Ok sounds like the Password Protected Startup is in the hidden Database folder and not the actual program as i thought.
After searching this forum, i found a post on the following thread below how you can then get around the startup password via the eM Client “hidden roaming folder”.
startup password required - Initial setup - eM Client
Yes, there is a way, but you will lose some of the settings.
With eM Client closed, delete all of the following files in the C:\Users_yourusername_\AppData\Roaming\eM Client folder. You may have to enable hidden items in Windows Explorer to get there.
settings.dat-bak
settings.dat-wal
settings.dat-shm
When you restart eM Client, depending on how the email accounts are setup, you may have to re-enter those passwords, but all the data should be there.