create a 'dell os recovery cd' but i get an error preODM.exe failed
i am at a total loss as what to do, can anyone help???
Before we start, do you have access to an XP full installation CD; not necessarily one that came with the laptop? If so, is your friend willing to lose everything and start over?
In that case can you boot up the laptop with the CD in the drive and get into the setup routine? The next bit will wipe all the existing partitions and create one big, new one. That means you won't be able to create a restore CD in the future because all the existing Dell software will be gone. There is no way back from this so it's worth checking with the owner before we proceed. It would also help if you can find the original Dell Drivers CD.
Woah, slow down. There's no need to start formatting or reinstalling over a forgotten password. Have you tried resetting it with a certain bootable CD yet?
Running through that process will remove the password and keep all the files (unless they are encrypted - they probably aren't)
Read the FAQ's carefully on the password reset software. In particular note that it will almost certainly fail if the system wasn't closed down properly. Now read what the OP says about the laptop - they've only lost one password and there are several problems with files failing to load. That's why it would be better to start over.
factory reset dell dimension 1100
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