compaq presario cd-rom problems

The CD-Rom on my sons compaq w/XP home stopped working.

He recently decided to get DSL only to discover that the CD does not
work so he can't use the disk from Qwest. We tried several things last
night but I discovered so many problems that we did a system restore.

Do we need to let everything from the internet setup complete and the
compaq desktop finish before proceeding?

Is there away of checking for other users and removing them and stuff
they installed? His sister managed somehow to get on the computer and
download and install things filling up the hard drive. He does not
remember the admin password. Is there a way of cracking the admin password?

Pettar Nordahl-Hagan has created a password cracker for Windows NT, 2000 and XP
systems. It is a free download.

http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/

Create a bootable floppy per instructions and follow the instructions closely.
The diskette will boot a Linux kernal and it is entirely command-line oriented,
but not too hard to use.

As the original user of the computer, your son should have administrative
priveleges. If not, boot the computer in safe mode (F8 key gives you boot
choices), log in as Administrator and examine all the users and their files.

It's possible that software could be preventing the CD-ROM drive from operating.

Contact Qwest, tell them the problem, and a Qwest help desk person should be
able to walk you through the initial logon and validation to their DSL, without
the CD... Ben Myers

On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 07:36:35 -0600, william kossack
wrote:

The CD-Rom on my sons compaq w/XP home stopped working.

He recently decided to get DSL only to discover that the CD does not
work so he can't use the disk from Qwest. We tried several things last
night but I discovered so many problems that we did a system restore.

Do we need to let everything from the internet setup complete and the
compaq desktop finish before proceeding?

Is there away of checking for other users and removing them and stuff
they installed? His sister managed somehow to get on the computer and
download and install things filling up the hard drive. He does not
remember the admin password. Is there a way of cracking the admin password?

thanks, I'll give it a try

I'm going to let my son do the DSL setup I figure at least this time he
is trying to follow the instructions on something without throwing them
away first

last night I briefly thought the cd-rom combo was working. The qwest
dsl install launched while the compaq setup software was trying to
run. There is a chance the CD is bad beccause his gaming seems to be
hard on them but that should be a simple replacment to accomplish


Ben Myers wrote:

Pettar Nordahl-Hagan has created a password cracker for Windows NT, 2000 and XP
systems. It is a free download.

http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/

Create a bootable floppy per instructions and follow the instructions closely.
The diskette will boot a Linux kernal and it is entirely command-line oriented,
but not too hard to use.

As the original user of the computer, your son should have administrative
priveleges. If not, boot the computer in safe mode (F8 key gives you boot
choices), log in as Administrator and examine all the users and their files.

It's possible that software could be preventing the CD-ROM drive from operating.

Contact Qwest, tell them the problem, and a Qwest help desk person should be
able to walk you through the initial logon and validation to their DSL, without
the CD... Ben Myers

On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 07:36:35 -0600, william kossack
wrote:



The CD-Rom on my sons compaq w/XP home stopped working.

He recently decided to get DSL only to discover that the CD does not
work so he can't use the disk from Qwest. We tried several things last
night but I discovered so many problems that we did a system restore.

Do we need to let everything from the internet setup complete and the
compaq desktop finish before proceeding?

Is there away of checking for other users and removing them and stuff
they installed? His sister managed somehow to get on the computer and
download and install things filling up the hard drive. He does not
remember the admin password. Is there a way of cracking the admin password?

My suggestion is do not ever install Qwest's software. Buy a router (cheap
these days) and let the router do the log on. Plug your computer into the
router and you won't need the software.

Without a router, you WILL get hacked.

