Hi Dolores On most XP systems, there is a safe mode administrator account. By default it comes with no password. Most people don't know it is there and therefore don't set the password. Boot into safe mode, click on the administrator account and just hit enter for the password. Then go into user accounts and you can change any user password from there. Or; Type "control userpasswords2" without the quotes into the start > run box , click ok and uncheck "users must enter a user name and password to use this computer". Apply and ok. Reboot. or: changing passwords without even knowing the old password windows xp and nt users can change the password of any account by using the following command line.the only reaquirement is that the user must posses the administrative privileges. go to the command prompt and type the following net user account_name new_password for example; if the account name is "administrator" then net user administrator mypassword now the password for administrator is mypassword I hope this helps Mike ******* Mike's REPLY SEPARATOR ********* On 7/28/2006 at 6:58 PM Dolores wrote: sorry - my goal in even starting the format and/or reformat was to get back= my events log (which is pretty important)and system restore ability which was lost with that incredimail download - going back to Windows didn't solve either problem - reformatting from the partition didn't do it either and that is when I first contacted HP - she advised me that I needed to do a clean reformat from my restore disks which I did - that brought back my event log but not a functioning restore feature - contacted them again and that is when they told me I needed to put a password in for user but it bothered me at the time since I never had one before all the mess started -= I did it anyhow and it allowed me to schedule a task but it did not perform= the task so was useless and I removed the password - I am wondering if somehow there is a password buried and that is why I'm having problems but I'm hoping someone can tell me how to check that out - Dolores ----- Original Message ----- From: "Mary Lou" <my2punkin@xxxxxxxxxxx> To: <pctechtalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> Sent: Friday, July 28, 2006 6:51 PM Subject: -=3DPCTechTalk=3D- Re: system restore problem >I lost something..what didn't work??what was the problem? > ml > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Dolores" <dshelham@xxxxxxxxxxx> > To: <pctechtalk@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> > Sent: Friday, July 28, 2006 3:41 PM > Subject: -=3DPCTechTalk=3D- Re: system restore problem > > > that was what I did in one of my (re)formats - went back to returning > windows to its starting state and that didn't work - then I tried doing a > reformat from the partitioned part that Compaq puts their restore info on > and that didn't work - so hunted and thank heavens I found my restore > disks > that I had burned and they did the trick except for this problem :-( > Dolores -- <Please delete this line and everything below.> To unsub or change your email settings: //www.freelists.org/webpage/pctechtalk To access our Archives: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/PCTechTalk/messages/ //www.freelists.org/archives/pctechtalk/