For those who are locked out of their computer and want their data, and in case a password removal disk did not work, here's a fix I use all the time:
- Power down laptop, disconnect from charger, remove or disconnect battery;
- Remove HDD;
- Put it in a USB enclosure; connect it to a Mac or Linux based system; if it's a Mac, make sure it has something like "Paragon NTFS" installed in order for it to read NTFS drives;
- Access the "user" files as if it was an external storage, and copy the needed data;
- Put back the hard disk in your computer, reconnect battery;
- Format or reset to factory settings depending on what configuration you have, such as access from a different admin user. Re-install OS, softwares, and copy data back.
Lengthy, but works every time.