password dilemma

[zjontran]

I have a friend, who's not very familiar with computers, bought a second hand laptop from this guy from the internet. When he recieved the laptop he realised he needed a password. It asks for the password as soon as the power button is pressed, before Windows is loaded. (windows 2000)
He can't seem to contact the guy he bought the laptop from, so...

Is there any way to reinstall Windows or something to get rid of this password thing?
I don't care about the files/programs inside the laptop, so they can be deleted.
Would replacing the hard drive work???

Thanks in advance.

 

[HermDogg]

I assume you mean it's a BIOS password (power-on password), and if so, no, replacing the hard drive won't work. The first thing I would do is call the manufacturer and ask if you can get a master backdoor password or something like that, though it's kind of unlikely they'd give it to you (BTW, for future reference you should post the make/model of laptop if asking assistance on it, just helps the rest of us out). If they won't give it to you (or don't have one), ask what the reccommended ways are of bypassing it. If no luck, try resetting the CMOS jumper (if accessible), or removing the CMOS battery for at least 10 minutes.

 

[xanis]

I agree with HermDogg. Take off the case and reset the CMOS jumper if you can or just remove the battery for about 10 minutes or so.

 

[talyn00]

I thought you couldn't bypass a laptop CMOS password by resetting the jumper or removing the CMOS battery. Supposedly some additional security involved or used as an anti-theft deterrent

 

[RebateMonger]

Without knowning the Brand/Model of the laptop, nobody's going to be able to give a definitive answer on how to reset the BIOS password.