Windows 7 Won't Accept Password

ARFlyer

ARFlyer

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My mothers laptop is refusing to accept the correct login password. When I tried to reboot it would not shutdown. Even doing the long power button hold will not cause the computer to shutdown.

When I finally removed the battery and restarted the computer it flashed to a BIOS screen that's partially corrupted.

The BIOS screen looks fishy. The text is as follows:

Edit Boot Options

Edit Windows boot Options for : Windows 7

Path: \windows\system32\winload.exe

Partition: 2
Hard Disk: addabae2

[ /NOEXCUTE=OPTIN[CURSOR]

I'm thinking a system32 virus got in and corrupted the BIOS and the winload.exe file

Anyone got any ideas?
 
Nate- I'm wondering if our server got hacked. My dad's laptop is continually power cycling

Dad said it's my problem to fix since he thinks I created it.

I'm thinking a complete wipe is the only solution. Anyone disagree?
 
ARFlyer said:
Nate- I'm wondering if our server got hacked. My dad's laptop is continually power cycling

Dad said it's my problem to fix since he thinks I created it.

I'm thinking a complete wipe is the only solution. Anyone disagree?
Click to expand...

My gut says you're right; but, Win 7 has been a lot less vulnerable to stuff like this. You never know, though, what someone might click on. Was the machine protected by any antivirus program?

You might try booting to a Linux CD... not sure, the name, "Erd" comes to mind, but I am now (blessedly) enough out of the hands-on support of my PCs in the pffice, I no longer know.

You might try PM-ing Rich Maiello here (Nouveau Hillbilly), he might have a sound suggestion or two.

Edit: http://www.pilotsofamerica.com/forum/member.php?u=2710
 
Sounds like one of those nasty virii that's trying to mess with the BIOS on everything these days.

When successful they either really encrypt the main drive or act like they do and put up a splash screen requesting people go to a website or phone number and pay a ransom to unlock their stuff.

Nasty little bastards. We've had a few corporate laptops hit, even. Airplane co-owner runs a retail computer shop. He's inundated with people bringing machines in with false "FBI" and "IRS" warnings.
 
Well the joke with my dad is that I've gotten the attention of the NSA with the websites I go to. :rofl:

I'm a curious person... :rolleyes:

I'll be able to get on to fixing it later today when ever I get the scaffolding built for my dad.
 
ARFlyer said:
Well the joke with my dad is that I've gotten the attention of the NSA with the websites I go to. :rofl:

I'm a curious person... :rolleyes:

I'll be able to get on to fixing it later today when ever I get the scaffolding built for my dad.
Click to expand...

Hey, I am on the Attorneys' Council for the NSA!

www.NationalSubcontractors.com

Heh. :D
 
I'm currently talking to GeekSquad against my will. I've been bashing my head against the wall with the guys. I'll tell them DO NOT OPEN THAT!, guess what they open it.

Guy told me that I don't know what I doing.... UH then why does the computer keep crashing when you open something I told you not too?
 
The first thing he should have done was try to boot the machine to a bootable anything. ERD, any live Linux distro at all, Hirem's... anything, really. If it's the BIOS, it probably won't boot to any of them.

If he did that much, he knows more than most Geek Squad guys I've met.

I wouldn't go wiping the drive yet unless you have nothing of value on the drive, anyway. The great bulk of these problems can be fixed. I used to do maybe one or two forced Windows reinstalls every year, by which I mean reinstalls I did because the system was hosed beyond repair. I did many more because it was easier and there was nothing of value on the machines, but probably all of them could have been fixed, given the time.

-Rich
 
I have a couple of laptops that occasionally fail to understand passwords, but so far not the boot password. When I have that problem I bring up a text editor and type in j,k,l

If those letters come up as numbers, there is a ctrl sequence (which I forget at the moment; but it is something like ctrl-numlock) that resets it. If you haven't fixed it by tomorrow and if nobody else gives the sequence, I will post it tomorrow. There is a chance it is that simple.
 
The sequence is "Fn Del"
Since you can't see the password echo you can't see that some keys (jkl . . .) come up as (1 2 3 . . . ) when Fn-Del is pressed simultaneously. I found it when we could not sign on to an application using a password. I pulled up MS word and typed the password and saw that some of the letters were correct, but some of them were numbers. I noticed the keys that weren't working had alternate number functions.

Hopefully you answer is that simple.
 
Could be a lot of things but before you try the hard and destructive ones..

First try a usb keyboard on the notebook. There is a chance that the keyboard got damaged and it is not outputting what you are trying to type, the correct password. If the keyboard doesn't work right away try all of the ports and reboot a few times.

Good luck..
 
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