How do you strip an O/S?

[Joe Bob]

Without using a disc and the CD drive.

Momz inherited a laptop and tried to change the administrator. Now it is booting up but won't allow any changes. There is no password on this laptop. Everything is locked out to changes.

I added an admin account and same thing.

It's a Windows Vista system.

[silverc4s]

Why can't you use the drive? That is the easiest way, next is remove/replace the hard drive. Or get it to a geek...

[azasadny]

Send it to me, I'll reload Vista (or Windows 7, if you prefer) and have it all set for her. No charge except for shipping...

[genrex]

My first thought would be to insert an "erase disc"... and that would clear all the files, leaving a blank O/S to work with.

Inserting such a CD disc is not an option?

[id10t]

Originally Posted by genrex

My first thought would be to insert an "erase disc"... and that would clear all the files, leaving a blank O/S to work with.

Inserting such a CD disc is not an option?

Sadly that is not the way windows is designed or works.

[krystar]

make a boot CD. go into the CMOS and change the boot driver order to have CD drive in front of HDD 0. insert boot CD, install windows, done.

alternatively, make a boot USB stick with xpLite.

[Porsche-O-Phile]

Yep. LL format that thing.

[svandamme]

amateurs.

[dad911]

Originally Posted by krystar

make a boot CD. go into the CMOS and change the boot driver order to have CD drive in front of HDD 0. insert boot CD, install windows, done.

alternatively, make a boot USB stick with xpLite.

You need more than a boot CD, need a copy of the system & install disks that came with the system. Often you have to 'burn' these yourself, using the software that came on the laptop. Safest thing is to buy a new hard-drive, swap it in to the laptop, do a fresh install, then put your old drive in an external case and copy your data files.

Frankly, if the laptop is more than 2-3 years old, even a $300 on-sale laptop will be faster/better, and come with the newest version of windows.