Can't Get Past Log In Password

[Rayroshi]

I'm trying to help my neighbor with her laptop, which won't allow her to log into Windows 7 Home Edition Premium. She has a 64-bit system running on a Toshiba Satellite C655.

She claims that she had done nothing to her computer, such as downloading anything. However, she said that she left it on all night, connected to the internet. So I'm thinking that she somehow got a virus or whatever. Don't know if that's a real danger or not, considering that she has a firewall and antivirus software installed (AVG, as I remember).

It boots up normally, but when the log-in screen appears and she enters her password, it says that the password is incorrect. She has used the same password for years, now, so it's not a matter of simply having forgotten it. It seems to have been corrupted, either on its own or via a bit of malware.

I have a Windows 7 64-bit system repair disc, but I can't get it to boot up, because I can't get past the log-in window, of course. Is there some sequence that I have to follow, in order get the System Repair Disk to show up?

When I place the repair disk in the disc drive and then boot her laptop, I can hear the disc drive whirring and clicking, but then it stop with no visible results...except that $#@& log-in screen.

Which reminds me of another question: Will a Windows System Repair Disc, 64-bit, that was made on my laptop (which is an Acer Aspire 5742Z-4097) work on her laptop? I have the same version of Windows as her laptop (Windows 7 Home Premium). She failed to make a repair/rescue disc, when she first bought her laptop.

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I am trying to help her, because she is not real computer savvy, but then it's almost like the blind leading the blind, because I know only enough to get myself into trouble. Usually, I can muddle my way through problems, but this time seems to be tougher.

I have tried to boot her laptop up in safe mode, which works, but then I always come to the same roadblock: the log-in window. How can you get past it, in order to use any kind of password restoring tool, if you can't get the laptop to finish booting up in the first place?

Additionally, I have tried to use System Restore, while in safe mode, but once again, the log-in window appears and that ends the whole attempt. Catch-22.

All of the answers I've seen on-line include instructions such as, "Go to 'Start'...all of which does me no good, because I can't get to "Start," if I can't log on, so I find those instructions useless.

 

[AddRAM]

Viruses do not install themselves, she has to be entering her password wrong.

We are not obliged to help you with passwords.

If she has a 64 bit system too, the repair disc should work, this is never definite. ( for whatever it is you want to do, not sure )

 

[Rayroshi]

No, she has not entered her password incorrectly, that I can guarantee. I have helped her with several problems with her computer and it is the same password that she has used, as I stated in my original post, for years, now. That's not even a consideration. It would be comparable to you forgetting your phone number. Something else is going on, here.

I'm not sure just what you meant in your post, when you said, "for whatever it is you want to do, not sure." Didn't I explain it clearly enough? She is trying to log onto her laptop.

Also, I'm not sure what you meant by saying that using my system repair disc "should work, but this is never definite." Are there some things that it will work for, but not others, or what?

Thank you for your help.

 

[AddRAM]

By that, I mean how will it help you with a password ?

Repair discs are funny, one made on one pc may work for it, but not for another pc. I can`t explain it any better then that.

A repair disc is used before you get to windows, so I don`t understand what you expect it to do if you even you got into windows.

Did you use the 1 time boot menu key to boot from the dvd/cd drive ?

Be that as it may, there is no reason to use a password if this is a non work, personal pc, it only causes problems.

 

[Rayroshi]

Thanks for your reply, AddRAM; I appreciate it.

Well, like I said, I'm not all that computer savvy, myself, so I'm not really aware of just what a systems repair disc does, so you're probably right about it not being anything helpful for her in this case, anyway. I was hoping it might be something that could maybe fix corrupted log-on stuff, like passwords, but from what you said, it's not designed to do that.

What is a "1 time boot menu key?" And how do I use it?

 

[Ztruker]

I've used this tutorial by Dinish to fix scrambled, lost passwords.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/56864-user-account-password-change-winre.html

Follow links as necessary to see how to do something like boot to WinRE.

Basically you enable the hidden Administrator account so you can login with it then replace or remove the password causing a problem.

 

[AddRAM]

I thought you knew what you were doing, If you are not tech savvy have her take it to a professional.

 

[Rayroshi]

Thanks.

 

[Rayroshi]

Thank you, Ztrucker. I appreciate your time and effort. That tutorial is an excellent one, being so clearly laid out and helpful. Dinesh really put some effort into that tutorial, didn't he?

