administrator password hp pavilion g4

[bbtandc]

I have a pavilion g4 hand-me-down notebook from my son and he can't remember which girlfriends name he used for the administrator password.....

It doesn't supply me with a code after trying 3 times, just a password hint or the option to reset password. Reset password requires a password reset disk....which I also do not have.

Any suggestions?

Thanks for your help 🙂

Becky

[DavidPK]

Hi Becky,

If the machine is running Windows 8 or 8.1, see the Microsoft page on the following link.

http://windows.microsoft.com/en-gb/windows-8/forgot-windows-password

Note:  If this is a Local Account, try the free application Here.

If the machine is running Windows 7, Vista etc, try the following.

Using another PC, download the application on the following link and save it to your Downloads folder.

PC Login Now

When the download has completed, open your Downloads folder and double-click the installer - this will result in another file appearing which is the disc image ( .ISO ) that you need to burn to a blank CD.

You will now need to use an application such as ImgBurn to burn this ISO correctly to a blank CD - a guide on using ImgBurn to write an ISO to a disc is Here.

When the disc has been created, shutdown the PC you can't log-in on, tap away at the esc key as soon as you press the power button to access the Start-up Menu, insert the CD, select Boot Options ( usually f9 ), use the arrow keys to select the CD/DVD drive and hit enter - you may also have to 'Press any key' to boot from the CD if asked.

Follow the instructions on the guide Here to remove the current password.

Regards,

DP-K

[bbtandc]

Is it possible to use a usb flash drive instead of a disk?

[DavidPK]

Hi,

The first utility ( on the link below ) can be created on a usb flash drive and will work for all versions of Windows.

http://pogostick.net/~pnh/ntpasswd/

Regards,

DP-K

[bbtandc]

Hi David,

I was able to create the disk and run it in my sons laptop but after running through a few screens it ends with

BusyBox v1.1.3 Built-in shell (ash)

Enter 'help' for alist of built-in commands.

/bin/ash: can't access tty; job control turned off

/newroot#

I typed in 'help' and got a list of words but not sure which one to choose.

Thanks again,

Becky

[bbtandc]

I've also tried making more discs using two different programs with no luck.

[bbtandc]

Hi again,

If I just order system recovery discs from hp will that fix the problem?

Thanks,

Becky

[DavidPK]

Hi Becky,

If you just want to return the notebook to its 'Factory Condition' ( ie. the condition it was in when first purchased ), it may be worth trying the following.

Shutdown the notebook.

Tap away at f11 as soon as you press the power button and see if this launches the Recovery Manager application - if it does, just follow the on-screen prompts to perform a Factory Reset.  If there's data on the notebook that you want to keep, accept the option to back-up when asked.

Best regards,

DP-K

[bbtandc]

Hi David,

Unfortunately, I can press the other f command keys and get results but pressing f11 doesn't seem to have any effect on the notebook.

I'm not sure how the system recovery discs work but my end goal is to restore it to factory condition.

Thanks so much for taking the time to talk me through this.

Becky

[DavidPK]

Hi Becky,

You're welcome

Can you post back with the full Model No. and Product No. of your g4 series notebook - see Here for a guide on locating this information.

Regards,

DP-K