Locked Out of Vista

My Daughter has managed to get locked out of Vista Home Premium. I finally found her paperwork – and no system disc, just instructions on making a backup (Yes, you guessed it, “I get a register now message every seven days, but I just tell it to remind me later”)
When I boot the computer it offers a choice between startup repair and start windows normally.
I can’t get any other option (such as safe mode) using F11.
Either choice eventually brings up a lower than normal resolution screen offering only ‘Other User’.
This choices switches to a log on screen.
Entering either <Username> <password> or “Administrator” and <blank> results in a ‘can’t find domain’ message. There is no option to choose a domain or leave it blank. The computer shouldn’t be part of a domain, just an MSHOME workgroup.

Any suggestions for how to get in?

This is an Acer and appears to have two partitions on the HDD; is it possible that there is a mirror of the OS I can use for repair.

Worst case I can load another O/S, such as XP. I have her Home Premium key. Is it possible download premium using that key?

Hello Stumpie, welcome to Seven Forums!




Have a look at the tutorial at the link below to see if you can get any data from her account you need to make backups of, I haven't done this but I believe if you change her password from that account all the data will be lost; what is usually suggested is to create another 'regular' standard user account and move all her stuff into that and then the old account can be deleted. Don't let anyone use the Administrator account because it's a security risk.


The Real Built-in Administrator Account

How to Create a New User Account in Vista

Thanks BFK,

My problem is I can't get past the log on screen! It comes up with the error "the specified domain does not exist or could not be contacted" whatever user and password I put in. It's as if it has decided that the computer should be part of a domain, but there is no way to tell it otherwise.

Neil

You should be able to start the recovery program by marking the recovery partition active and then reboot.

You need a way to do that - this freebie boot cd will do the job fine Partition Wizard Bootable CD allows user to boot computer directly to manage partition.


That will restore to factory condition - if there is valuable data on there , copy it off first with Pargon Rescue Kit Free Edition

select normal mode>file transfer wizard.