Change boot sequence in windows xp BIOS?

Question

I have this problem for a while and its driving me mad. i have given my old pc to my parents, it has been put away for a year and has an administrator password on that i cannot remember.
I have tried everything to get into windows, but it won't let me. The only option it gives is to log on as administrator with the password which i dont have. i cannot log on as anyother user or make any new accounts.
I have someone sending me a copy of windowsXP, now i just need to make the pc boot from the cd drive.
I have been into BIOS and i dont think it will let me change the order because i dont have administritive rights?..i think thats what it said.
Any help would be really appreciated. My parents have been paying for broadband for a week and not been able to use it, its so frustrating!

Answer 1

You have two passwords at issue here, the BIOS password and the Windows administrator password. BOTH can be bypassed quite easily.

First the BIOS password. You need to unplug the computer from the wall and anything else that is plugged in (like your monitor) open it up and remove the CMOS battery. It'll be a small battery on your mother board around the size of a quarter. Make sure you note how its in there (which side is + and which side is -) so you can put it back in correctly. Press the power button on your computer (yes while it is still unplugged) and allow it to sit there for 5-10min. Then put the battery back in, reconnect your computer to everything and plug it back in. Your BIOS password should be gone (if not redo the above and let it sit overnight instead... that should do the trick... if that doesn't work boot the computer without the battery, then turn it off & disconnect, and pace the battery back in reconnect and go). IF you have access to documentation on your motherboard there should be a special procedure involving jumpers that will allow you to reset the BIOS. Do whatever the manual says instead of the above.

Now for the fun part: removing Windows Administrative Passwords. You need to get access to a working computer with a CD burner. You'll need to download Knoppix ( www.knoppix.org) and burn it to a CD. Then you can change your BIOS options to boot from a CD now that you've removed the BIOS password. Once you do that you can boot from the Knoppix CD. Then follow the directions here (http://rhadimas.wordpress.com/2006/10/15/reset-windows-password-w-knoppix/ ) about how to use and install the chntpw package. Continue following the directions to reset the Administrative password to anything you want it to be or leave it blank.

Breathe a sigh of relief that you didn't have to reinstall Windows.

Answer 2

Change Boot Order Windows Xp

Answer 3

Windows XP and BIOS are 2 completely separate things. Setting the CD drive as a boot device has nothing to do with the XP administrator password. Before Windows even starts booting, you should be able to hit a key (like F10, F2, Delete, etc) that gets you into the BIOS where you can change the boot order.

Answer 4

No, you cannot edit BIOS from Windows. If your wireless keyboard isn't active in BIOS setup, borrow a wired keyboard. Almost all blue-screen errors are related to drivers, probably with .sys extension. 1. Run an anti-virus 2. Try error checking for Drive C. 3. Use the BIOS to move the CD-ROM to the number 1 boot position. Reboot with the disk in the bay and do a repair (not the recovery console) at boot. If these don't help, look at some programs that act odd and delete them. If all fails, do a wipe of the disk and reinstall. Save your good files, first.

Answer 5

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RE:
Change boot sequence in windows xp BIOS?
I have this problem for a while and its driving me mad. i have given my old pc to my parents, it has been put away for a year and has an administrator password on that i cannot remember.
I have tried everything to get into windows, but it won't let me. The only option it gives is to log on as...

Answer 6

Getting into the BIOS has nothing to do with Windows XP Administrators, as the operating system hasn't loaded yet, and it is only the bare computer. Find out exactly what it said. It might be asking for a BIOS password, in which case you're in trouble again. You might be able to clear the CMOS. Try reading the manual. It's usually a jumper you switch on the motherboard. Good luck...

Also you are saying that there is one WinXP account, the administrator, and that it needs a password to logon to windows?

Answer 7

Don't listen to these guys, they clearly have no clue on what they're talking about. I am a developer at Microsoft so I know a thing or two about computers. The only way to reset your windows password 100% safe is to use a software called Reset Password Pro.

The software allows you to create a boot-disk, that can be made on a CD/DVD or USB stick. The boot-disk can then be inserted into any locked machine, and it's a simple case of pressing reset. Here is their official site: http://www.resetwindowspass.com

Answer 8

this shouldnt have to be technical,just wait until you get your xp disk and just re-install the os
like the other guy said,make sure you do a full format of the hard rive and then install in ntfs,this will ensure you have a clean install and so remenence of the old password
although a good security idea,passwords(unless you have naughty kids)are unnessecary,they are a pain and only good when you have large familys
note:just make sure your boot order is changed before you start the install,as you probally know you go into set up(delete at start up),and then into advanced bios settings,then set boot order to 1st-cd-rom 2nd ide 1 3rd-floppy drive....then save and exit set up
the rest is simply prompts,and remember to have your 25 digit product key to hand(do not lose this,its worth its weight in gold)
with regards to the administritive rights this only applies to the os not the bios so you should be o.k
another option which i have never tried but its worth a go is to press f8 at start up to enter safe mode,this may by-pass the password prompt,and then you can alter the password in user accounts,im not sure about this one but its worth a try
otherwise,re-install xp as directed
good luck mate

Answer 9

um... if the bios does not let you change boot priority, you might have to find the password for your BIOS(not Windows, windows has nothing to do with your bios). The BIOS password can usually be erased by doing something with your motherboard(check your computer's manual for this or call your manufacturer).

Otherwise reinstalling windows xp is probably the best thing to do.

Answer 10

if it will not boot the disk, open the case find the battery on the motherboard and somewhere real close to that will be a little plastic jumper and three pins in which the jumper will be over two of them. with the computer unplugged take the jumper and switch it over to the pin that's not being used.remember the middle pin u use for both.wait a sec then switch back. this will erase the password. if you can not find the jumper just pull the battery out for a minute and hit power button a few times to drain power put back in. this will erase the password to.then go to bios and switch boot order.