In IT, many devices have an administrator password that, when forgotten, require some hoop-jumping to reset. Holding down the power button while booting the router/switch/etc, using a secret “back-door” password, or something similar is usually the norm. Not so with a Sony tape library, as this post at Everything Sysadmin shows. Talking to Sony tech support meant that, in order to reset the password on the tape library, it would cost $899 (escalating to Sony customer support dropped the price to $699):
The manual says that one can’t reset the password and I should call my dealer. I figured they just didn’t want the information spread around, so I contacted Sony and they gave me the right people to speak with. A very helpful person names Lucia informed me that I could send in the device and for only $899 they would reset the password. That seemed unreasonable, but escalating it brought me no joy. John Marshall, Customer Service/Support Manager at Sony … was very polite and friendly, but was not able to tell me the secrets to doing the process myself. I even offered to sign a non-disclosure if the process was secret. No luck. He offered to reduce the rate to $699 but that was unstatisfactory.
That’s an expensive password reset. Do you have a crazy password reset story? Let’s hear it!
