This is an interesting story. My father, a conctractor, was doing some service work for a bank when they were doing some spring cleaning. This included throwing out old, but perfectly usable computers. One of the latitudes that he brought home has novell client on it. Now I'll admit I don't know much about computers, but I figure there's a way to reformat to disable novell, either by means of reformatting or otherwise. I've tried to reformat by pushing f2. I'd dont care if I get IE to work. I don't care if I have to reinstall windows. I just figured they're be a way to get past this novell client without username and password, let alone a network. If you can help out a poor, and incredibly technologically inexperienced, teenage girl out, I'd really appreciate it! --Kellie from seattle

Fortunately, Novell is pretty easy to bypass, even on Windows NT. At the login screen, press F1 to bring up Windows Help. Click File - Open, then type *.* and press Enter to show all files. Now click the dropdown arrow at the top, navigate to C:, then open WINNT, then open SYSTEM32. Find musrmgr.exe, right click it, and open. This brings up the User Manager. From here, you can change the password for Administrator to whatever you wish. After you do that, reboot, then log in with the Administrator account, but be sure to check the box that says Workstation Only. You're in.

pressing F1 doesn't bring up window's help. Or anything. what next?

Unless you know a valid user-name and password, ideally the admin password there's no "easy" way in... Possibly this "may" help get you in: http://www.computing.net/netware/wwwboard/forum/4875.html and http://www.novell.com/coolsolutions/tools/1262.html offers Novell utility that allows you to reset the (Novell style) Admin password... (Haven't used it; can't comment further - but it is from Novell). However if you're happy to lose whatever is on the laptop at present and start afresh with a new installation of whatever OS ('98?) you want... It may actually be an easier option to pursue? Simplest way will be to boot with a '98 bootdisk; run Fdisk (at the a: prompt) and delete/remove all partitions. Likely as not this laptop will have just one partition (a Primary) with everything in it; and this being so it's very easy to get rid of it (delete it). Afterwhich you reconfigure the drive and reformat it; then you install an OS. Latitudes (depending on their age) "may" be OK for W2K (if they're post 2000); certainly they were OK for NT4 (and this is probably what's on there now?). For general/domestic use NT4 is overkill; W2K-Pro similarly (but it is better than NT). '98 would probably be the best OS for it? You "may" need to go to the Dell web-site for a driver or two ('98 driver/s) - I'm not sure if '98 (the CD) has all that's needed for a Latitude. If you need help on wiping the drive and installing '98 have browse thru: http://www.btinternet.com/~robert.bale1/formatinstall.htm There's a cut down Fdisk tutorial and how to reconfigure/reformat the drive etc. included there. And if that doesn't get you going post back for more help? I'm a little surprised that a commercial outfit (especially a bank...!) didn't wipe the laptop first...; company security/confidentiality etc.?

If you are planning on reformatting it, why bother trying to get into the PC...Just boot to nt4/w2k floppies and reformat/reinstall.