Ok. Then it sounds like a bios password, and most likely if it is a bios password it would take alot, alot alot alot (alot) of work to break the password, if you even were able to do it.

Windows passwords can be bypassed and most other OS passwords can too, but bios passwords (if it was a bios password it would most likely come up somewheres directly after or during the POST test boot screen - the screen with text that tests the computer when it first comes on) are often next to impossible to break, and you certainly wouldn't be able to do that by formatting as you can't even get far enough into the system to format.

I would contact them and see if they have a password. If they don't there are some other options but you would need to find someone who was somewhat technically savvy to help you, unless you are yourself.

Heres an article on resetting passwords:

http://www.tech-faq.com/reset-bios-password.shtml

What kind of computer is it? Can you get to an OS at all? Do you know what OS it is running? And finally, what type of BIOS is it running? *It should say when it first boots up something like "Phoenix BIOS C 1995 or something of that nature.