Parenting-Furkids
This And That - Often Non Pet Related Topics => Recreational (and more) Activities => Techies => Topic started by: Pookie on December 11, 2016, 07:23:29 PM
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My mother's home computer (Dell slim desktop) has the volume set to mute. I can't change it because it wants the administrator's password. It's an older computer and the paperwork is long gone. Any suggestions (getting a new pc is not an option)? Is there a "default" admin password I could try?
Thanks!
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Normally if you didn't set a password, there wouldn't be one. What Windows version is it, and how many user accounts are set up to use it? Any passwords set up by any users in the computer's lifetime? Volume control sure is a weird thing to require admin access... If you could get a screenshot of the password request, that might help.
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I don't know if anyone set a password on it. I think it was Windows 8 but Mom prefers Windows 2007 so that was loaded onto the pc. There are 3 users on it but I don't think anyone set up a password. When I use her pc, like I am now, I go under my account, and I never set up a password. I'll see if I can post a screenshot for you.
p.s. I know there are a lot of "I thinks" in here, but I really don't have definite information. She's had this computer for a few years now.
Edit: Besides the "print screen" button, is there another way to do a screen shot? Print Screen isn't taking the shot -- it just pastes the link to the app I was asking about in a different thread. ARGH! I'm not usually this computer-challenged!
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Snip tool
go to start, type in "snip" in the search bar. You'll see a little scissors icon. Double click. Click on "new."
Drag a square around what you want to capture, Save it onto the computer in a file where you can find it (I keep a folder in picture gallery called "snips"
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Windows 7, perfect :D I'm familiar with it. By default, no accounts, admin or otherwise have passwords set up. If it's asking for one, chances are one was set up when Win7 was installed... Also by default in Windows 7, the logged-in user does not have admin-level permissions, hence the UAC (User Account Control) message popping up during certain OS-level setting changes. In the control panel, click "hardware and sound", and then the "Sound" link... This should open the window showing your available audio devices - which one is set as default (with the green check mark)? Do you use headphones, and do they work sans password?
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Snip tool
go to start, type in "snip" in the search bar. You'll see a little scissors icon. Double click. Click on "new."
Drag a square around what you want to capture, Save it onto the computer in a file where you can find it (I keep a folder in picture gallery called "snips"
And suddenly I learn something new funny2.
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I can't use the snip tool -- If I click on it, it won't let me get to the screen that shows the window asking for the password. bangshead bangshead bangshead bangshead bangshead
Windows 7, perfect :D I'm familiar with it. By default, no accounts, admin or otherwise have passwords set up. If it's asking for one, chances are one was set up when Win7 was installed... Also by default in Windows 7, the logged-in user does not have admin-level permissions, hence the UAC (User Account Control) message popping up during certain OS-level setting changes. In the control panel, click "hardware and sound", and then the "Sound" link... This should open the window showing your available audio devices - which one is set as default (with the green check mark)? Do you use headphones, and do they work sans password?
There's no "Hardware and Sound" -- just "sound" which I went to. It showed Speakers and then in faded print: Realtek High Definition Audio not plugged in
This thing didn't come with speakers -- I thought they were in the machine? :-\ Does she need to get external speakers to have sound?
BTW, Brandon, you nailed it with the other screen. It's the User Account Control.
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First, just try this. When it asks for a password, don't type anything. Just hit enter. Sometimes it's a ghost and there really isn't any password used.
If that doesn't work, then there really is a password. The only way I know of doing it is to use BIOS to change it. I'd normally not tell anyone to do this, but it's the only way I know of how on a computer that's locked down. Try following these directions:
https://www.techwalla.com/articles/how-to-change-the-administrator-password-in-bios
When you start it back up, you need to have a finger already on that F2 key and immediately press it and hold until you see a different screen from normal. Also, BIOS is a nice blue place, but it's not the blue screen of death.
For Dells, if F2 doesn't work, then try any of these combinations until you get one to take you there:
DELL
On a newer Dell computer, try the F2 key while you see the Dell logo.
Alternatively, try F1, Delete, F12, or even F3.
Older models might use CTRL+ALT+ENTER or Delete or Fn+ESC or Fn+F1.
My favorite way to get into one is ctrl+alt+Delete because it usually works on any I've ever touched no matter how new they were.
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This thing didn't come with speakers -- I thought they were in the machine? :-\ Does she need to get external speakers to have sound?
Yes. You need some speakers if there are none.
