New computer - cannot use - password unknown
Last December, the Trustees of my church purchased a new, "off the shelf", IBM-based (not a Mac) computer and provided it to our Librarian. She was the first and only one to log on, placed her password on it, used it exclusively for three months, and transferred the catalogue of donated religious books to its hard drive.
Unexpectedly, and sadly, our Librarian passed (pre-Covid). It was subsequently found that there is no documentation of her password and the computer remains "locked".
The church staff now operates in a "reduced Covid capacity". They have had every (few and far between) attempt foiled to access this computer. In fact, they quit trying (methods unknown) six months ago and moved on to "higher priority" issues (understandably), but the issue remains unresolved.
I know for a fact that there is not one "computer wizard" in the entire staff. It just is not in their "wheel house" of religious endeavors. Now retired, I am looking into resolving computer issues for them. Hardware is not my strong suit, though this appears to be a software issue.
Is there a "back door"? Can a late model, "personal password" protected, IBM computer be "hacked" to get around the password protection? We would like to gain access for a dedication to the Librarian and not abandon the work she did (or have to start over) in the catalog of the church library.
New computer - cannot use - password unknown
Plus one on the pull the drive and attach to a secondary PC or Mac. As long as she didn’t go the extra security route all the files on the drive should be accessible that way. Assuming, based on age of system, it’s a SATA drive connection than the external cables can be found for $18-$25. Found the one below on Amazon that has good ratings just make sure you buy one with power supply.
UGREEN SATA to USB 3.0 Adapter Cable for 3.5/2.5 Inch SSD HDD SATA III Hard Drive Disk Converter Support UASP Compatible with Samsung Seagate WD SanDisk Hitachi Toshiba, with 12V Power Adapter https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MYU0EAU..._A1OTFbPEHWKBK
If the computer uses the older IDE connector (two rows of a bunch of pins) than you’ll need a different adapter that might be a little pricier but I’m guessing it’s SATA.