If you find yourself locked out of your Windows box because you lost or forgot your password, here are some things you could do.
If you find yourself locked out of your Windows box because you lost or forgot your password, here are some things you could do.
- First, do you have the administrator password? Login as an admin and change the password of your user ID. (Obvious Adams?)
- NEW: If you are an Administrator user, and are logged into Windows right now because your PC is setup to log you in automatically, but have forgotten your password in fact, and would now like to change it — well, Windows requires you to know the old one. However, there is a brute force way to change your Administrator password. Open a Command prompt (START –> RUN –> then type “cmd” without the double quotes) and then type the following command:
net user username newpassword
Remember, if the username has spaces in it, then enclose it in double quotes, e.g.,
net user “Samuel Jackson” pulpypass
This would change Samuel Jackson’s password to pulpypass provided Samuel Jackson was an Administrator user.
- Don’t have admin access? Well, you can get it if you wish by downloading a cool utility from Thomas Mathiesen to recover Windows password if you have forgotten it.
- Or, you could just download this program to reset Windows XP / 2000 / NT security if the Administrator password, secure boot password, or the key disk is lost.
- NTAccess can replace the administrator password of a Windows XP, Windows NT or Windows 2000 system by rebooting the computer with a special set of boot disks or CD-ROM (XP only). This is useful if you forgot the administrator password and cannot access the Windows XP/2000/NT system.
- Petter N Hagen has put together an Offline NT Password & Registry Editor, which is basically a single floppy or CD containing everything you need to edit the passwords on most Windows systems.
CAUTION: Please use these tools at your own risk. I believe they are good ones, with good intent, but they should be used only if you know what you are doing.
Let me know how it goes.
106 Comments
Restart your computers.
Start hitting the button F8.
On the menu that appears on screen choose : run on safe mode and then press enter.
You then will see in a minute or two several usernames.
Choose the username Administrator.
Wait a few minutes and then go to control panel.
Choose users and change the passwords.
Is it clear?
Ok.
Glad to help.
hi there. would appreciate it if someone could help me here.
just yesterday my notebook was working fine. i am running windows xp pro. after trying to install the new isdn box, on restart it prompts me to enter usename and password. i have never entered a user name and password on this computer. it tells me to press ctrl-alt-delete and then enter user name and password, in fact i have never seen this command before. no password works, and admin does not work. i have tried several different things… and looked all over the net. it seems as if this screen is an end all be all– i have to enter some password or i cant go any further. can someone please help shine some light on what happened. this changed from one minute a perfectly working notebook to the next a locked notebook – i cant understand it. any help as quickly as possibly would be appreciated. thanks in advance j a y ha ze
Hi
I have Windows 2000 and I also forgot my addministrator password so now i can’t get in anything,I tried the safe mode and it still won’t let me in.
What should i do now?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank You!
I forgot to mention that this is my Laptop computer and its Windows2000 Pro……not sure if that makes any difference.
The safe mode doesn’t give me …..any choices for the username Administrator.
hi im really in a bad case here i fogot my admin password and i cant install anyting beacuse i dont have adminstartor privlages im only 12 so i would aprreacitae ure hep if u could tell me how to recover my password simply
thx alot jag
i no how to get in but only if u dont have a password on ur administrative account.
On startup when you see the Windows Xp Logo start pressing F8 and use your keyboard to go down and select run in safe mode then click administrator and you should be able to get in and change the password to your normal account.
HHAHAHAHAHA, im only 13 reppin da BaY to Its FullEst YADADADADADADADAMEANNNNNNNN
i no how to get in but only if u dont have a password on ur administrative account.
On startup when you see the Windows Xp Logo start pressing F8 and use your keyboard to go down and select run in safe mode then click administrator and you should be able to get in and change the password to your normal account.
HHAHAHAHAHA, im only 13 reppin da BaY to Its FullEst YADADADADADADADAMEANNNNNNNN
Hi,
can you help me with this please,i can’t login to my computer coz i forgot my password and there is no administrator account its just show one account wich is my own account and i try safe mode but it still asking me for my password if there is any way to login let me no please. thank you
gm my password is lost please find
how to install windows xp
I have a couple of accounts on my computer, one being administrater. I can’t remember the password for this one and need to get in. I can use the other accounts but they are limited and I can’t get anywhere trying to recover my password. What can I do? Need help bad.
