User has forgot their "screen saver" password-help please

[millhouselives]

Hello,

I helped set up a peer to peer network with XP Pro on four computers. I have one user who activated a screen saver on her computer with password protection and now she has forgotten what her password word is for the screen saver. I have both the administrator password and I have also created a user account for my self as a administrator account on her computer. She is set-up as a limited user.

Her screen saver is set to come on every 7 minutes, for now I have unchecked the "resume password option" in the screen saver tab of the display properties.

How can I remove/delete her old password so that she can enter a new screen saver password? Can I just delete her user account and recreate or is there a way to edit the registry to fix this problem?

I have searched for answer for this but have not found any that help with the "screen saver password". Thank you for any help...we need the screen saver to work for her so that she meets security policy set by the mgr.

Thank You again...

 

[wizzofid]

If I'm not mistaken, I believe you can simply download one of those free (and legitimate) password crackers from the internet that will display the password underneath all those *******. They are very effective. I've only encountered a few situations where they would not work. Unfortunately, I can't think of the name of the last one I used. Try searching on Google.

Wiz

 

[franklin97355]

Her screen saver password should be the same as her windows logon password if I remember right.

 

[linney]

"Your screen saver password is the same as your logon password. If you do not use a password to log on, you cannot set a screen saver password.

Setting a Screen Saver password specifies that the logon window is displayed when you resume using the computer after the screen saver has started running. If logging on requires a password, you will have to type the password when you resume work."

Quoted from Help and Support.

 

[millhouselives]

thanks for all the replies, here is my update, I'm not sure what is going all but I suspect maybe this user is playing around and trying to make me crazy. Tonight when I checked her computer her screensaver was running..when I moved the mouse the screensaver stopped and i was not asked for a password. when i went into display, screensaver options the only choice showing was for "resume password, show welcome screen". this box has a checkmark in it. Now I went into her user account and changed her account to a adminstrator account set a password for her of 12345 for now, then rebooted, signed on to computer as her with the password. I waited for the screensaver to come on, it did..then I moved mouse to wake up and expected to be asked for password..but no password box came up..computer just went right to the desktop? went back into the screensaver display option box and the "resume password, show welcome screen" box is still checked.

so still have problem of not being able to set a password on a screen saver. this computer is not part of a domain, it is just part of a peer to peer workgroup. any more suggestions or ideas?

 

[linney]

Might be something to do with "Fast User Switching".

Select the On resume, password protect check box if not using Fast User Switching.
If Fast User Switching is turned on, select the On resume, display Welcome screen check box.


Or try this thread.
XP Pro Screensaver Quit Working
thread779-453976

 

[millhouselives]

linney,

thanks for the reply. I didn't know you could turn "Fast user switching on and off" where is this opion. I have to assume that since we have a couple of different user accounts set up on this workstation that fast user switching is on. We do get the tick box for "on resume, show welcome screen" it is the only option we have. It is checked on right now. If Fast User Switching is turned on, select the On resume, display Welcome screen check box.

So as I said earlier when the screensaver comes on, we move the mouse to wake up computer and the screensaver closes and we are presented with out normal desktop. No password box comes up. So i still have the problem of trying to figure out how to have the screensaver that is running ask for a password when you wake it up?

thanks

 

[linney]

To turn Fast User Switching on or off
You must have a computer administrator account on a computer that is a member of a workgroup or is a stand-alone computer to turn on or turn off the User Fast User Switching feature. Fast User Switching is not available on computers that are members of a network domain.

Open User Accounts in Control Panel.
Click Change the way users log on or off.
Do the following:
To specify that a user's programs remain running when another user logs on to the computer, select the Use Fast User Switching check box.


Make sure the Fast User Switching service is running too.


Type .... Control userpasswords2 ... in the Run Box and make sure users are required to log on.


To delete a user profile
You must be logged on as a computer administrator in order to complete this procedure.

Open System in Control Panel.
On the Advanced tab, under User Profiles, click Settings.
Under Profiles stored on this computer, click the user profile you want to delete, and then click Delete.

 

[millhouselives]

linney,

thanks for the info on fast user switching..and deleting user profiles. I do have a administrator account and my user is required to logon. This is a peer to peer network.

Your information is good for me to know..but I still have the original problem of not being able to set a screensaver password.

thanks

 

[linney]

All I can think of next are just the general all round fixes.



Some general things to try.

See if System Restore will get you back to a restore point before your problem with Screen Saver.

Try Safe Mode (Do you have this problem in Safe Mode?).

Try running ChkDsk to check your drive for errors. Right click your Drive icon/ Properties/ Tools/ Error Checking.

Run the System File Checker program from the Run Box by typing.....Sfc /Scannow in it and have your XP CD handy.

HOW TO: Verify Unsigned Device Drivers in Windows XP

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q308/5/14.asp

If they don't work you could try repairing windows itself by running it over itself. You will lose all your windows updates but your files will be untouched.

How to Perform an In-Place Upgrade (Reinstallation) of Windows XP (Q315341)

http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q315/3/41.asp

 

[BlackburnKL]

I use XP Pro with a password protected screen saver. If I move the mouse immediately after the screen saver starts, it returns to the normal desktop without prompting for a password. If I wait very long, I have to enter the password. I have not timed it to see how long it takes, but if you are moving the mouse very soon after the screen saver starts, you are probably reaching the false conclusion that the password protection is not working. BlackburnKL

 

[Turkbear]

IIRC, The password protection is not triggered until the 'wait' time for screen-saver start is passed. So, if you 'manually' trigger the screen-saver the password will not be needed until the time period specified is up..

 

[IRstuff]

Are you sure that the screensaver password checkbox is checked?

TTFN

 

[BlackburnKL]

jrstuff,

If you were asking me that question, the answer is yes. If you were asking others, you might want to direct your question to them. BlackburnKL

 

[IthanBrian]

Try changing or removing his/her logon password.

 

[millhouselives]

thanks all,

i will be visiting the location of the computer tmmr.,and will try your suggestions. I will let you all know what happens. thanks

 

[millhouselives]

hi all,

Sorry for the delay, but between a bout with the flu and my isp adelphia powerlink connection up and down for the last few days I have not been able to continue with this issue re: the screensaver. I expect to be able to work with the problem tmmr. and hopefully will have an answer to report back on Monday.
thanks,

 

[millhouselives]

To all,

things I have tried so far:

tried in safe mode
ran chkdsk and did a defrag
ran system file checked
deleted and recreated her account with different password

facts:

fast switching is on.
We do get the tick box for "on resume, show welcome screen" it is the only option we have. It is checked on right now.

After all of the above has been done, we still only get the the one choice in Display properties,screen saver tab, of "on resume, display welcome screen". It is checked and set for 1 minute. After one minute we do get her screensaver and when we move mouse the screen saver goes away and we receive the welcome screen showing her icon for her account and also my icon for my account. If we select her accoont icon, it does ask for her password. Right now this is acceptable for us. We do not have the "on resume, password protect option on this computer.

The difference that has me puzzled is why on the other 3 computers all the same make and model..all with XP Pro, when we go into the Display properties,screen saver tab, we get the one choice of "on resume, password protect". We select this and set for one minute, after one minute we move the mouse and get a password box overlayed on top of the screensaver asking for just the password. The difference being that until we put the password in we do not get to the welcome screen, while on the other computer, the screen saver disappeaars and we presented with the welcome screen and account icons right away. I guess we can live with this as long as we are able to password protect either way. Just can not figure out why the difference.

thanks for everybodys help.