To
"William Kossack" wrote in message
...

thanks, I'll give it a try

I'm going to let my son do the DSL setup I figure at least this time he
is trying to follow the instructions on something without throwing them
away first

last night I briefly thought the cd-rom combo was working. The qwest dsl
install launched while the compaq setup software was trying to run.
There is a chance the CD is bad beccause his gaming seems to be hard on
them but that should be a simple replacment to accomplish


Ben Myers wrote:

Pettar Nordahl-Hagan has created a password cracker for Windows NT, 2000
and XP
systems. It is a free download.
http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/

Create a bootable floppy per instructions and follow the instructions
closely.
The diskette will boot a Linux kernal and it is entirely command-line
oriented,
but not too hard to use.

As the original user of the computer, your son should have administrative
priveleges. If not, boot the computer in safe mode (F8 key gives you boot
choices), log in as Administrator and examine all the users and their
files.
It's possible that software could be preventing the CD-ROM drive from
operating.

Contact Qwest, tell them the problem, and a Qwest help desk person should
be
able to walk you through the initial logon and validation to their DSL,
without
the CD... Ben Myers

On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 07:36:35 -0600, william kossack

wrote:


The CD-Rom on my sons compaq w/XP home stopped working.

He recently decided to get DSL only to discover that the CD does not work
so he can't use the disk from Qwest. We tried several things last night
but I discovered so many problems that we did a system restore.

Do we need to let everything from the internet setup complete and the
compaq desktop finish before proceeding?

Is there away of checking for other users and removing them and stuff
they installed? His sister managed somehow to get on the computer and
download and install things filling up the hard drive. He does not
remember the admin password. Is there a way of cracking the admin
password?

Agreed. 1000%. But only if the connection to Qwest DSL can be accomplished
without the Qwest software. I've never used or set up Qwest DSL. Only Verizon
and several CLECs around here. But they all can walk you through the initial
connection and validation of the DSL service via a browser, and hopefully with a
help person speaking American English dialect on the other end of the line.

.... Ben Myers

On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 17:54:29 GMT, "Tom Scales" wrote:

My suggestion is do not ever install Qwest's software. Buy a router (cheap
these days) and let the router do the log on. Plug your computer into the
router and you won't need the software.

Without a router, you WILL get hacked.

To
"William Kossack" wrote in message
...

thanks, I'll give it a try

I'm going to let my son do the DSL setup I figure at least this time he
is trying to follow the instructions on something without throwing them
away first

last night I briefly thought the cd-rom combo was working. The qwest dsl
install launched while the compaq setup software was trying to run.
There is a chance the CD is bad beccause his gaming seems to be hard on
them but that should be a simple replacment to accomplish


Ben Myers wrote:

Pettar Nordahl-Hagan has created a password cracker for Windows NT, 2000
and XP
systems. It is a free download.
http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/

Create a bootable floppy per instructions and follow the instructions
closely.
The diskette will boot a Linux kernal and it is entirely command-line
oriented,
but not too hard to use.

As the original user of the computer, your son should have administrative
priveleges. If not, boot the computer in safe mode (F8 key gives you boot
choices), log in as Administrator and examine all the users and their
files.
It's possible that software could be preventing the CD-ROM drive from
operating.

Contact Qwest, tell them the problem, and a Qwest help desk person should
be
able to walk you through the initial logon and validation to their DSL,
without
the CD... Ben Myers

On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 07:36:35 -0600, william kossack

wrote:


The CD-Rom on my sons compaq w/XP home stopped working.

He recently decided to get DSL only to discover that the CD does not work
so he can't use the disk from Qwest. We tried several things last night
but I discovered so many problems that we did a system restore.

Do we need to let everything from the internet setup complete and the
compaq desktop finish before proceeding?

Is there away of checking for other users and removing them and stuff
they installed? His sister managed somehow to get on the computer and
download and install things filling up the hard drive. He does not
remember the admin password. Is there a way of cracking the admin
password?

I could do it easily but I'm going to wait and see if my 19 year old
that does not really understand computers can do it first


Ben Myers wrote:

Agreed. 1000%. But only if the connection to Qwest DSL can be accomplished
without the Qwest software. I've never used or set up Qwest DSL. Only Verizon
and several CLECs around here. But they all can walk you through the initial
connection and validation of the DSL service via a browser, and hopefully with a
help person speaking American English dialect on the other end of the line.

