Needing Immediate Help Please

May 2, 2012 8:01:00 PM

Hi my name is Amanda

I recently was given a brand new Dell Penium 4 from a person and when they gave it to me they told me that they had purchased it from a friend of theirs. And once they got home with it and took it out of the box it booted up just fine it would then go to a user password screen but wouldn't have no way of entering the password into a box and when you click the users name it will act like it's going to go into the normal desktop mode but it then starts logging back off windows back to the user password windows mode....

My question is there anyway possible to fix this issue, so that me and my family could use it again?

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hang-the-9

May 2, 2012 9:38:48 PM

It's hard to have a "brand new" Pentium 4 computer, I think the last time they made a new computer with that chip was 2006 or so.

If it's cycling between the user screen back and forth, sometimes the registry logon entry gets changed. You need a second computer to fix that, and be able to do a remote registry edit. I'd say just re-install Windows on the thing.

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tigsounds

May 2, 2012 10:47:29 PM

Hi Amanda... [:tigsounds:4]

Don't give up.

Next time the computer is turned on, poke (not hold) the F8 key repeatedly and hopefully, a black & white screen will eventually appear with many choices of how to progress starting the computer. Use the cursor keys to move the choice selection to "Last known good configuration" and press the Enter key.

How'd it go?? Good? Fine... skip down to "Change the Password"
No? continue....

Start the computer again, do the F8 key thing again but this time select "Safe Mode" and try again. This is a slow starting method, have patience.. up to about 5 minutes sometimes.

How'd it go?? Good? Fine... skip down to "Change the Password"
No? continue....

Start the computer again, this time allow to start normally. When the screen shows up with the user name, press and hold these keys in this order then release all of them: Alt Ctrl DEL
Now a box should appear that may or may not have a user name in it. Enter Administrator and click Ok. There should not be a password required here.

How'd it go?? Good? Fine... skip down to "Change the Password"
No? continue....

At this point, you are nearly out of simple options. hang-the-9 is revered around here for his uncanny psychic abilities and once again is right. He doesn't waste people's time like I do, so do what he said. I hold out hope against hope and sometimes I win one.

Change the password.

If you made it here by success in the first steps then you need to change or remove the user password for that computer. Since the machine started up, click the Start button then...Control Panel, User Accounts, Click on the user name that exist (not Guest or ASP.NET Machine account), click on Change Password and delete any password that exist and click Ok.

Now click the start button again, then "Run", and enter control userpasswords2
Make sure the checkbox that says "Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer" is Not checked. Click Ok, you're done.

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southerndixiegal

May 3, 2012 2:45:08 AM

hang-the-9 We actually Completely re-installed Windows and she's up and running was a nearly all day process but we got it up and running... And F.Y.I sweetie it is new to me... so that's what I was saying... Thanks for your help though!! :kaola:

hang-the-9 said:

It's hard to have a "brand new" Pentium 4 computer, I think the last time they made a new computer with that chip was 2006 or so.

If it's cycling between the user screen back and forth, sometimes the registry logon entry gets changed. You need a second computer to fix that, and be able to do a remote registry edit. I'd say just re-install Windows on the thing.

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southerndixiegal

May 3, 2012 2:47:59 AM

hiya tigsound,

tigsounds said:

Hi Amanda... [:tigsounds:4]

Don't give up.

Next time the computer is turned on, poke (not hold) the F8 key repeatedly and hopefully, a black & white screen will eventually appear with many choices of how to progress starting the computer. Use the cursor keys to move the choice selection to "Last known good configuration" and press the Enter key.

How'd it go?? Good? Fine... skip down to "Change the Password"
No? continue....

Start the computer again, do the F8 key thing again but this time select "Safe Mode" and try again. This is a slow starting method, have patience.. up to about 5 minutes sometimes.

How'd it go?? Good? Fine... skip down to "Change the Password"
No? continue....

Start the computer again, this time allow to start normally. When the screen shows up with the user name, press and hold these keys in this order then release all of them: Alt Ctrl DEL
Now a box should appear that may or may not have a user name in it. Enter Administrator and click Ok. There should not be a password required here.

How'd it go?? Good? Fine... skip down to "Change the Password"
No? continue....

At this point, you are nearly out of simple options. hang-the-9 is revered around here for his uncanny psychic abilities and once again is right. He doesn't waste people's time like I do, so do what he said. I hold out hope against hope and sometimes I win one.

Change the password.

If you made it here by success in the first steps then you need to change or remove the user password for that computer. Since the machine started up, click the Start button then...Control Panel, User Accounts, Click on the user name that exist (not Guest or ASP.NET Machine account), click on Change Password and delete any password that exist and click Ok.

Now click the start button again, then "Run", and enter control userpasswords2
Make sure the checkbox that says "Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer" is Not checked. Click Ok, you're done.

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southerndixiegal

May 3, 2012 2:52:51 AM

Hey Tigs, I really do appreciate both Yours and Hangs help that was nice of the both of you to offer up advice!! As I mentioned we completely had to re-install Windows XP and all the drivers and utilities and what not and it's finally up and running awesomely now... Your both awesome!! Thanks again and God bless both of ya!! My family and I really did rely on getting fixed we minister the homeless people down here in Tennessee and we had to get it up and running so that we could mail off things and do business.. So yeah again I appreciate both of your alls advice

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tigsounds

May 3, 2012 5:46:59 AM

southerndixiegal said:

Hey Tigs, I really do appreciate both Yours and Hangs help that was nice of the both of you to offer up advice!! As I mentioned we completely had to re-install Windows XP and all the drivers and utilities and what not and it's finally up and running awesomely now... Your both awesome!! Thanks again and God bless both of ya!! My family and I really did rely on getting fixed we minister the homeless people down here in Tennessee and we had to get it up and running so that we could mail off things and do business.. So yeah again I appreciate both of your alls advice

Make sure you install the chipset drivers. The computer will go quite slow without them and some things won't work at all. If you need help with that, state the model or service tag number and we can locate them for you to download.

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