I tried rebooting in safe mode, but it still asks me for my password. I need to get into that account it has some of my work on it. I tried just about everything but nothing seems to work. Help!!
there is a program called erd commander password cd to unlock any passwords on the computer
Hi i’ve forgotten my password for my windows xp page and i’ve also lost all my software, all I had was my laptop, so I can’t reboot from my windows xp disk, as I don’t have it, anyone got any ideas, I would really apreciate it peeps
I just wanted to say thank you to all of you who stated to try resetting it in safemode. It worked on the first try. I love all you techies!!!
I have a used computer with windows xp but i cannot do anything because when i turn it on it ask for a passwod which i do not know. How do i get by this.
ok i dont have the admin. user name or pass my super smart girlfriend tried to delete some stuff and deleted the user name so now i dont know it or the pass word! how do i fix that!
hello people,i have a problem…i edited the windows registry of my win xp..and mistakenly deleted the userinit and autorun.bat file..now i can not log on to windows.i actually get to the place where i’m being asked for user password in the user acount page..but after entering in the password,windows log on and almost immedaitely logs off!! what do you think?????????i
I can’t login my pc because my freind change my password and they gone. Help me
I Forgot My Administrator Password!
by Vic Ferri
Can’t Log On to Windows XP?
If thats your only problem, then you probably have nothing to worry about. As long as you have your Windows XP CD, you can get back into your system using a simple but effective method made possible by a little known access hole in Windows XP.
This method is easy enough for newbies to follow it doesnt require using the Recovery Console or any complicated commands. And its free – I mention that because you can pay two hundred dollars for an emergency download of Winternals ERD with Locksmith which is a utility for unlocking lost Windows passwords. See here
http://www.winternals.com/products/repairandrecovery/locksmith.asp
ERD is an excellent multi purpose product, but you should know it is not a necessary one if you have a healthy system and your sole problem is the inability to logon to Windows due to a forgotten password. Not necessary because you can easily change or wipe out your Administrator password for free during a Windows XP Repair. Heres how with a step-by-step description of the initial Repair process included for newbies.
1. Place your Windows XP CD in your cd-rom and start your computer (its assumed here that your XP CD is bootable as it should be – and that you have your bios set to boot from CD)
2. Keep your eye on the screen messages for booting to your cd Typically, it will be Press any key to boot from cd
3. Once you get in, the first screen will indicate that Setup is inspecting your system and loading files.
4. When you get to the Welcome to Setup screen, press ENTER to Setup Windows now
5. The Licensing Agreement comes next – Press F8 to accept it.
6. The next screen is the Setup screen which gives you the option to do a Repair.
It should read something like If one of the following Windows XP installations is damaged, Setup can try to repair it
Use the up and down arrow keys to select your XP installation (if you only have one, it should already be selected) and press R to begin the Repair process.
7. Let the Repair run. Setup will now check your disks and then start copying files which can take several minutes.
8. Shortly after the Copying Files stage, you will be required to reboot. (this will happen automatically you will see a progress bar stating Your computer will reboot in 15 seconds
9. During the reboot, do not make the mistake of pressing any key to boot from the CD again! Setup will resume automatically with the standard billboard screens and you will notice Installing Windows is highlighted.
10. Keep your eye on the lower left hand side of the screen and when you see the Installing Devices progress bar, press SHIFT + F10. This is the security hole! A command console will now open up giving you the potential for wide access to your system.
11. At the prompt, type NUSRMGR.CPL and press Enter. Voila! You have just gained graphical access to your User Accounts in the Control Panel.
12. Now simply pick the account you need to change and remove or change your password as you prefer. If you want to log on without having to enter your new password, you can type control userpasswords2 at the prompt and choose to log on without being asked for password. After youve made your changes close the windows, exit the command box and continue on with the Repair (have your Product key handy).
13. Once the Repair is done, you will be able to log on with your new password (or without a password if you chose not to use one or if you chose not to be asked for a password). Your programs and personalized settings should remain intact.
I tested the above on Windows XP Pro with and without SP1 and also used this method in a real situation where someone could not remember their password and it worked like a charm to fix the problem. This security hole allows access to more than just user accounts. You can also access the Registry and Policy Editor, for example. And its gui access with mouse control. Of course, a Product Key will be needed to continue with the Repair after making the changes, but for anyone intent on gaining access to your system, this would be no problem.
