Re: No boot and no administrator password!

From: Michael Solomon \(MS-MVP Windows Shell/User\) (user_at_#notme.com)
Date: 04/03/04


Date: Sat, 3 Apr 2004 15:48:00 -0800

It does have it's own boot disks if you remembered to make them. Not sure
if the CD is bootable. If you have access to another setup, you can make
the boot disks or you may find some additional instructions on the CD about
what you might do in this situation.

-- 
Michael Solomon MS-MVP
Windows Shell/User
Backup is a PC User's Best Friend
DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/
"Paul" <anonymous@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message 
news:17d2001c419d1$799dcae0$a501280a@phx.gbl...
> Huzzaah!
>
> I have Partition Magic 7.0 and it is XP compatible.  I
> don't recall though that it was a bootable CD since it
> worked within Windows.
>
> I'll give it a shot and let you know.
>
> THANKS Michael!
>
>>-----Original Message-----
>>OK, still another way to skin this cat.  You'll need a
> new partition, if you
>>don't have a spare partition you can mark active, you'll
> need third party
>>software such as Partition Magic, www.powerquest.com,
> check website for XP
>>compatible versions.  Install XP to that partition boot
> to it, then copy
>>your data from the old setup to the new setup.
>>
>>You will likely be met with a cannot access notice with
> regard to the files,
>>if that happens, you need to take ownership as follows:
>>
>>Note, file ownership and permissions supersede
> administrator rights.  How
>>you resolve it depends upon which version of XP you are
> running.
>>
>>
>>
>>XP-Home
>>
>>
>>
>>Unfortunately, XP Home using NTFS is essentially hard
> wired for "Simple File
>>Sharing" at system level.
>>
>>However, you can set XP Home permissions in Safe Mode.
> Reboot, and start
>>hitting F8, a menu should eventually appear and one of the
>>options is Safe Mode.  Select it.  Note, it will ask for
> the administrator's
>>password.  This is not your administrator account, rather
> it is the
>>machine's administrator account for which users are asked
> to create a
>>password during setup.
>>
>>If you created no such password, when requested, leave
> blank and press
>>enter.
>>
>>Open Explorer, go to Tools and Folder Options, on the
> view tab, scroll to
>>the bottom of the list, if it shows "Enable Simple File
> Sharing" deselect it
>>and click apply and ok.  If it shows nothing or won't let
> you make a change,
>>move on to the next step.
>>
>>Navigate to the files, right click, select properties, go
> to the Security
>>tab, click advanced, go to the Owner tab and select the
> user that was logged
>>on when you were refused permission to access the files.
> Click apply and
>>ok.  Close the properties box, reopen it, click add and
> type in the name of
>>the user you just enabled.  If you wish to set ownership
> for everything in
>>the folder, at the bottom of the Owner tab is the
> following selection:
>>"Replace owner on subcontainers and objects," select it
> as well.
>>
>>Once complete, you should be able to do what you wish
> with these files when
>>you log back on as that user.
>>
>>
>>
>>XP-Pro
>>
>>
>>
>>If you have XP Pro, temporarily change the limited
> account to
>>administrative.  First, go to Windows Explorer, go to
> Tools, select Folder
>>Options, go to the View tab and be sure "Use Simple File
> Sharing" is not
>>selected.  If it is, deselect it and click apply and ok.
>>
>>
>>
>>If you wish everything in a specific folder to be
> accessible to a user,
>>right click the folder, select properties, go to the
> Security tab, click
>>Advanced, go to the Owner tab,
>>select the user you wish to have access, at the bottom of
> the box, you
>>should see a check box for "Replace owner on
> subcontainers and objects,"
>>place a check in the box and click apply and ok.
>>
>>The user should now be able to perform necessary
> functions on files in the
>>folder even as a limited account.  If not, make it an
> admin account again,
>>right click the folder, select Properties, go to the
> Security tab and be
>>sure the user is listed in the user list.  If not, click
> add and type the
>>user name in the appropriate box, be sure the user has
> all the necessary
>>permissions checked in the permission list below the user
> list, click apply
>>and ok.
>>
>>That should do it and allow whatever access you desire
> for that folder even
>>in a limited account.
>>
>>
>>-- 
>>Michael Solomon MS-MVP
