reinstalling windows xp - password

i've been advised by a previous thread to reinstall windows xp as a repair, (its a friends computer so i've had to get the discs). i've booted from cd and pressed repair putting in option 1 for windows but then its asking for the administrator password, i didn't think she would have set one up and i've just checked with her and she hasn't, any ideas what now?
Its a Dell Dimension 5000

 

boot in safe mode under your account and there you will be able to do everuthing with administrator account, i'd advice to delete it

 

thanks for you reply, can you just confirm what i do please, i'm rather nervous as its not my machine. Boot in safe mode and then put the windows xp reinstallation disc in?

 

I'd better come back in and help a bit here. Your last message on the previous thread indicated that the cd had fired the pc up into the wrong repair mode. You do not need an administrator password (or any other).

Follow these instruction closely.

Make sure you have
1)the Dell operating system Disk (Windows). This is almost but not quite a normal Windows XP disk, in that it has extra software to make sure it will only work with a Dell -
2)the Dell drivers disk. you will need this after the repair install.
3)The Windows XP key from the side of your friend's pc.

Boot from the CD
When the welcome screen opens press enter to setup Windows now
DO NOT PRESS R
On the next screen press F8 to accept the license
On the next screen the system will list installations of Windows in the lower half of the screen. Probably only one in your case.
Highlight the Windows XP installation
NOW PRESS R

The repair will commence.
Windows will load some files and then ask to reboot.
Allow this, leaving the CD in the drive.
follow the on screen instructions after reboot, inputting the windows key from the side of the pc if asked for.

After installation replace the OS disk with the Drivers disk
Hold the windows key down and press pause/break
on the hardware tab choose device manager
reinstall any drivers indicated by yellow triangles as faulty

you may also have to reinstall some programs such as antivirus.


Studio T

 

Oh and plaphon you can't delete 'the' administrator account. It is a special servicing account that only appears in safe mode and the repair console.

 

thanks, i'm working through your instructions, just checking before i press the buttons!!
When i get Welcome to setup screen - i get these options come up:-

To setup windows xp now, press enter
To repair a windows xp installation using recovery console, press R
To quit setup, F3

I've been into 2nd one pressing R here, but from what you've said am i correct in saying i use option 1 - setup windows xp now and enter?

If so i can repair from here can't i, as unfortunatley she hasn't saved many of documents?

Thanks for your help

 

You don't want the first repair option you are offered. This is not for repair install it is for entering an advanced environment called the repair console. Do not do this.

You need to enter Windows Setup, which is the first option. Then you will get the chance to do either a full 'clean' install(which you don't want) or a 'repair' install which you do.

I am trying not to say too much about the options you don't need, for clarity's sake.

Just follow the instructions, you are nearly there.

Studio T

 

ok followed your instuctions - Oh my god - its starting to run repair, my nerves are in tatters - i'll keep you posted

 

Once that part is finished the next thing to know is that the 'installed' Windows will be minus any update or service pack issued after the CD was made. Obvious really. In particular SP1, SP2 may be gone.

I don't know what your web download resources are like but rather than go to Microsoft and try to download all the updates try Major Geeks Autopatcher. This is a biggish download at 330MB but has every patch to date including IE7, which you can accept or refuse, and can be copied to a cd and run from there. Just click on the .exe file in explorer.

http://www.majorgeeks.com/AutoPatcher_XP_Update_d5213.html


Studio T

 

This is not working, it has been loading xp repair for nearly 2 hours now, still saying setup will complete in approx 39 mins, this hasn't moved since it first started, the loading bars are moving in the bottom right hand screen but the computer has started making the click, click click and then a little whirl noise again.

 

infact its more than 2 hours -last time i posted it was 12:22 so its been loading since then.

 

Don't like to tell you this but if a repair install fails there is nothing left but a full clean install. Sorry. Leave it running until it actuallly comes up with a failure message an post that message. It may yet succeed.

Studio T

 

Thanks thought that might be the case, i'd managed to transfer most of her documents via memory stick yesterday, its just all her pictures they have not been resized so it'll only let me put 2 on my stick before its full and obviously its running so slow its taking forever.

 

forgot to add, as i can get in to do things with a struggle in safe mode is there anything i can do to transfer the pictures?

 

At last i've got into windows, i've transferred all her doc's & pic's, no errors showing in device manager, but when i tried to save to a disc error message came up. I've been working on it for over 12 hours now so i'm off to bed, i'll check more tomoz as to if there's a problem with disc drive and post again.
thanks so much for all your help.
goodnight

 

Got windows loaded now and ran spyware checks from discs, i'm now wanting to connect her computer to the internet to download firefox and updates etc..
I'm with blueyonder so put my blueyonder disc in her machine which loads but then when its tells me to put the connection in the back and searches, it gives me an error messge saving limited connection to LAN - click repair which i have but says can't locate IP address.
she presumably using BT Broadband at home , says BT Voyager 105 ADSL modem in Network Connections (this is under the Dial Up part though) any help on how i can get my internet connection working on her computer to complete this repair. Many thanks.
not sure if i'm in correct thread for this but just contiued from what has happenned so far.