I was beginning to think that this forum was only for those who probably didn't really need it, anyhow, and all others being summarily, and with little effort, just advised to "take it to a repair shop," which is "somewhat" less than helpful and hardly what one expects from a forum where people come, asking for help from those in the know.

Actually, I think that I just discovered the problem, anyway, and it appears to be an easy fix...I hope. After typing in the password, I noticed that the number of dots hiding the true password characters didn't match the number of characters in the password, so I backspaced and then retyped the password slowly, watching each keystroke carefully, and sure enough, when I hit the key for the letter "r," nothing showed up. So now I'm hoping that it's just a matter of her having a piece of junk stuck beneath her "r" key.

If that's truly the case, how would I then go about posting it as being a "solved" problem? I'm asking that in case it does, in fact, solve the problem, so others might save themselves some time and trouble. I would like to be of some help in any small way, even though I'm not as able as the rest of you guys on here to help with truly technical matters.

 

[AddRAM]

As I said in the 1st reply, the password was not being entered correctly

But you were positive it was.

I only said to take it to a professional so you would not make her problem worse, you said yourself you are not computer savvy at all.

You were ready to use a system repair disc for something it wasn`t designed for.

She should now get rid of the password, it`s useless.

 

[Layback Bear]

I'm not quite sure how one wouldn't notice a key not working properly on a keyboard.
I do agree if only one person has use of a computer their is no reason to have a password in my opinion.

@Rayroshi

When it comes to passwords we are a little careful with help.
We will direct someone to the forum tutorials but can't do much more because of the forum rules and the fact we don't really know who owns the computer. We from behind our keyboards
have no way of knowing.

This all means we are very careful with password matters. I hope you understand the caution that we use.

Here our the forum ruses. # 6 should be the rule of concern.

http://www.sevenforums.com/misc.php?do=showrules

Wish you and your friend happy computing.

 

[Rayroshi]

"Viruses do not install themselves, she has to be entering her password wrong." (your quote, emphasis mine)

Indeed, it she was entering it correctly, the same as she always had for all these years. And, yes, I was positive she was entering it correctly, which she, in fact, was doing. That wasn't the problem. The problem was the fact that the machine wasn't accepting her correct entry, due to what I now believe is a faulty keyboard.

I removed the keyboard and blew it all out with compressed air, then cleaned the ribbon cable connector with a clean eraser, but the problem persists; in fact, there are several keys that aren't working, so I'm just going to order another keyboard for her. They are only about $17.00, online, and the shipping was free, so it's probably not worth messing around, trying to fix individual keys. Actually, I have a sneaking suspicion that the ribbon cable connector might still be dirty, but I don't know how the pros go about cleaning them.

Why do you suggest that she gets a new password, and that the old one is now useless?

 

[AddRAM]

Right, so once again, the password was not being entered correctly. If it`s not entering the R then it`s not being entered correctly.

I did not suggest she gets a new password, I suggested she gets rid of it all together, there`s no need for one.

Once again, passwords are useless if it`s a non work personal pc.

If someone stole the laptop they can easily just re install windows.

 

[Rayroshi]

Yes, I can certainly appreciate the forum's caution regarding help with passwords. It's a good thing, given the sad state of our modern world's ethics, held by so many.

As a matter of fact, I just got off the phone, after speaking with a guy who informed me that I have a "serious problem" with my computer. That would probably be around the hundredth problem that I've had, according to them.

You people on this forum, willing to give of you time and effort, at least offer some balance to all of that, restoring a little faith in people. It sometimes helps to be reminded that there are good guys/gals out there.

I think my neighbor's use of a password on her personal laptop is simply a defense on her part, given her teenaged son, which is understandable.

But why is it so hard to not notice a single malfunctioning key, when you are quickly typing in a lengthy password and all that is showing up are black dots? A single missing dot is certainly not immediately obvious, so that's also perfectly understandable. Go easy on her.

 

[AddRAM]

It`s her PC, she can do whatever she wants. You are helping her, you go easy on her

It`s not so hard to not notice a malfunctioning key, unless you are blind. When a password doesn`t work, that`s the 1st thing you check.

What your R stops working and you just say "Hey that`s OK I don`t need an R anyway, I`ll spell Road with a T"

I can totally understand why someone would tell YOU that you`ve had a hundred problems with your computer.

You do not listen at all.

How does some guy on the phone know anything about your computer. ( This is rhetorical and does not require an answer. )

 

[Rayroshi]

Real intelligent answer.

 

[AddRAM]

Thank You

Please mark the thread solved.