Windows 2000 Login password help (1 Viewer)

[Patrick_S]

Ok I screwed up my W2K Pro install somehow and I'm looking for some advice.
I was tinkering in the Networking properties and I must have changed my laptop's Domain. This is a stand-alone notebook that isn't on a network and now when I try to Login to start W2K I get the following message:
The system could not log you on. Make sure your user name and domain are correct, then type your password again. (The usual information about the password being case sensitive.)
I know that I'm using the correct user name and password but there is no place to check if I'm using the correct domain. I find that odd because I remember once being able to type the domain but now there is no line to even see the domain.
I have the boot disks and the W2K Pro CD so I could always reformat and start from scratch but I would like to keep that as a last resort since I know the build is ok it was just my error that has created this problem.
Is there any way to boot to a command prompt and hack away the login file so that next time I boot it will complete the boot process without a login?
Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[Scott "E"]

There should be an options tab on the log on screen that will expand the window to allow you to specify a domain or the local machine.

 

[Jeff Peake]

also, check your caps-lock.

 

[Jeff Lehr]

....and make sure your NUM LOCK key is off, too.

 

[Patrick_S]

I appreciate the responses but I have already made certain that the Cap and Num locks are off and the Options button does not give me the option to enter a domain.

What I was really interest in knowing is if it is possible to edit or delete the file that contains the Login information so when W2k started it would either bypass the login screen or ask me to enter new information.

 

[Jesse Leonard]

What I was really interest in knowing is if it is possible to edit or delete the file that contains the Login information so when W2k started it would either bypass the login screen or ask me to enter new information.

If the laptop is formated with NTFS there is no easy way to do this. That is one of the "security" features of using an NTFS file system.

 

[Josh Lowe]

you couldn't have joined a domain if your laptop is not on a network. to join a domain requires connectivity to a domain controller.

if the logon box has no field for a domain name then you are still standalone, aka on a workgroup. changing workgroup names has no effect on local account names and passwords.

If you are locked out of the machine and it's not part of a domain, you're pretty much screwed. best solution is to get another hard drive and do a re-install. then put in your current hard drive as a slave and get all your data off of it.

or, if you have a recent backup, just wipe it out and start over.