From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Thu Feb 16 01:49:37 2012 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 7C64A106566B for ; Thu, 16 Feb 2012 01:49:37 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from bonomi@mail.r-bonomi.com) Received: from mail.r-bonomi.com (mx-out.r-bonomi.com [204.87.227.120]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 3F3D68FC14 for ; Thu, 16 Feb 2012 01:49:36 +0000 (UTC) Received: (from bonomi@localhost) by mail.r-bonomi.com (8.14.4/rdb1) id q1G1sMpc043081 for freebsd-questions@freebsd.org; Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:54:22 -0600 (CST) Date: Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:54:22 -0600 (CST) From: Robert Bonomi Message-Id: <201202160154.q1G1sMpc043081@mail.r-bonomi.com> To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org In-Reply-To: Subject: Re: Technical Support Question X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2012 01:49:37 -0000 Chip Oakley wrote: > > Hello, > > I am upgrading to BSD from windows. > > I am having complications with an old password from Windows that I cannot > remember. > > I created an ISO Boot CD on another computer and installed it and made sure > to set the BIOS to boot from CD, to no avail. There are at least two possibilities to explain 'to no avail' -- which utterly fails to describe what actually happened. 1) the CD you made -- by unspecified means -- is not actually bootable, and the BIOS proceeds to the 'next' available boot device (the hard-disk) and boots Windows -- which wants the password you hve forgotten. 2) there is a *BIOS* password that you must supply before being able to boot _anything_ > Is there a way to access the executable files from the CD and overwrite > windows for my BSD installation? "Probably". _IF_ the CD is 'bootable'. _IF_ the CD does not have read errors in the boot code. _IF_ the CD _drive_ is working properly, and is properly aligned. _IF_ the machine will boot from CD. _IF_ the machine BIOS is set to try to boot from the CD before other devices. You claim to have made a CD on nother machine. Will _that_ machine boot from the CD you made? If not, you made the CD incorrectly.