I can get to the XP logon screen however the user reset and forgot their password… I cannot bypass because the system was set to boot to the HD only. No USB or CD/DVD devices are bootable. Therefore I cannot wipe the Windows SAM database.
I have tried the following procedures to no avail:
1 – Remove CMOS battery. Left out for over an hour. Also removed battery pack just in case. Did nothing.
2 – Searched MoBo for CMOS reset jumper. Cannot find one.
3 – Searched the Internet for a very long time and cannot locate a way around this password. The only way I have found is to post the hashcode and hope that someone supplies it to you as a response.
4 – Called HP support. They require proof of purchase before supplying password based on hashcode. So far the owner cannot locate the receipt after 2 weeks and I doubt they will since this model is ~8 years old. Hashcode is obtained by hitting F12 at the BIOS password screen. It is ‘02322’ or ‘ 02322’ if you count the leading whitespace.
5 – I have searched for a cracking utility to do this myself but cannot locate any so far.
Can anyone provide a solution to this issue?