Dell LAptop Administrator

[Bob Scott]

Hi guys,

My wife got an old used Dell laptop running Windows 2000. Is there any way to reset the admin password in Windows 2000? I don't have a clue what it is. It won't let me install a wireless stick driver without it.

[kheston]

Bob,

Check out:

http://www.sysresccd.org/

This is a Linux-based Swiss Army knife on a bootable CD. It has a number of utilities that are designed to fix Windows (and Linux) operating systems while they're offline.

In your case, ntpass will do the job.

--K

[Bob Scott]

Thanks kheston.

I just discovered that the password was blank. Press no keys, just press enter. So I'm IN! yay!

Now I have other troubles trying to get the wireless 11G stick to work. Guess I have to read the manual.

Thanks again for the link....
Bob

[Bob Scott]

So, I figure I have a wireless 11g stick plugged into a USB 1.0 port, and it does not work.
I must get myself a little plug-in card with a USB2.0.

[SETEC_Astronomy]

So, I figure I have a wireless 11g stick plugged into a USB 1.0 port, and it does not work.
I must get myself a little plug-in card with a USB2.0.

That should only mean you see a reduced data throughput, not that the device fails to work altogether. My guess is driver issue, are you sure you have the correct driver for Win2000? A WinXP driver will likely not work as you've probably noticed.

[CeaSaR]

You have to be careful of the requirements, some of the USB sticks require USB 2.0 in order to work (at least that's what they say in the literature). Obviously, if there is a missing or non-existent driver for your OS then the point is moot.

Case in point: I bought MP3 players for the family that connect through the USB port. The driver disk says that it has drivers for 98SE on up, but they will not be recognized by any of my old 98SE machines no matter what drivers are (or are not!) on the disk or download site. They work fine with all the XP machines.

CeaSaR

[SETEC_Astronomy]

Case in point: I bought MP3 players for the family that connect through the USB port. The driver disk says that it has drivers for 98SE on up, but they will not be recognized by any of my old 98SE machines no matter what drivers are (or are not!) on the disk or download site. They work fine with all the XP machines.

Have you tried XP on the 98SE machines? The fact the MP3 players work on one machine and not another doesn't exclude software incompatibility or misconfiguration. Have you verified the BIOS has the proper settings to support the USB mode needed? What brand MP3 player? Apple iPods don't work with Windows 98-2000 without a specialized driver, one that Apple does not provide.

[Bob Scott]

You have to be careful of the requirements, some of the USB sticks require USB 2.0 in order to work (at least that's what they say in the literature). Obviously, if there is a missing or non-existent driver for your OS then the point is moot.

This is it. As you can see on the image, USB 2.0 is necessary. I really like the metal USB extension; it is built just like a goose-neck microphone.

It is plug-and-play, and there is no lack of drivers. Windows 2000 had a driver but it didn't work, so I uninstalled it. I had to go to the MSI website to download the MSI drivers for all Windows, including one for 2000. (The stick comes with a driver CD, but the laptop doesn't have a CD ROM.) Same thing, no workee. The stick itself works on my desktop PC running XP and also my son's running Vista, so the stick itself is not defective. Vista won't run my son's scanner, but that's a whole new subject.

I think a laptop needs this WIFI to be useful, so I'm going to look for a plug in USB card.

[CeaSaR]

Setec,

The players are store brands, VueScape (brand) sold by InkStop (store).
I think the 98SE machines have USB 1.1. As for the rest of it, The machines
couldn't find the supposed drivers for Win98 on the CD or the download file.
I'm using XP almost exclusively now, so no more problems.

CeaSaR

[Bob Scott]

My guess is driver issue, are you sure you have the correct driver for Win2000? A WinXP driver will likely not work as you've probably noticed.

Thanks! Yes, when you wrote this, I did have a driver issue. This laptop was never ever updated since the original Win 2000 installation. This Pentium 3 laptop had been hiding forgotten in a closet for years. Apparently, there was no USB 2.0 drivers for Win 2000 on a service pack until SP4. Yesterday I took took several internet visits to Windows update and a couple of hours of downloading and installing a series of updates to get this OS current. Still no joy. It still looks like a hardware issue.

I'll check the bios anyway like you suggested and visit the Dell site to see if there are any firmware upgrades available. If all else fails, there is a local store that has USB 2.0 cards AND wireless LAN cards I can just plug into the side slot for ~$40 each.

I really DO like the idea of making my entire home LAN wireless, and its not too expensive. Both my sons have computers and I have this tower and the laptop. I want to get rid of the CAT5 cables that are running like clothes lines from the DSL router to all over the house.

My next issue is the 8 years old version of "Norton Professional Gold" anti-virus that won't let me uninstall it without a password. Nobody remembers 8 year old passwords!

[SETEC_Astronomy]

After some poking around it seems your particular adapter doesn't play well with USB1.0 as CeaSaR suggested was the case which in my experience is not the norm, stinks to find that out after purchase. If you want to save a few bucks on a new adapter you might try Freecycle.org or Craigslist.com

Regarding Norton you have two options from what I can tell.

Option 1:
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/ts ... 3108162039
The above links to the Norton Software Removal Tool, should be of some use to you.

Option 2:
Open Registry Editor (Start->Run->regedit) then navigate to the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\INTEL\LANDesk\VirusPro tect6\CurrentVersion\Administrator Only\Security\
Change the value for useVPuninstallpassword key from 1 to 0.
Exit Registry Editor and now you can uninstall Symantec AntiVirus Client.

[Bob Scott]

After some poking around it seems your particular adapter doesn't play well with USB1.0 as CeaSaR suggested was the case which in my experience is not the norm, stinks to find that out after purchase. If you want to save a few bucks on a new adapter you might try Freecycle.org or Craigslist.com

Thanks. I did have a "DOH!" moment when I realised that we're talking about two different driver issues. Both the USB port AND the wireless stick need different drivers.

Regarding Norton you have two options from what I can tell.

Option 1:
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/ts ... 3108162039
The above links to the Norton Software Removal Tool, should be of some use to you.

No. This Norton is older than 2003.

Option 2:
Open Registry Editor (Start->Run->regedit) then navigate to the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\INTEL\LANDesk\VirusPro tect6\CurrentVersion\Administrator Only\Security\
Change the value for useVPuninstallpassword key from 1 to 0.
Exit Registry Editor and now you can uninstall Symantec AntiVirus Client.

Thanks yet AGAIN! That did the trick. I had never used a registry editor before!

Now I'll immediately get the current AVG and Spybot.