[angeedee]

I am helping a friend with his laptop. When I first got it it would sometimes boot in to safe mode, but I wasn't able to really do anything in there. I tried reinstalling XP, but it just kept reinstalling and not finish - it would boot up to a black screen, but then give an error. I thought maybe it was the disk, so I borrowed a disk from work. It was able to install everthing and boot up to a screen. Now though is the problem - it puts 2 accounts there - Administrator and Owner. I have no way to get in to these. My friend never used a password to get in here before. I am planning on formatting and starting from scratch, but need to get a file off of here first.
I am thinking spyware or virus caused the problems in the first place - since the laptop is only about 6 months old!

Can anyone assist? I just don't know where to go from here. I tried reinstalling again, but it just did the same thing.

Thanks for any help!

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Nothing wrong with the install -- the Administrator Account is created by default and is normal, but it's 'hidden' from the log-in screen until you boot in 'Safe Mode' when it should appear at the log-in screen. But this account should not be used except for maintenance operations. The 'Owner' is not an account -- it's just a folder which can be ignored. As for passwords, if you didn't enter one when Windows was installing, there won't be one. You should forget about re-installing again -- you will only get the same result! Just tell your friend to create a new account (Control Panel -- User Accounts) using his own name and then use that one all the time.

[pip22]

Nothing wrong with the install -- the Administrator Account is created by default and is normal, but it's 'hidden' from the log-in screen until you boot in 'Safe Mode' when it should appear at the log-in screen. But this account should not be used except for maintenance operations. The 'Owner' is not an account -- it's just a folder which can be ignored. As for passwords, if you didn't enter one when Windows was installing, there won't be one. You should forget about re-installing again -- you will only get the same result! Just tell your friend to create a new account (Control Panel -- User Accounts) using his own name and then use that one all the time.

[angeedee]

I didn't enter a passwored when installing. The Admin does show up when in safe mode, along with the Owner. Guest and Owner show up in regular mode. We can't add a new account, b/c I can't get to the control panel.
If I just hit enter - it attempt to go to Windows, but shows a box that says something about a domain could not be reached and to contact system administrator.

[Dragon]

becasue of the Guest being enabled, it will show both owner and guest in the entry screen. just click on the owner login to access windows, once in there, you can go to control panel and hide the guest login screen.

[angeedee]

I can't get in to the owner or guest area. Both need a password, and I don't know what the password is. There was never a password to get in before I did this, so I don't know what to do now.
If I used a different XP version (I have an SP2 CD) - would that change things?
The SP2 cd wouldn't work orginally - but I haven't tried it since this one was successful.

[Dragon]

no,the sp2 cd won't install unless you are in the owners login screen under normal mode. The problem is someone has put a password in place, that is the only way a password could be set up on the machine. if you or your friend didn't put a password in place then your best bet would be to re-install windows XP. Otherewise you have a computer you can't do anything with.

Follow this link to help you on the re-install so that you can use the computer.

doing a full re-install of Windows XP