admin password

[JohnJohnJohn]

so uhh.. i didnt really know where to put this so i just put it in the general topic. a while ago, when my computer was booting up, i pressed the F2 button to get into setup. then in the setup menu i set an admin password and a system(?) password. every time i turn the computer on, i have to type in the system password. eventually i got tired of this so i went back into setup to remove it, but it requires me to type in the admin password, which ive forgotten what it is.

are there any computer wizzes here that might know a way to get rid of the password, or figure it out?

 

[PC eye]

Besides some password recovery tools available your mistake there was typing in a new password at the prompt instead of simply hitting the enter to assign none. Some freeware tools for password recovery are available at http://www.snapfiles.com/Freeware/security/fwpasswordrecovery.html For others if none work there you may have to run a few extended searches. Your last option is either a repair install if not complete install of Windows. I'm sure you don't want that.

 

[ceewi1]

Sounds more like the BIOS password than the Windows password

In any case, you can reset the BIOS password by clearing the CMOS. This can be accomplished either by moving a jumper on the motherboard (the board manual will give you instructions), or by removing the battery for a few minutes.

 

[JohnJohnJohn]

sorry but.. by board manual does that mean the motherboard manual? cuz i dont seem to have one

and theres a battery inside the pc somewhere?! i didnt know that

 

[ceewi1]

sorry but.. by board manual does that mean the motherboard manual? cuz i dont seem to have one

and theres a battery inside the pc somewhere?! i didnt know that

Yes, board manual = motherboard manual. If you don't have it, you may be able to download it from the website, assuming you know the model (if you don't, you can find it out using one of a number of software tools such as CPU_Z, Everest, Belarc, etc...).

Yes, there's a battery in the PC (on the motherboard). It ensures that the BIOS memory remains when the PC is unplugged. It looks like a watch battery.

 

[PC eye]

Often when removing the battery you still have to move the jumper on the board back and forth on a set of three small metal pins. The standard Lithium battery found on most is the CR2032. It will be a small circular and flat battery in a holder. Just be careful how you release it. The jumper(small plastic cap covering two of three pins) may have "cmos" marked on the board close by.