Laptop access without password

[tibsy]

I have loads of photo`s on an old laptop which i have not used for maybe 5-6yrs-i can`t open it as i cannot recall the password!
I would love to be able to download those photos.

It`s a "Toshiba satellite pro"- running "Windows 8 pro"- any easy fix for this situation?
I don`t have original start up or back up disc.
Tibsy

 

[Tiggertoo]

If its just the photo's & documents you need off it then I'd suggest just remove the hard drive and plug it into a computer.
The hard drive is normally easy to get to on older laptops, usually just one or two screws on a small cover on the bottom. With a bit of luck it will be a SATA connector and power connector. If so you will need to source a SATA cable which will plug straight into virtually all computers, there is most often a spare power connector or two on most computers too. Once booted up you can browse through the old hard drive and copy off the files you need. There are some programs (Google Hirens boot USB for instance) that can try to crack the password, but in my experience they are hit and miss and usually more trouble than they're worth.

 

[Tiggertoo]

Depending on the type of hard drive connections an external sata to usb cable would be best bet if you don't like messing inside computers: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Adapter-Co...hvtargid=pla-2281435177138&psc=1&gad_source=1

 

[tibsy]

Thankyou Tiggertoo, i will look into that

 

[jetmechmarty]

Yep. I have a stack of old computers waiting for me to pull the hard drives and discard. I got one of those things the hard drive plugs into so I may save any data I wish to keep.

 

[tibsy]

Yep. I have a stack of old computers waiting for me to pull the hard drives and discard. I got one of those things the hard drive plugs into so I may save any data I wish to keep.

Hi, what is that "thing" called please

 

[bosco659]

Interesting discussion. I have a desktop that’s bern idle for 5+ years and I too have forgotten the password. I just want to retrieve photos from the hard drive. A friend told me I can take it to a computer repair place and get them to transfer the data from the hard drive onto a flash drive. I may have to do that but I’ll see what solutions are discussed here first.

 

[tibsy]

Ok, i have removed Hard drive and also another one from even older laptop(god knows how old that one is or what photos ,etc might be on it)- just need correct cable now(i think)
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00RN7C560/ref=ox_sc_act_title_1?smid=A3DVFL8NUSFQQL&psc=1
Looking at this cable-ok or not?

 

[Tiggertoo]

yes that cable will work but it must be plugged in to a usb3 port as those old hdds need a bit more power than the newer ssds. Try not to move it around much when it is connected up, the old spinning disc drives can corrupt data if it gets nudged while reading/writing.

 

[tibsy]

Ok, my present laptop has a usb 3.0 port - i will let you know how i get on, thanks

 

[Tiggertoo]

Great, once its connected up you should be able to read what on it just like a USB stick. To find old photo's they will be inside the user profile.
Look for a folder called "Users" then a folder with the login name, then Pictures. I'd also check inside the Documents and Downloads folders.
Good luck.

 

[jetmechmarty]

Hi, what is that "thing" called please

I don’t know. I did get it on Amazon. As you can see, the old mechanical hard drive plugs in and a cover goes over it.

 

[Tiggertoo]

At work I have come across many types of hard drive, pre-2008 they are usually IDE connections, 2008 on - usually SATA, 2020 on - NVME / PCIE are now the most common. An external HDD Dock like this one comes in handy for most of the older stuff:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/16749617...7ZPCcZHPOGMaERRyBCDfijp3JgqRhveYaAirzEALw_wcB

You can also use it for memory cards, usb sticks, etc. Bit overkill for home use though.

 

[jetmechmarty]

Hi, what is that "thing" called please

I found it!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07D2BHVBD?ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_fed_asin_title

UGREEN 2.5" Hard Drive Enclosure USB C 3.1 Gen 2 to SATA III 6Gbps for SSD HDD 9.5 7mm External Hard Drive Disk Case with UASP Compatible with WD Seagate Toshiba Samsung Hitachi PS4 Xbox Router​

 

[bosco659]

With all this chatting it inspired me to remove the hard drive from my old desk top. I’m maybe 4/10 computer savvy so this thread helps. Do I need to buy a specific adapter for my drive? The label on the drive reads Sata. Does that help me chose the correct adaptor? Are pin configurations standardized?

 

[Jan_P]

Its been a while but there sometimes are ways to reset the password
depending on setup

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us...-windows-8271d17c-9f9e-443f-835a-8318c8f68b9c

resetting password on computer

I vaguely remember pros having access to the box can do it
encryption is not possible to break if made correct. According to what I heard
Criminals don't give out the encryption key and it is stop.

 

[jetmechmarty]

With all this chatting it inspired me to remove the hard drive from my old desk top. I’m maybe 4/10 computer savvy so this thread helps. Do I need to buy a specific adapter for my drive? The label on the drive reads Sata. Does that help me chose the correct adaptor? Are pin configurations standardized?

I'm not a good person to ask, but an engineer at my work who is less than half my age told me I could get all the data off of all of my hard drives with the device that I linked and pictured laying on my desk.

 

[tibsy]

Great, once its connected up you should be able to read what on it just like a USB stick. To find old photo's they will be inside the user profile.
Look for a folder called "Users" then a folder with the login name, then Pictures. I'd also check inside the Documents and Downloads folders.
Good luck.

The cable arrived today- 5 minutes later i had full access to both of those old hard drive`s (some photo`s and documents i had completely forgotten about).
Thank you so much for your info and advice, Tibsy

 

[Tiggertoo]

With all this chatting it inspired me to remove the hard drive from my old desk top. I’m maybe 4/10 computer savvy so this thread helps. Do I need to buy a specific adapter for my drive? The label on the drive reads Sata. Does that help me chose the correct adaptor? Are pin configurations standardized?

Old desktop spinning Hard Drives are larger (3.5 inch) than laptop drives (2.5 inch) and they require more power, so the cable adaptor listed above would likely not work with it, you will need something that plugs in to the mains socket as well as the USB port. Either a 3.5 inch SATA Hard Drive Caddy like jetmechmarty uses or a SATA Dock like the one I listed above.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B076WQHK2...p_csd=d2lkZ2V0TmFtZT1zcF9kZXRhaWxfdGhlbWF0aWM
There are loads available on ebay/amazon and most are not all that expensive although you will probably only use it once or twice so it may be worthwhile asking around family/friends if they know of any, uuurrrm, "geeks" (for want of a better word LOL) that you could borrow one off. Jus' sayin....

 

[bosco659]

Would this work for my desktop hard drive?