nl1moore,
Is there some way we can regain access to her pictures, files and email contacts or are we SOL?
It may be possible to access the pictures and files without booting into Windows but not email contacts.
As per the GTG Terms of Use assistance in bypassing passwords is not permitted;
BIOS or Operating System's passwords are there for the purpose related to Security and Privacy to protect the legitimate owner of a machine. While there are many locations on the Internet that might help you learn about managing passwords for a machine's BIOS or Operating System, we a G2G do not assist in what amounts to hacking past a machine's Security and Privacy safeguards.
While such requests are often legitimate, and come from users who experience exactly the kind of problem that you post, we have no way of determining legitimate vs. not legitimate, therefore we do not respond to such requests.
While we will not help you with getting around passwords we can advise you as to how you can have this resolved using legitimate means, take the computer to a reputable tech local to you or have them come to you, you will need proof of ownership such as the sales invoice, picture ID such as a driving licence/passport and proof of your address such as a recent utility bill.