Ive forgotten log on password and it wont let me in otherwise.Help me pleeeaaassseee!

you tried the install over current install? that would allow you to get in so that you can take backup but imo a format and install is the thing you should go for.

yes I did and totally regret that coz now it wont even boot as it keeps asking to reinstall a hal.dll or something. I have a compaq 6230 with a F10 system restore that doesnt work.My pc came without recovery disks and didnt think I needed them till now.

use your recovery disks then.. this will be the only way out dude

I would install windows in a new path (eg. C:\Windows_home\) ... then you would'n have to backup anything and you would have a fresh install free of "file missing" errors.

If he reinstalls, the password proctected previous install, will encrypt itself, and he wont be able to get the files. As far as i know, thers no way out of this, i think you should reinstall windows on another disk, set the current to slave and pick off the files that you need, then start for frsh, and remember your password this time...

=Drew

getting files out of an old install would not be a problem.

you need to force hal.dll at the time of install.

check out about this procedure in this M$ article.

btw i like crispy's idea lot, that would be the best thing to do but if you have a seperate HD then you should go for Drew's idea. you have lots of choices. try anything you like!

id do something like crispys idea because i had a similar problem once when my pc wouldnt boot because it couldnt load NTDLR so i had to reinstall windows. Thing is i did it on the same partition under a seperate directory (C:\windows2, is what i did) i then just copied and pasted the imporatant files from the primary installation to my slave drive and a CD-RW

Once i had backed up the files i got rid of both the installations by doing a format on my C: drive.

Good luck in whatever way you try to overcome your problem

I would go with Crispy's idea or I would hook it up to any other machine you have that runs fine and just copy it there...

Try using a Windows 2000 setup disk and use the recovery console...You can copy files through that since it bypasses the Administrator's password in XP (I heard) and lets you do whatever you want!

if you have any password cracking tools to hand get the file c:\windows\repair\sam and get to work on it