And in case you are wondering, NO, you cannot cancel install after making the changes and expect to logon with your new password.
Cancelling will just result in Setup resuming at bootup and your changes will be lost.
Ok, now that your logon problem is fixed, you should make a point to prevent it from ever happening again by creating a Password Reset Disk. This is a floppy disk you can use in the event you ever forget your log on password. It allows you to set a new password.
Here’s how to create one if your computer is NOT on a domain:
* Go to the Control Panel and open up User Accounts.
* Choose your account (under Pick An Account to Change) and under Related Tasks, click “Prevent a forgotten password”.
* This will initiate a wizard.
* Click Next and then insert a blank formatted floppy disk into your A: drive.
* Click Next and enter your logon password in the password box.
* Click Next to begin the creation of your Password disk.
* Once completed, label and save the disk to a safe place
How to Log on to your PC Using Your Password Reset Disk
Start your computer and at the logon screen, click your user name and leave the password box blank or just type in anything. This will bring up a Logon Failure box and you will then see the option to use your Password Reset disk to create a new password. Click it which will initiate the Password Reset wizard. Insert your password reset disk into your floppy drive and follow the wizard which will let you choose a new password to use for your account.
i forgot my user name and pasword. and can not get into my computer
in Regards to RT that link doesn’t work m/eoft has blocked it well maybe you might want to email users the iso file may make your thread more substancial
although I agree with you that erd is a very good tool to use I have used it in the past with very good results
anyone needing help with lost passwords email me at mobils@woosh.co.nz
Have my sons old computer windows 2000 but cannot access it because of password he passed away a few months ago can anyone tell me how to get around this ty
HELP
I cant access my own PC’s Programs or files. When I start my PC
I get a small log on box which ask me for a password
As I never had a passwrod I chuck click OK, and then it appears to go into the Desktop scene when a another box comes up and says
DATA EXECUTION PREVENTION To help protect your Computer. WIndows has close this program NAme : Uderinit Log on Application [Close Program] [What should I do]
When I click Close program I ghet this other message box
USER Logon application has encountered a problem and needs yto close Please tell Microsoft about this problem? [dont send] [send]
The deskop screen then appear without any icons or the Taskbar and start button. When I hit windows key on the keyboard nothing. In fact the only thing I can get is when I pressed ctrl+alt+del Task Manager comes up
Whe I try to go into run or any other executable program from Taskbar I get the same message about Data Execution
I tried restarting many times but the above just continues, I botted with the Windows XP Pro installation CD and went into Recovery , selected 1, Dos box appear and I exited
The last thing I did yesterday was install a game I had downloaded from a Usenet group along with a No CD crack file
CAN someome please help me I have a lot of information Backed up on this PC and need to get it.
Hi..please some one help…My father past away , and i was givin his lap top. All i want is some pictures of him and me off of there. Its a Sony Vaio with windows xp pro installed. The main sign-in of his says “James” and asks for a password and i dont know it. So i found a site that said boot into safe mode – login as admin. Well the admins password is set to. Which i dont know both. I tried a method that uses system recovery to change it…and right away noticed after burning the cd-rom that the laptops drive doesnt work…are his pictures all gone?…please someone help…I’ll even pay for help, nothing more then $150 though. Thank you
you can remove your xp password like this, only if u have 2 or more accounts : log in in an account, go to control panel, go to user accounts, select the sccount you want to remove the password, chande the account tipe to LIMITED, then go to remove your password section, end your password is removed. good luck
i have got windows xp and i want to reset it as if it was brand new i want to start it like the first time i used it
I just used the following tutorial to recover my lost Windows XP password and it worked great:
http://www.lancelhoff.com/2008/09/03/find-windows-login-password/
Thanks a lot!! I entered in safe mode, control panel, user account, administrator and I changed the password =)
If worst comes to worst and none of the above work for you what i would sugest is:
download a linux thats runs as “live disk” (free, try http://www.ubuntu.com) then burn the iso to a cd, boot from this and run as “live disk” … you can access all your data this way and burn to dvd or cd, then just reformat (the easy way). The other way would be same steps but instead of backing up to dvd or cd, just change the password from linux…problem solved
all the best
I had problem with my windows xp that was protected by password,my problem is that i did not turn off the password before i reinstalled my windows xpsp2 and now i can not acess documents,when i try to enter there is a note that acess is denied
Our software Geeks Removal tools from http://windowspasswordforgot.com automatically removes all the passwords with no hassle.
