Member Avatar for dwcraig

Daughter's been off to college, and trying to use her old Thinkpad R31, but it asks for her user name and password, and she can't remember it.

Any way to work around this?

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by caperjack

Dani AI

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Quick triage first: is the prompt coming from Windows or before Windows ever loads? If you see an IBM/ThinkPad lock icon or a prompt that appears before the XP splash screen, that is a BIOS/supervisor or HDD password. There is no easy bypass for those on R30/R31 models; removing the CMOS battery will not clear them. As noted, an HDD password locks the drive itself. If you do not know it, the practical fix is replacing the drive (data is lost) or the planar for a supervisor password. Painful, but accurate.

If it is the Windows XP Welcome screen (what @d**craig described), you have a few options that build on what and suggested:

  • XP Home: boot Safe Mode and log in using the built-in Administrator account (often blank by default).
  • XP Pro: at the Welcome screen, press Ctrl+Alt+Del twice to get the classic logon box, then try user name Administrator with a blank password.

Once in, reset the student account password. GUI route: Start -> Run -> control userpasswords2. Command route (works in Safe Mode with Command Prompt too):

net user "DaughterAccountName" *

Press Enter when prompted to set a new password. If the account disappeared because it was renamed (hi ), list accounts with:

net user

A couple of cautions:

  • If any files were encrypted with EFS, resetting a user’s password from another account (or with offline tools) can make those files unreadable. If you suspect EFS, try to log in normally and change the password from within that account instead.
  • If none of the above works and it is only a Windows password issue, consider backing up files with a Linux live USB, then doing a clean reinstall or factory recovery before handing the laptop to a new user (, this is usually fastest for gifting).

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Member Avatar for caperjack

Daughter's been off to college, and trying to use her old Thinkpad R31, but it asks for her user name and password, and she can't remember it.

Any way to work around this?

is that a windows password/username or the Bios password ,can you get to the windows login screen,if yes ,then boot computer while hitting the f8 key to go to safe mode ,choose administrator acct, and go to users in the control panel and remove password from you daughters user account .

Member Avatar for jbennet

Yes, thats the way to do i under windows

Is it 98/NT/2k/XP?

If you mean the HDD password then you are out of luck. I lost it for my old R30 and IBM said i would require a new motherboard (luckily i remembered it)

Member Avatar for Suspishio

Often the user Administrator is defaulted to no password. try it.

Otherwise there are utilities available (google it) to reset locked accounts.

Member Avatar for dwcraig

Thanks - just treid - but it's the Windows XP Log On to Windows that I can't get past

Member Avatar for jbennet

Yeah hit F8 repeatedly when it starts up and choose SAFE MODE . Lost of text will flow down the screen and the graphics will look crappy but dont worry, thats ok. Once you ecentually get to the welcome screen you will see an account thats not usually there called "administrator". It SHOULD have no password

Member Avatar for dwcraig

Got it --- THANKS to all!!

Member Avatar for big jeff

find lost user name and password for ibn thinkpad 2660 windowsxp
please help.
big jeff

Member Avatar for isaac vakai

ok i have ibm thinkpad laptop and brother was playing my account through admin and then he went on command and then type down net user isaac(which my admin acc)then he typed net user isnack2(which the name for the system) and now i cant log in my account even though i knoe the password by heart

and problem is i have no other account to log in

Member Avatar for Karen00100

I just found an old IBM thinkpad I used to use. I want to give it to my grandson to use, but I can't remember the password. Is there a way to reset it or recover it?

Member Avatar for caperjack

I just found an old IBM thinkpad I used to use. I want to give it to my grandson to use, but I can't remember the password. Is there a way to reset it or recover it?

check the post above by jbennet

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