... Ben Myers

On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 17:54:29 GMT, "Tom Scales" wrote:



My suggestion is do not ever install Qwest's software. Buy a router (cheap
these days) and let the router do the log on. Plug your computer into the
router and you won't need the software.

Without a router, you WILL get hacked.

To
"William Kossack" wrote in message
...


thanks, I'll give it a try

I'm going to let my son do the DSL setup I figure at least this time he
is trying to follow the instructions on something without throwing them
away first

last night I briefly thought the cd-rom combo was working. The qwest dsl
install launched while the compaq setup software was trying to run.
There is a chance the CD is bad beccause his gaming seems to be hard on
them but that should be a simple replacment to accomplish


Ben Myers wrote:



Pettar Nordahl-Hagan has created a password cracker for Windows NT, 2000
and XP
systems. It is a free download.
http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/

Create a bootable floppy per instructions and follow the instructions
closely.
The diskette will boot a Linux kernal and it is entirely command-line
oriented,
but not too hard to use.

As the original user of the computer, your son should have administrative
priveleges. If not, boot the computer in safe mode (F8 key gives you boot
choices), log in as Administrator and examine all the users and their
files.
It's possible that software could be preventing the CD-ROM drive from
operating.

Contact Qwest, tell them the problem, and a Qwest help desk person should
be
able to walk you through the initial logon and validation to their DSL,
without
the CD... Ben Myers

On Fri, 15 Jul 2005 07:36:35 -0600, william kossack

wrote:




The CD-Rom on my sons compaq w/XP home stopped working.

He recently decided to get DSL only to discover that the CD does not work
so he can't use the disk from Qwest. We tried several things last night
but I discovered so many problems that we did a system restore.

Do we need to let everything from the internet setup complete and the
compaq desktop finish before proceeding?

Is there away of checking for other users and removing them and stuff
they installed? His sister managed somehow to get on the computer and
download and install things filling up the hard drive. He does not
remember the admin password. Is there a way of cracking the admin
password?

william kossack wrote:
The CD-Rom on my sons compaq w/XP home stopped working.

He recently decided to get DSL only to discover that the CD does not
work so he can't use the disk from Qwest. We tried several things last
night but I discovered so many problems that we did a system restore.

Do we need to let everything from the internet setup complete and the
compaq desktop finish before proceeding?

Is there away of checking for other users and removing them and stuff
they installed? His sister managed somehow to get on the computer and
download and install things filling up the hard drive. He does not
remember the admin password. Is there a way of cracking the admin
password?

I've noticed a lot of messages from people in both the public and
private newsgroups that are having horrible problems after 'installing'
Qwests stuff. Stuff it is, I haven't seen much of any resolution, but
you may want to Google it to keep up.

Good Luck!

--
Jim

----== Posted via Newsfeeds.Com - Unlimited-Uncensored-Secure Usenet News==----
http://www.newsfeeds.com The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! 120,000+ Newsgroups
----= East and West-Coast Server Farms - Total Privacy via Encryption =----

The original question had to do with cd-rom problems. I used to work
for Qwest and dislike them as well but that is not the problem I'm
trying to solve.

I now have the computer in my study and I'm trying to clean it up. The
CD-ROM still does not seem to work. I have an old spare that I'm going
to try but one thing I have noticed is that the computer is really tight
on space. there is something like 6-8 gigs of free space and 33 gigs of
stuff on it. He has some downloaded video clips and probably some music
files.

One concern is that I can't seem to get much of the space back. What is
the deal? I've uninstalled a ton of compaq junk like games and even
free trial software like office with little effect. The trash is empty
and I've run disk cleanup a couple times.

