Dell Inspiron 660 Locked up ALSO

Is this Windows 7 or Windows 8?

It's possible to crack Windows passwords, but that takes technical savvy. Your friend may be better off simply reinstalling.

Reinstalling isn't an option. The machine came loaded with Windows 8 and all DELL s/w, there are no hard discs to reload. And we can't access any cab files, not even dos!

The O/S is definitely Windows 8 (8.1 I believe)

The only screen we can access is the sign-in page, which does display her name, avatar, and her email address. It appears that after 3 failed attempts we received a message that says, in affect, you're locked out, try again tomorrow. After a set time, the log-in page disappears and another splash screen automatically appears (one with a lighthouse? I think it is).

Yes, Lockout, but she swears she knows the password, and in fact, has it written down (it's alphanumeric with a cap as instructed). She said she even retyped it for confirmation, as directed, when setting up the initial log-in. Problem appears that she used her right hand on the number-pad of the keyboard and she's not so sure now if her right 'pinky' hit one key or another. The last digit/key in the p/w was supposed to be an asterisk(*), but she's not sure if she was using that key, or the slash or minus sign instead.

I will happily check out the link you provided above and see if we can find any joy in that. I'm happy to start her over again to get her new machine running for her.

Thank you for your time and help VeejDeej

VeejDeej, I checked out that link you provided and it sounds like a possible work-around, though it does not specifically speak to the password issue. If "refreshing", or "resetting" to factory specs will work, then this should get her/us back in to the machine. If not, I may have to contact DELL-Saharsh K to get hard discs for reinstallation. I'll let you know what happens. Heck, maybe tomorrow my friend will luck out and type in the p/w correctly, without looking. :)  Thanks again!

Hi,

If you do a Refresh or a Reset you will lose Dell software. If you run Dell Backup and Recovery - and choose Factory Image, you wont lose any Dell software. The system would be reverted to Factory condition which will have OS, Drivers and Dell software intact.

VeejDeej,

According to the link you provided above, we won't lose files if we do a "refresh". Is this correct or not?

But before we even get to the "refresh" option, I am curious about the very first window below - "Choose An Option" - If we select "Continue", will we go directly to Windows 8 and Consumer Preview and bypass the need to provide the "forgotten" password? And will we then, at some point, be able to establish a new "working" password?

Thanks. mustangr

"If the diagnostic test have passed, it appears to be an issue with the Windows. Try performing 'Refresh' to repair the Windows. It is a great method of returning your PC to a known good state while preserving your files and a great deal of your configuration. With the Refresh your PC option, user accounts, data files, and some settings are preserved on your PC without the need to create a backup, or to make choices about what to keep or remove. Please try the below mentioned steps:"

• Shut down the computer
• Power On the system
• Power Off the system at Dell Logo with “rolling dots” at the bottom of the screen
• Repeat the above steps 2-3 times
• Click ‘Troubleshoot’
  
  
• Choose Refresh your PC.
  
  
• Click the Next button at the Reset your PC and start over step of the wizard.
  
  
• You may be prompted to insert installation or recovery media if there is not a recovery image preconfigured on your PC.
  
  
• Click the Refresh button at the Ready to refresh your PC step.
  
  
• At this point, the PC is restarted, and the refresh actions are completed.
  
  

VeejDeej,

While awaiting your reply, I did some searching on Youtube and found this tutorial for resetting the password. I am going to go to my friends house and try this out this afternoon - if it works, then we'll be okay and back in business. I'll let you know.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3wjUKXG7jSw

Thanks again. mustangr

WHY have I been abandoned? Forsaken? Does someone think I am trying to hi-jack a pc? I assure you, everyone, I am not! I should have told this "old gal", former neighbor and friend, that I couldn't help her once she locked herself out of her new pc, but being the nice guy I am, I couldn't say no. So please, before I help her carry the new pc back down to Best Buy tomorrow (where she bought it last Sunday!)... would someone be kind enough to answer a question or two for me?

The machine is a new Dell Inspiron Desktop 660 with Windows 8 (not 8.1, but 8). She has loaded no personal files, in fact, she couldn't even complete the 'registration' because she kept getting failure messages. I have in my possession, two tags from her packaging with the DP/N and DS/N numbers and bar codes. I also have the service tag alphanumeric #.

After receiving the call for help on Monday, I went to her house that afternoon, we turned on the machine, I had her log in on the locked screen, I then navigated through the tiles and over to the charms and checked some start-up files, I did not change anything. Then went back to the tiles and clicked the weather tile. Looked at the page, then I moved the cursor to the upper right corner of the screen and got a menu box. It had 3 options, the second of which said "lock". I asked her what that option would do? She didn't know. I clicked it, and it took us back to the sign-in page. That is where our troubles began. She tried multiple times to enter her password and it would not work, until eventually the pc screen said it was locked.

Today I did the on/off scheme 3 times to get the blue screen. I chose the "Trouble Shoot" option, and then the "Reset PC" option, I selected the "Just remove my files" (because she didn't have any personal files on the machine yet). A black screen with DELL across the center showed that the pc was resetting. (I was in hopes that this would take us back to the original screens and let us enter a NEW password.) The reset got to 98% and then asked for a disk to enter the "cmd.exe" file!!! She received no such back-up or start-up disk with her purchase. So we have left the computer for the night... hung on the black screen with the dots spinning and the window asking for the "cmd.exe" disk.

Questions: 1. Is there a a way for me to receive the "cmd.exe" for this system from DELL, or someone to my pc so that I can burn it to disk to enter into her pc, or is this a too hard to do task?

2. If we shut off the computer now, and carry it to Best Buy tomorrow, will we had screwed the enter reset? and lost the Windows 8 O/S?

3. Any suggestions for a corrective course of action, please.

mustang (David F., NC)

Well, never mind folks. It appears to be working fine again.

After leaving the pc in limbo while stuck at 98% resetting, and asking for the "cmd.exe" file on disk, the machine must have sought and found the command itself in the CAB's and completed the reset on it's own. The owner was given a new restart screen, asked to register (and it succeeded this time) and she's established new p/w and is now playing on the internet and happy as can be...

To summarize for others, the reset does work when one forgets the p/w.