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Forgot windows password and no backup/password recovery disk made...
I forgot my administrator password on my Dell inspiron 15 3520, its a windows 8 and I have two cd's that came with the laptop.
- drivers and utilities
- application
Is there a way I can restore my computer without getting into windows, if not is there a way i can re install windows 8.
When I boot the computer from CD/DVD and insert the Application CD I get:
PXE-E61: Media Test failure, check cable
PXE-M0F: Exiting PXE Rom.
Reboot and select proper boot device
or insert boot media in selected boot device and press any key
When I boot from the Drivers and Utilities cd i get:
A RAMDISK is availiable in this boot cylce C:
It contains several Hard Drive setup tools. Please use these
tools only under the direction of Dell Support Staff.
I would just like to reinstall windows as it is still brand new and I do not have any information worth holding, could someone just give me the method of going about it through DOS commands? or whatever it is there when the drive letter and flashing cursor is...
Thank You
DELL-Rajath N
1.8K Posts
3
February 6th, 2013 20:00
Hi markyG0l,
You will need to use Dell Backup and Recovery to restore the system to factory defaults. Please follow the steps provided below to restore the system to factory defaults:
1. Boot Windows 8 into the login screen.
2. Click on the “Power” icon on the bottom right corner.
3. Hold down the “Shift” key and click “Restart”.
4. The system restarts and boots to "Choose an option" screen, click “Troubleshoot.”
5. Click the "Dell Backup and Recovery" icon.
6. The system restarts and comes back up, click "Next" on the Dell Backup and Recovery Screen.
7. The system would be checked to see if the smart repair option can fix the issue, click "Next" once this is done.
8. You will be prompted to select the backup to be used, click the factory image option. Click "Next."
9. You will be prompted to backup your files, if needed do so by selecting the option "Yes, backup my personal files" (Make sure to have an external backup hard drive handy.) or select "No, Erase my files."
10. The system goes ahead and completes the restore of the operating system. Click "Restart" when prompted.
11. Follow the on-screen instructions to setup the system with windows.
Please let me know if you need further assistance.
markyG0l
7 Posts
0
February 7th, 2013 07:00
can i add, after reinstalling windows completely and formatting the hard drive, the computer slows down, the start time decreases and processes are much slower.
markyG0l
7 Posts
0
February 7th, 2013 07:00
I am going through the process now, thank you :)
DELL-Rajath N
1.8K Posts
0
February 8th, 2013 23:00
Hi markyG0l,
Thank you for your reply and for providing an update on the status. I suggest you to defragment the hard drive so that it can optimize the load and process times. To defragment, please follow the steps provided below:
1. Right click on the drive displayed in “Computer” and then on “Properties”.
2. Click on the “Tools” tab and click the “Optimize” tab to start the defragmentation.
Please let me know if you need further assistance.
DELL-Rajath N
1.8K Posts
0
February 13th, 2013 02:00
Hi markyG0l, unfortunately we have not received feedback from you on this topic. If you need continued support, please respond to this message. Other community members who need assistance please start your own topic in a new thread.
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KonKon253
1 Message
0
January 19th, 2018 19:00
My ex gf and I had a huge blow out and she changed my password on my Dell Inspiron 15-3521 with Windows 8.1 and no matter what I do, she will not tell me my password. So I followed the steps you shared and I held down shift and resart and it took me to the troubleshooting screen like you said but when I pressed trouble shoot only two options come up. "UEFI Firmware Setting" and "Startup Options" theres no option to reset or refresh my computer. Am I doing something wrong or Is there something else I can do? Please get back to me asap, my email address is thank you
Johan121
1 Message
0
December 9th, 2019 03:00
If you forget your password then you have to recover via recovery code. If you don't have the recovery code then you can choose the forget password option and through this, you can recover the password of the window. You have to make sure that the email id must be login in your system for receiving the code.