Well that’s new

This thing has been rock solid for many years. Today…

To reset the NEO to factory defaults:

1)   Start with the device turned off.

Note:   The NEO cannot be reset when it’s plugged in via AC adapter.

2)   Press and hold the and keys.

3)   While holding the and keys, turn the unit on by pressing the <on/off> key.

4)   When the dialog “Are you sure you want to reset the AlphaSmart to factory defaults?” appears on the screen, press Y (for yes).

5)   Enter the reset password: tommy

This fixed it for me.