>>Windows Shell/User
>>Backup is a PC User's Best Friend
>>DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/
>>
>>
>><lawnetpfm@aol.com> wrote in message
>>news:1351801c419bf$4d328160$a001280a@phx.gbl...
>>> Hidden, secret... it's all the same to me!
>>>
>>> Yeah I've tried all of the options at the safe mode
> page,
>>> all giving me the same message: <windows
>>> root>\system32.hal.dll is corrupted or missing.
>>>
>>> I cannot do a clean install and lose all my data knowing
>>> that there is an 'unconventional' way past this problem.
>>> Guess I'll have to do some googling and find a
> workaround.
>>>
>>> If you have any other ideas, feel free please to share
>>> them with me either via this thread, or email shown
> above.
>>>
>>> Thanks again Michael...
>>>>-----Original Message-----
>>>>LOL, it's not a secret...it's a hidden account that is
>>> called administrator.
>>>>Most people don't make a password for it when they
>>> install and if XP was
>>>>installed at the factory they don't make a password for
>>> it so the key would
>>>>be, to select Administrator, leave the password blank
> and
>>> press enter.
>>>>
>>>>Well, ok, that didn't work.  Two possible options here.
>>> First, let's try
>>>>"Last Known Good Configuration."  Boot the system, start
>>> tapping F8, when
>>>>the menu appears, select "Last Known Good
> Configuration,"
>>> press enter and
>>>>see if that resolves it.  If that fails, do the same as
>>> above but choose
>>>>Safe  Mode, if you can get in, you'll be able to change
>>> the boot.ini file.
>>>>
>>>>If the above fails, I can't see any way out of this but
>>> to wipe the drive
>>>>and start over.  Since you have an OEM install but an XP
>>> upgrade CD, you'll
>>>>need qualifying media at some point during the
>>> installation in order to do a
>>>>clean install with the upgrade CD.
>>>>
>>>>Booting from a floppy will accomplish nothing as the
>>> floppy is fat and your
>>>>drive is likely formatted NTFS.
>>>>
>>>>-- 
>>>>Michael Solomon MS-MVP
>>>>Windows Shell/User
>>>>Backup is a PC User's Best Friend
>>>>DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/
>>>>
>>>>"Paul" <anonymous@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in
>>> message
>>>>news:181fe01c419ba$e54a74d0$a101280a@phx.gbl...
>>>>> Yes, I have tried that to no avail.  I've also tried a
>>>>> million passwords that I can ever remember, but also
> to
>>> no
>>>>> avail.
>>>>>
>>>>> My desktop is NOT password protected,(computer boots
>>>>> straight to desktop) so I'm baffled as to why it asks
>>> for
>>>>> an admin password, when one is not in place.
>>>>>
>>>>> Is this a bug?  I've read about 'secret' administrator
>>>>> accounts being created, but not sure if this applies
>>> here.
>>>>>
>>>>> It's really frustrating knowing that I can't boot
>>> because
>>>>> of a simple invalid value (0 instead of a 1) I put in
>>> the
>>>>> boot.ini file.
>>>>>
>>>>> Is it possible to copy a simple boot.ini command onto
> a
>>>>> floppy and boot from that?
>>>>>
>>>>> Thanks again Michael for your generous support!
>>>>>>-----Original Message-----
>>>>>>At the Recovery Console, have you tried just leaving
> the
>>>>> password blank and
>>>>>>pressing enter?
>>>>>>
>>>>>>-- 
>>>>>>Michael Solomon MS-MVP
>>>>>>Windows Shell/User
>>>>>>Backup is a PC User's Best Friend
>>>>>>DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/
>>>>>>
>>>>>>"Paul" <anonymous@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in
>>>>> message
>>>>>>news:181b201c419af$dce123d0$a101280a@phx.gbl...
>>>>>>> Thanks Michael for the prompt reply!
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> One problem here.  I'm using an XP Home upgrade CD
> to
>>>>>>> repair an OEM system, thus it finds no previous
>>>>>>> installations to repair.  Following your
> directions, I
>>>>>>> arrive at a screen where my only options are to
> setup,
>>>>>>> partition, or delete partition.  I was able to
>>> navigate
>>>>> to
>>>>>>> a screen where I was able to point the console to a
>>>>>>> specific folder to install windows to, instead of
>>>>>>> C:\windows.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> So now I'm back to a useless recovery console due
> to a
>>>>>>> phantom administrator password that doesn't
> exist#@#@.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Any other suggestions would be highly appreciated!
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Thanks
>>>>>>>>-----Original Message-----
