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finding password

nikkigreg1974nikkigreg1974
edited September 2014 in Software
I got a gateway laptop off ebay and when windows starts a novell starts up and asks me for a password before it will let windows start up . it has windows xp tablet edition on it. Is there any programs out there that can find the password for me. It was a school laptop. I would just format it and reinstall windows but i don't have all the drivers and programs that came with the laptop. I downloaded what driver gateway has on there web site for it. It's a gateway m275.

Comments

  • AirportsFanAirportsFan
    edited July 2014
    If you mean that it requires password at POST before all GUI things, then if you can't figure out the password you may need to remove the CMOS battery and re-insert it to clear out the password.

    Refer to their service manual I found here: http://www.gainsaver.com/Gainsaver/Stor ... %20275.pdf - Page 63.

    Edit: Very sorry about that, for some reason I completely missed the word 'Novell' in your post. It's as hounsell wrote in the next post, or you'll need to reinstall Windows.

    However if you need to at least know drivers names installed in Windows, try to get access to the HDD via a livecd or such, go to C:\Windows\INF or where the Windows is installed, and copy all oem*.inf files to some location so you can refer to after reinstallation. These information files include 3rd party driver names which were installed in the Windows, of course you'll need to download the complete package later from vendor after knowing model/appropriate driver name.
  • hounsellhounsell
    AirportsFan, sounds like it's probably been part of a Netware network. Pretty rare these days, but once fairly widespread. The problem here it's probably expecting to be able to connect to a server to authenticate, rather than have any local accounts to authenticate.

    nikkigreg1974, if you can provide a picture of the password entry screen, it might help us identify exactly what our options are. Also, have you checked with the seller, it's possible they might know some credentials that work?
  • DuffDuff
    A reformat would be the easiest and cleanest way to make the laptop usable again.

    Most of the hardware in that machine (Intel chipset, LAN, wireless) should be picked up by a clean install of Windows XP Tablet Edition 2005 anyway, and drivers aren't that hard to find if the Gateway site + Windows doesn't cover everything. For the tablet components, Wacom should have you covered for drivers. Anything else should be easy to find on the web.
  • calvinbcalvinb
    Install a newer Windows, perhaps - it would have most, if not all of the drivers.
  • DuffDuff
    After looking at the specifications for it, running Windows 7 would likely be pushing it, but it could be done depending on the amount of RAM...

    Regardless, the OP may find this useful for driver searching - specifications.
  • nikkigreg1974nikkigreg1974
    I formatted the hard drive and install windows 7 home on it. The windows xp table i had wasn't the tablet edition of xp. It was just xp pro. I should of figure that since i got it from my one friend and he downloaded from some where. So like i said i put windows 7 on it and all the tablet stuff works on it. Right now i got 1gb of ram in it and going to buy more memory so i have 2gb of ram. Thanks for the help i got.
  • wingzeroisminewingzeroismine
    How is it doing with 7 on it? The only tablets of that era that I had experience with would be the thinkpad X41 which always felt weak compared to other Pentium M systems of the time, may have been due to its 1.8" 4200rpm hard drive.
  • calvinbcalvinb
    1 GB is more than my P3 has, but you're also handicapped by the slow Intel 8x5 GPU, which prevents Aero and friends.
  • nikkigreg1974nikkigreg1974
    well windows 7 run some what slow. Take few seconds for thing to open up and if i have to many things open it goes very slow then. I been finding the drivers for it. I found the drivers for the pen so i can use it in windows xp. I like to put windows xp back on it. I may just break down and buy the restore disk for it i found on the web.
  • Angelstorm9x3Angelstorm9x3
    If you ever lose the password on it again, don't reset it. Make a boot disc with Ophcrack (Linux) and it will find the password. I used it on mine and it found the password in about 25 minutes (including boot time...).
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