I ran the free trial spy program that came on the computer which found a
couple things. I've run the virus scan also

william kossack wrote:
The CD-Rom on my sons compaq w/XP home stopped working.

He recently decided to get DSL only to discover that the CD does not
work so he can't use the disk from Qwest. We tried several things last
night but I discovered so many problems that we did a system restore.

Do we need to let everything from the internet setup complete and the
compaq desktop finish before proceeding?

Is there away of checking for other users and removing them and stuff
they installed? His sister managed somehow to get on the computer and
download and install things filling up the hard drive. He does not
remember the admin password. Is there a way of cracking the admin
password?

I think I figured out why the CD-ROM stopped working.....

While testing a spare drive I was handling the non-working drive. I
noticed something rattling inside. Knowing this could not be correct I
opened the front of the drive and took of the front plate turned it over
and begain to shake it.

Pieces of a broken CD-ROM fell out including one with the letters PAC on
it ie from the name TUPAC as in Tupac Shakur.

By the way the spare old CD-ROM drive worked but it is not a burner.
With all the music and photos etc he will need a new burner. I plan on
buying the least expensive I can find. His mother thinks he does not
need a burner but with the HD so full he will need to copy off some of
the junk.



william kossack wrote:
The CD-Rom on my sons compaq w/XP home stopped working.

He recently decided to get DSL only to discover that the CD does not
work so he can't use the disk from Qwest. We tried several things last
night but I discovered so many problems that we did a system restore.

Do we need to let everything from the internet setup complete and the
compaq desktop finish before proceeding?

Is there away of checking for other users and removing them and stuff
they installed? His sister managed somehow to get on the computer and
download and install things filling up the hard drive. He does not
remember the admin password. Is there a way of cracking the admin
password?

The built-in Windows XP disk cleanup only scratches the surface.

Open up the Run dialog box and enter the command %temp% . This will open a
window for the temporary file folder allocated to the currently logged in user.
Delete all files from this folder. Delete all folders which contain the text
tmp or temp as part of the name.

Finally, download and run both Spybot and Ad-Aware. Together, they will find
most of the spyware, adware, trojans, and other crapware that infests a
computer. Make sure they are both up-to-date with current definitions before
running them.

Even a good quality name brand CD-RW drive is inexpensive. Pick from among
Sony, Hitachi LG, or Liteon, all of whom make good drives. If your local stores
don't sell these brands, I suggest buying on eBay from a seller with a good
feedback rating. That's how I keep some in stock for my own use as a service
provider. $35 tops, including shipping. If the burner does not come with
software, CDBurnerXPPro is very servicable and free... Ben Myers

On Sat, 16 Jul 2005 09:40:21 -0600, william kossack
wrote:

The original question had to do with cd-rom problems. I used to work
for Qwest and dislike them as well but that is not the problem I'm
trying to solve.

I now have the computer in my study and I'm trying to clean it up. The
CD-ROM still does not seem to work. I have an old spare that I'm going
to try but one thing I have noticed is that the computer is really tight
on space. there is something like 6-8 gigs of free space and 33 gigs of
stuff on it. He has some downloaded video clips and probably some music
files.

One concern is that I can't seem to get much of the space back. What is
the deal? I've uninstalled a ton of compaq junk like games and even
free trial software like office with little effect. The trash is empty
and I've run disk cleanup a couple times.

I ran the free trial spy program that came on the computer which found a
couple things. I've run the virus scan also

william kossack wrote:
The CD-Rom on my sons compaq w/XP home stopped working.

He recently decided to get DSL only to discover that the CD does not
work so he can't use the disk from Qwest. We tried several things last
night but I discovered so many problems that we did a system restore.

Do we need to let everything from the internet setup complete and the
compaq desktop finish before proceeding?

Is there away of checking for other users and removing them and stuff
they installed? His sister managed somehow to get on the computer and
download and install things filling up the hard drive. He does not
remember the admin password. Is there a way of cracking the admin
password?