 

You may have to uninstall blue yonder if you have actually installed anypart of it.

Plug the lan cable in from your router
Open internet explorer
Tools>internet options>connections tab
tick never dial a connection
open the LAN settings
Untick automatic detect and proxy server.
Close internet explorer
Reopen IE
file>untick work offline
Your internet should now be working

Studio T

 

i haven't manged to install blueyonder, so when i do what you've explained does this automatically go through my blueyonder broadband?

 

Windows should automatically connect to any valid broadband with those settings.

Studio T

 

ok thanks, i'll be offline while i try !

 

Hasn't worked, message says:
LAN - This connection has limited or no connectivity. You might no be able to acces the internet.
clicked repair - but says: action cannot be completed - renewing your IP address.

 

please confirm this is an ethernet connection not a USB?

Studio T

 

Haven't got a clue soz, all i can tell you is that i have blueyonder broadband, i've just loaded the disc to run and it came up with the LAN error.

 

What sort of connection do you have from the pc to the blue yonder box ?

Studio T

 

its like on a telephone but slightly bigger (not very technical - possibly ethernet socket) just checked on my broadband properties and it says:
LAN- High Speed Internet
Local area Connection
Connected
Realtek TRL 8139/810x Family


Also had message when trying to connect saying:
Blueyoner could not renew the IP address for your network adaptor (DHCP)

 

OK that's fine you have a Realtek NIC (network interface connector), also called ethernet. This is the fastest and best way to connect to your modem/router.

start>connect to>show all connections
Right click on the LAN
Choose properties
Choose TCP/IP in the list in the large box
Choose properties
make sure that the pc is set to obtain an IP address and DNS address automatically
click Ok
click close
If you are using a proprietary firewall turn it off, ditto antivirus you will need to reinstall these later after the updates.
You may have to go into the blue yonder router and configure it to accept the new pc, if it is anything like the BT business one. You don't need their CD look in the manual for the address of the control screen. With most routers you type

http://196.168.0.1 into to browsr (no www) to get to it, some have 168.1.1 or some other combination but neve more than using 0,1,and 2.


Studio T

 

Quick thought you did re install all the Dell drivers didn't you?

Hold the windows key down and press pause/break,
in the hardware tab choose device manager
Are there any ! or ? against any of the entries.
In particular expand the network adapters and select the Realtek
choose properties
Does it say device working properly?

Studio T

 

Update - Its up and running!! I'm using it now. Thanks so much for all your help.

Have quite a few downloaded programs from all the tests done, can you confirm if its best to leave all these on?
Lavasoft Adaware
Spybot S & D
Superantivirus
CCleaner
Spywareblaster
IObit smart defrag

I've also done a check with AVG all OK, done it in normal boot, does it need to be done in safemode?

 

Most antivirus, including AVG, do not work in safe mode.

Assuming you are keeping AVG antivirus not the full AVG security suite, I would only keep AdAware.
You might consider CCleaner, which is a good program, currently in vogue, but is a bit gung-ho for my liking.
The Windows firewall is adequate for most individuals, particularly if there is also a hardware firewall in your router.

I always recommend that 'ordn'ry folks' stay mainstream and use the Windows own tools where possible. This is because you can be pretty sure Microsoft will make updates and patches compatible. However you have to spend a deal of time and effort watching added utilities in case they are rendered inoperative,or worse at odds with a windows update. I have seen many caught out by this.
Windows own defrag does the job, as does disk cleanup if used sensibly often.

The best single action you can take to avoid malware now is to create TWO accounts.
One with limited user priviledges for USING the computer including the internet.
A Second with administrator priviledges for Administering the computer, installing, changing programs etc.
This is because over 75% of the malware out there require to be in administrator acount to do anything including loading themselves. All rootkits, which are the worst require this for instance.
you do not need passwords for this, they only protect you from someone in the building, not on the internet.
If you have already set up settings on the pc, create a new administrator account. Then demote the account you are using now to limited, this will preserve settings, email etc.

If you like tinkering then this website publishes details of many so-called utilities/anti -malware programs that have been found to be actually cover for something nefarious.
Major Geeks take great effort to ensure that the software on their lists do not hide anything, although they may not always be the most polished software.

http://www.spywarewarrior.com/rogue_anti-spyware.htm

Studio T

 

Just an afterthought:

As everything appears to be running ok now, scans now showing no virus, spyware removed etc.. would i still need to run the sticky about malware removal guide process as suggested in my first post on the malware forum removing malware thread, i never completed the full test originally as i couldn't load all the suggested programs onto friends computer, then i came to this software thread about if it was a password problem that was causing it not to boot and the rest is history as you helped me through this process.
Just wondering if although everything appears to now be running fine if i should have completed that test to make sure everything had gone ?

 

I think you ended up doing a clean full install.
If so you will have no malware.
If I misunderstood and you managed to get the repair install to complete, any malware could still be there so do the scan and post the log in the malware forum.

Studio T