Help please

Apparently you have to wipe and reinstall the operating system.

I phoned the manufacturer of my laptop when this happened to me in 2019 and he spent a long time using various techniques which helped me remember.....miraculously!

Have you got a little guy (or gal) in a computer shop near you?

I'm able to get some degree of help computer-wise - though it's more difficult to deal with a full-size computer and it's all wired-up (I won't have wireless).

But a laptop could easily be taken into a computer shop for them to have a look at...

Ask ChatGPT - they will talk you through what to do.

Should be a 'lost my password' option when you try to sign in. Go through that routine.

Any person in a computer shop will help …well they do round my area anyway

BlueBelle

Any person in a computer shop will help …well they do round my area anyway

Yes, this is the usual path, because they have ethical hacking software to get around it. You can use the F8 key to open in safe mode and go hunt/change it, but I can honestly say that it is easier to let them do it.

But if, like me, she was forced into a password when upgrading Windows, it may well be that it is her Windows password which you can get by logging in elsewhere.

most computer shops will help you or look on the small ads, often people who will be willing to help who work from home.

We've got a guy who refurbishes and repairs computers, laptops, tablets and phones near us. Maybe you have someone similar near you. Sometimes a small business can be more helpful than a big one.

My husband's brother passed away recently, and he was left his computer and iphone.
Unfortunately, we didn't know the passcode for the PC, or his password.
There is a lot of information available online.
Possibly the following link might help.

support.microsoft.com/en-gb/account-billing/reset-a-forgotten-microsoft-account-password-eff4f067-5042-c1a3-fe72-b04d60556c37

Good luck

I think I'd ask your granddaughter (the laptop donor) to recover/reset her password for her sister. The reason being that she already has half the key - e.g. her email address, ID or mobile phone for 2 factor authentication if needed. However, once the password is reset, she will have to ensure that any account credentials that the laptop holds for emails, Facebook etc are removed so her (receiving) sister can add/open her own accounts in her own name and also change the shared new password. However, it may still be the easier option.

A full factory reset could be straightforward (I've carried one out on my old Windows 10) but it would help if your granddaughter can check the version that is running on the laptop before following instructions for that version. (If your (recipient) granddaughter messes up the factory reset, she can carry out another reset - she has no data to lose anyway.)

If the laptop is older and running Windows 10, be aware that it will be out of support within the next month. It will still work but its security will degrade over time and there will be no updates.

If the laptop is running on Windows 10, your granddaughter should check if it meets the specifications for upgrading to Windows 11 and follow the instructions to install it. If it is already running on Windows 11, it will be supported by Microsoft and be suitable for use for some time.