Cable Forum
Page 2 of 2 1 2
Show 100 post(s) from this thread on one page

Cable Forum (https://www.cableforum.uk/board/index.php)
-   General IT Discussion (https://www.cableforum.uk/board/forumdisplay.php?f=19)
-   -   Compaq password reset? (https://www.cableforum.uk/board/showthread.php?t=33710887)

Jaymoss 13-03-2022 19:56
Re: Compaq password reset?
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by pip08456 (Post 36116532)
I think you'll find Paul was being sarcastic, you don't need to enter the BIOS for start up boot.

For a compac:

Press the "F10" key as soon as the computer begins to boot. ...
Press the right arrow key three times to access the boot menu.
Change the "1st Boot Device" setting to the drive you wish to boot from, such as your CD-ROM drive.

The OP will still have to enter the OS password to boot into the system.

I've given him the answer to that.
No I do not think he was. It is very easy to set a Administrator password in the bios that would scupper everything you just said from the off. Some business machines have them hardcoded in the bios firmware but most you can just jump the cmos or remove the battery. Not so easy with a laptop. I am sure you knew this but perhaps just forgot

pip08456 13-03-2022 20:16
Re: Compaq password reset?
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaymoss (Post 36116534)
No I do not think he was. It is very easy to set a Administrator password in the bios that would scupper everything you just said from the off. Some business machines have them hardcoded in the bios firmware but most you can just jump the cmos or remove the battery. Not so easy with a laptop. I am sure you knew this but perhaps just forgot
Only Paul can answer if he was or wasn't.

Paul 13-03-2022 21:00
Re: Compaq password reset?
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by pip08456 (Post 36116532)
I think you'll find Paul was being sarcastic, you don't need to enter the BIOS for start up boot.
Not sure why you would think that. :confused:

Compaq's can have a bios password (aka boot password, aka power on password) which you have to enter when you turn them on, before they will boot up any OS. I have had this enabled on all my various work laptops for the last 22+ years (several of them were Compaq).

raging bull 13-03-2022 21:11
Re: Compaq password reset?
 
The furthest I have got is:
F10 key gets me into boot menu thats it!
Password request comes up after bios exit.

heero_yuy 14-03-2022 08:05
Re: Compaq password reset?
 
You could always try the novice passwords: "password" "12345" "qwertyuiop"

Or the names of favorite pets.

Maybe just the <return> key for none set.

tweetiepooh 14-03-2022 10:00
Re: Compaq password reset?
 
BIOS passwords are usually very boring, plain text screens. Windows is much more colourful and graphic. For single user machines Windows may simply ask for a password without selecting a user.


If you can boot from a CDROM then you can get small Linux distros that will work, boot from that and see if you can browse the hard disk. If that's encrypted you will need something else. If you can boot to Linux and see the hard disk then you can copy files you want to keep off somewhere safe, USB stick, external HD, cloud. Then you can install Linux and copy those photo's back.

Halcyon 14-03-2022 10:29
Re: Compaq password reset?
 
For a laptop that is that old I would seriously consider taking the hard drive out and hooking it up to a cheap USB to SATA caddy on another PC.
This will show the drive up as if it was a USB stick and you can then copy over whatever data is on the drive.


Something like this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cable-Adapt...dp/B08Q3932NM/

Jaymoss 14-03-2022 10:32
Re: Compaq password reset?
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Halcyon (Post 36116579)
For a laptop that is that old I would seriously consider taking the hard drive out and hooking it up to a cheap USB to SATA caddy on another PC.
This will show the drive up as if it was a USB stick and you can then copy over whatever data is on the drive.


Something like this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cable-Adapt...dp/B08Q3932NM/
it can be a bit of a ball ache gaining access when the OS is password protected.

pip08456 14-03-2022 11:16
Re: Compaq password reset?
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Halcyon (Post 36116579)
For a laptop that is that old I would seriously consider taking the hard drive out and hooking it up to a cheap USB to SATA caddy on another PC.
This will show the drive up as if it was a USB stick and you can then copy over whatever data is on the drive.


Something like this:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Cable-Adapt...dp/B08Q3932NM/
A laptop that old will probably have a PATA drive.

Jaymoss 14-03-2022 11:32
Re: Compaq password reset?
 
2007+ is easily late enough for SATA

---------- Post added at 11:32 ---------- Previous post was at 11:30 ----------

Some manufacturers were even phasing out production of PATA by mid 2007

pip08456 14-03-2022 12:00
Re: Compaq password reset?
 
Quote:
Originally Posted by Jaymoss (Post 36116587)
2007+ is easily late enough for SATA

---------- Post added at 11:32 ---------- Previous post was at 11:30 ----------

Some manufacturers were even phasing out production of PATA by mid 2007
Thinking about it SATA became common in laptops around 2003/4.

raging bull 14-03-2022 19:24
Re: Compaq password reset?
 
Thanks for all the suggestions!
Hospital stay awaits so on the back burner for a couple of weeks.


All times are GMT +1. The time now is 21:52.
Page 2 of 2 1 2
Show 100 post(s) from this thread on one page

Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2025, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
All Posts and Content are © Cable Forum