Factory Restoring a Dell XPS 420

[Bubbs]

Hi, I'm real new here so accept my apology if this doesn't go where it should. I was hoping to find a Dell site.

Anyway technology and life have come together. A friend recently died and I'm his executor, I don't recommend doing either.

He had a XPS 420 which I can't get past the passwords on. I was able to get into the setup by figuring out his Admin password but that doesn't seem to help me in anyway. I've tried the <F8> but that doesn't work. I've tried the Cntl <F8>, no good. I have no disks. Dell hasn't been very helpful because by their records it wasn't owned by my friend.

Any ideas? I don't care if everything on it is cleaned of. It likely has Vista in a hiden partition. Any ideas?

[Ceesar]

Such systems has two types of password. First it can be locked from BIOS which can be removed by removing the cmos battery. For that you will need to open the back panel of laptop and carefully look for the sliver small battery on the motherboard. Second if this does work then the system has a HDD lock password. The password is stored in a small chip on the hard drive. The only way to fix it is to replace the hard drive. HDD lock are very tough to unlock they can only be properly done by the official service centers.

[Bubbs]

Thanks but I think I'm pass the BIOS password because I was able to figure out his Administrator password. The real problem seems to be the passwords managed by Windows (XP) I'm pretty sure Windows sets a password on the HDD because if I were to install it in another computer, as a slave, even primary, I still don't think I'd get into it. That may in fact be the only password, the Windows managed password, I'm nor sure, but I have to get passed it, and it's a bad one.

I was hoping that someone could expand on something I read earlier, going through various threads. The writer hadn't been able to perform the factory reload earlier with the bootup <F8> interrupt but had been able previous to the attempt. It no longer worked for him. I don't know the reason but he didn't seem surprised. Is there another approach to take at that point if the <F8> doesn't work? Similarly I tried the Ctrl<8> during booting but nothing. That's the screen I need to get to and likely my only chance.

Question: if I reformat the drive, clean it completely, even the hidden partition, can I get all the drivers I need from Dell? Does anyone know, in which case I probably will just install Win7.

[EINSTEIN_007]

I have heard that the XPS 420 has a System Recovery Partition instead of a Windows install disk.

To reset the computer to factory standards, follow the below methods:

1. Turn on the computer. When the Dell logo appears, press <F8> several times to access the Vista Advanced Boot Options Window.

2. Select Repair Your Computer.

The System Recovery Options window appears.

3. Select a keyboard layout and click Next.

4. To access the recovery options, log on as a local user. To access the command prompt, type administrator in the User name field, then click OK.

5. Click Dell Factory Image Restore.

NOTE: Depending upon your configuration, you may need to select Dell Factory Tools, then Dell Factory Image Restore.

The Dell Factory Image Restore welcome screen appears.

6. Click Next.

The Confirm Data Deletion screen appears.
NOTICE: If you do not want to proceed with Factory Image Restore, click Cancel.

7. Click the checkbox to confirm that you want to continue reformatting the hard drive and restoring the system software to the factory condition, then click Next.

The restore process begins and may take five or more minutes to complete. A message appears when the operating system and factory-installed applications have been restored to factory condition.

8. Click Finish to reboot the system.

[Bubbs]

Thanks for all your thought and help folks. Einstein 007, that was the <F8> procedure I spoke about. It was no longer a viable option but someone on another site gave me a different way to approach it. One I didn't think existed for a long time, but it does work and it's as easy as advertised, until Microsoft makes changes and that is to blank/change an Administrator password. if you're interested check here.