>>>>>>>>Try a Repair Install instead of Recovery Console.
>>> NOTE:
>>>>>>> in the instructions
>>>>>>>>below, when you come to the screen that asks you to
>>>>>>> choose Setup Windows or
>>>>>>>>"R" for Repair, you want Setup Windows, this will
>>>>>>> ultimately take you to the
>>>>>>>>repair option.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Assuming your system is set to boot from the CD-ROM
>>>>> drive
>>>>>>> and you have an
>>>>>>>>actual XP CD as opposed to a recovery CD, boot with
>>> the
>>>>> XP
>>>>>>>>CD in the drive and perform a repair install as
>>> outlined
>>>>>>> below.  If the
>>>>>>>>system isn't set to boot from the CD or you are not
>>>>> sure,
>>>>>>> you need to enter
>>>>>>>>the system's BIOS.  When you boot the system, the
>>> first
>>>>>>> screen usually has
>>>>>>>>instructions that if you wish to enter set press a
>>>>>>> specific key, when you
>>>>>>>>see that, do so.  Then you will have to navigate to
>>> the
>>>>>>> boot sequence, if
>>>>>>>>the CD-ROM drive is not first line, set it first in
>>> the
>>>>>>> boot sequence.  Save
>>>>>>>>your settings and exit with the XP CD in the drive.
>>> The
>>>>>>> system will reboot.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>NOTE, while a repair install should leave your data
>>>>> files
>>>>>>> intact, if
>>>>>>>>something goes wrong during the repair install, you
>>> may
>>>>>>> be forced to start
>>>>>>>>over and do a clean install of XP.  If you don't
> have
>>>>>>> your data backed up,
>>>>>>>>you would lose your data should that eventuality
>>> occur.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Boot from the CD.  If your system is set to be able
> to
>>>>>>> boot from the CD, it
>>>>>>>>should detect the disk and give a brief message,
>>> during
>>>>>>> the boot up, if you
>>>>>>>>wish to boot from the CD press any key.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Once you have pressed a key, setup should begin.
> You
>>>>>>> will see a reference
>>>>>>>>asking if you need to load special drivers and
> another
>>>>>>> notice that if you
>>>>>>>>wish to begin the ASR (Automatic Recovery Console)
>>>>>>> depress F2.  Just let
>>>>>>>>setup run past all of that.  It will continue to
> load
>>>>>>> files and drivers.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>Then it will bring you to a screen.  Eventually, you
>>>>> will
>>>>>>> come to a screen
>>>>>>>>with the option to (1) setup Windows or (2) Repair
>>>>>>> Windows Installation
>>>>>>>>using the Recovery console.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>The first option, to setup Windows is the one you
> want
>>>>>>> and requires you to
>>>>>>>>press enter.  When asked, press F8 to accept the end
>>>>> user
>>>>>>> agreement.  Setup
>>>>>>>>will then search for previous versions of Windows.
>>> Upon
>>>>>>> finding your
>>>>>>>>version, it will ask if you wish to Repair your
>>> current
>>>>>>> installation or
>>>>>>>>install fresh.  Press R, that will run a repair
>>>>>>> installation.  From there
>>>>>>>>on, follow the screens.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>-- 
>>>>>>>>Michael Solomon MS-MVP
>>>>>>>>Windows Shell/User
>>>>>>>>Backup is a PC User's Best Friend
>>>>>>>>DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>"Paul FM" <anonymous@discussions.microsoft.com>
> wrote
>>> in
>>>>>>> message
>>>>>>>>news:17b1301c41921$647438d0$a401280a@phx.gbl...
>>>>>>>>> Ugh... long story, but today I fiddled with my
>>>>> boot.ini
>>>>>>>>> file (had 2 XP operating systems at OS choice
>>> screen)
>>>>> in
>>>>>>>>> XP Home and now I'm locked out of my computer. (no
>>>>>>> boot) I
>>>>>>>>> get the error message: <windows root>\system32
>>> \hal.dll
>>>>>>> is
>>>>>>>>> missing or corrupt.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Ok, no problem I think, I'll just repair it in the
>>> XP
>>>>>>>>> recovery console. It asks me for an administrator
>>>>>>>>> password -- but I have PW disabled for my
>>>>> administrator
>>>>>>>>> account, so I have no clue what to do to get in,
>>> short
>>>>>>> of
>>>>>>>>> trying every password that I've ever used.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Please help, this is FRUSTRATING!
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> Thanks kindly, in advance!
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>.
>>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>.
>>>>
>>
>>
>>.
>> 


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