As long as your files are not encrypted you can remove the hard drive , place as a slave on another computer and retrieve your files that way, If your files are not in your my documents folder which would possibly be deleted (I am unsure if this can be avoided or not) you can install a fresh windows on the same disk but into a different windows folder(not recommended by microsoft as in long run 2 windows on the same drive causes instability) you can then enter the disk through the other operating system and access your files. I entirely recommend the first answer over the second, but even then you'll have to save your files somewhere and wipe and reinstall windows and your programmes - a long ol' job but you're definatey not the first in this position
You do not say if your password is a bios or windows password, a bios password can sometimes be removed by resetting to factory default done by taking the battery out for over 10 seconds but under 30 seconds - more than 30 and the motherboard dies so beware, however I've recently tried this on an older dell with no sucess, I dont think I left it long enough to reset - it's scary!
Clark Hay, July 2008