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Yes. You need some speakers if there are none.
bangshead bangshead bangshead bangshead bangshead bangshead bangshead bangshead
Then never mind. It's not that important. I just wanted to hear Buddy begging for more turkey. :(
Actually, Mom may want audio on this but she hasn't mentioned it. Her old desktop had audio w/o speakers, so I didn't think this one needed them. Jiminy Crickets, can't anything be simple? >:(
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First, just try this. When it asks for a password, don't type anything. Just hit enter. Sometimes it's a ghost and there really isn't any password used.
If that doesn't work, then there really is a password. The only way I know of doing it is to use BIOS to change it. I'd normally not tell anyone to do this, but it's the only way I know of how on a computer that's locked down. Try following these directions:
https://www.techwalla.com/articles/how-to-change-the-administrator-password-in-bios
When you start it back up, you need to have a finger already on that F2 key and immediately press it and hold until you see a different screen from normal. Also, BIOS is a nice blue place, but it's not the blue screen of death.
For Dells, if F2 doesn't work, then try any of these combinations until you get one to take you there:
DELL
On a newer Dell computer, try the F2 key while you see the Dell logo.
Alternatively, try F1, Delete, F12, or even F3.
Older models might use CTRL+ALT+ENTER or Delete or Fn+ESC or Fn+F1.
My favorite way to get into one is ctrl+alt+Delete because it usually works on any I've ever touched no matter how new they were.
If there is a password in Windows, using the computers BIOS will have no effect because the BIOS has no access to the system hard drive, where the operating system is stored. More likely there is no password, as you first stated. And ctrl-Alt-delete is used within Windows, all it will do outside Windows (during boot up) is reboot.
Yes, external speakers are required under most circumstances with any machine except laptops :)
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That whole BIOS thing made my head hurt just reading it. It's not my pc and I'm not going to mess with it on that level. Just for the heck of it, here's the screen shot of the "sound" screen:
Thanks for trying, everyone. Just out of curiosity, would any speakers work with this desktop?
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I just looked at the link provided for the BIOS admin password..... It doesn't even relate to your issue lol. That's for SYSTEM admin, the one that won't even let Windows START unless you type it in ;)
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Yes, any speakers that have a headphone jack to plug them in will work. It's the green circle jack on the back of the computer, or if the computer has a headphone jack on the front, you can use it too.
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Yes, any speakers that have a headphone jack to plug them in will work. It's the green circle jack on the back of the computer, or if it has a headphone jack on the front, you can use it too.
Thanks! *sigh* All this time we thought it was a password issue . . . Doh1
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If there is a password in Windows, using the computers BIOS will have no effect because the BIOS has no access to the system hard drive, where the operating system is stored. More likely there is no password, as you first stated. And ctrl-Alt-delete is used within Windows, all it will do outside Windows (during boot up) is reboot.
I forgot that you need the boot-up CD or USB. Been a while since my son got in trouble at school for becoming bored.
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o_o I have no comment on that particular statement :p
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Hey. I thought it was kind of inventive of him. The school where he reset the admin password and gained access, not so much.
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Hey. I thought it was kind of inventive of him. The school where he reset the admin password and gained access, not so much.
Oh I was uh, referring to the latter :D ......... My middle school actually banned me from all computer access the last two weeks of the year because I kept finding ways around their filters and eventual account lock funny2
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Oh I was uh, referring to the latter :D ......... My middle school actually banned me from all computer access the last two weeks of the year because I kept finding ways around their filters and eventual account lock funny2
Ok, that's it. You two (or should I say, Dee's son and you, Brandon) officially scare me. But I definitely know who to ask if I need pc help! ;D
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Hey, they're the ones that made the mistake of giving me access to a computer with network administrative rights one time funny2 funny2 funny2 funny2 funny2 can't fault me for taking advantage a little bit!! :D
And it's funny because I actually learned a lot about Windows networking in the process, which enabled me to have near-instant success when I finally got a few computers of my own to network up to a web server :)
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I blame it on the lack of properly instructing the users that were supposed to be supervising him and his classmates. And I told them that.
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I blame it on the lack of properly instructing the users that were supposed to be supervising him and his classmates. And I told them that.
Are you a "MY Johnny is innocent"... kind of parent?
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Nope. He got punished. But I didn't appreciate them not supervising them well enough. I had a Net-Nanny at home for when my back was turned.
They had nothing but expectations that kids didn't know what they were doing with a keyboard in their hands just because they didn't know any of it. I absolutely did NOT appreciate finding out that they were free-flying through the 'net.