Reinstalling OS w/o Admin Privileges?

Is there a way to re-install Windows XP Pro SP2 on a computer on which the user doesn't have administrator rights and sees no way to grant them, i.e. user does not have administrator privileges and doesn't know password to establish an account with them.

Administrator password being requested when user tries to re-install OS from CD. On boot-up, user taken directly to login screen, i.e., trying to press function keys or the ESC button after initial power-up won't permit entry into set-up or safe mode. Willing to reformat hard drive and re-load OS from scratch but again, lack of knowledge of how to resolve administrator rights privilege (or maybe some other aspect) is preventing this user from resolving this confounding conundrum.

 

Hi pbrownel,

If you are willing to format & install Windows afresh, you don't need to know the Administrator password (or any other Windows password for that matter).

Before installing from CD, you would have to set the boot options in your BIOS/CMOS to CD->HDD otherwise your computer would always boot from the hard disk.

I hope you have backed up all the data before poking around.

By the way, why are you taking this extreme step ?

 

Thanks for the reply RSInfo - Yes, I have backed up all the data. Can you be more specific about how I can go about setting "the boot options in your BIOS/CMOS to CD->HDD." Are you taking into account that I can't figure out a way to interrupt the boot-up sequence to go into set-up in the first place? Thanks for a reply!

 

Yes & I think thats a valid assumption.


1. Get into BIOS - Refer to your computer manual or when the computer starts up look out for a message which says something like 'Press Del to enter BIOS'.

2. Press that key.

3. When you are in BIOS setup, search for something called Boot Sequence & change it to CD/DVD->HDD.

4. Save the changes & exit.

Now insert your Windows disk in CD & the computer would boot from it.

Hope it helps.

 

That is the way to get your computer to boot from a CD, also after you change the boot, then you have to watch out for a message that says,

Press any key to bood from CD.....

It should start with on . and start adding . for every second that you wait. If you wait too long then it will keep booting to the HDD. That is if your computer has that kind of set up. I'm only saying that because it's only a couple seconds long, so you have to be looking for it.

 

Oops. Missed that. Thanks a lot.

 

It happens, I just wanted to make sure they knew that, because it happens so fast. Also, I didn't say before but the boot seq setup is so different, depending on the mother board model and manufacture of the computer, if pbrownel would post the make and model then one of us could look it up and be more specific about how to change the boot. Might not even have to to into the BIOS at all, if its a Dell. That would save a lot of head ache, on their part.

 

Yep.

But what I had given were basic generic steps & the user would have to do some snooping around to get to the correct option.

 

Oh don't get me wrong, I wasn't implying any thing bad about you or what you said. I was just offering my extended help if it got to the point that they needed me or you, to look up the documentation and see why they are having trouble. I said "one of us" so that I wouldn't sound like I was a know it all, or trying to put you down suggestively. I'm not trying to make enemies here, just trying to help. So I hope that I didn't offend you in any way.

 

Don't worry EXPLORERdotEXE, no offence taken.

We are all here to help each other & not to make enemies.