The other solutions sometimes work if you have patience and more technical know-how though.
I have windows xp on my desktop, I have never had a password! It is asking me for a password and I have tried everything on this list and nothing is working. I can get in on safe mode but it says I have no password. I add a password then restart and I have to tell explorer to start I reset everything and restart and then I have to do it all over again! What can I do?
http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/
worked for me as well. Thank you!
[...] Lost my Windows XP password. How to login and start? If you find yourself locked out of your Windows box because you lost or forgot your password, here are some things you could do. (tags: windows xp password) [...]
I lost password on admin account.
Hidden_romeo answer worked for me within 30 secs back on line. many many thanks. so simple
Hi,I need some urgent help regarding my windows xp,I recently gave a pc to my 10 yr old granddaughter, which I had bought from a former workplace and have a copy of the windows xp cd (given by the company) that I had installed as the company had taken everything off..I loaded it and all was well until I messed with it deleting things that my granddaughter didnt require and then it blocked me out stating that it was requiring a user name & password..Im not sure why as I cant remember putting any passwords on.. Itried the safe mode and it still requested a username and password..I need help in being able to help her over the phone about what she can do to get the pc up and working again as I have the cd and Im 280 miles away from her !!!! She doesnt have any other form of internet at moment so all help would be very much appreciated**thanks for any help from a very desperate nanna**
Hi. The pc i have lost the password on does not have a cd drive fitted. Is
it possible to do this with a usb memory stick or would it be possible to
use a usb external cd drive?
i changed my password then switched user to the other account …
when i got back to my account i couldn’t remember the password that i changed to ..
i tried to set an admin password but nothing works ..
any minds plz help me i need to get my computer baaack !!
**********
1000nxz
Worked well – Thank you!
1rd Method:
Try following trick which is actually a loophole in Windows XP Setup and a big security hole:
A. Boot using Windows XP Setup CD and follow the instruction like Accepting EULA, etc.
B. When it asks to repair your existing Windows installation, accept it and press “R” to run the repair.
C. Setup will start repairing your Windows and will start copying files, etc.
D. After a few minutes setup will restart your system and when it restarts don’t press any key when it shows “Press any key to continue…” otherwise Setup will start from the beginning. Don’t press any key and setup will resume where it left.
E. Now it’ll start doing other tasks and will show a small progressbar with a few details in left side.
F. Look carefully at the details and when it shows “Installing devices”, press +F10 keys in your keyboard.
G. It’ll open a Command Prompt window. Now type nusrmgr.cpl and press .
H. It’ll open the same “User Accounts” window which you see in Control Panel.
I. Now you can remove or reset any account password without any problem.
2th Method:
There are many 3rd party utilities which claim to recover forgotten Windows password:
The program that I recommend is the Windows Password Key 8.0. It is a very quick and useful utility for resetting passwords. It not only supports XP, 2000, and NT, I have personally tested it with Vista Home Premium and Ultimate. It works perfectly to reset any local user account to a blank password.
Just an easy to use bootable CD/DVD . It can also be used on a USB Flash http://sn.im/bypasswindowspassword
Thank you!
it is quite helpful.
I just found something about windows password reset methods.
It also support windows 7 password reset
Those all are free and very helpful!
1the Method:
One free solution is to link your hard drive to another computer. You can change your password by booting from another computer. However this method might cause damage to your system if you did it wrong.
2th Method:
A safe solution is to boot from a bootable CD and then edit the registry windows\\system32\\config for password. Password Genius works in this safe way. I would recommend you to try it. They promise no-hassle refund if you can not get your work done.
Check this out: http://www.password-genius.com
A few days ago, I had met the headache things that I had forgotten Windows login password. The login screen rejected my passwords. I was frustrated because there was very important data on my disk and I couldn’t reinstall the OS. …………. However, I fortunately got to know the Windows Password Unlocker, which is a professional windows password recovery tool for us to reset windows 7 password instantly yet no data loss.
I also got locked out of my computer several days ago.
Fortunately I got an easy solution, all you need is another computer that can link to Internet and then download Password Genius at http://www.password-genius.com .withPassword Genius, you can create a reset CD which can be used to login windows without password. then you can reset your password.
Hope this can help you!
Mia sung.
Ok for Windows XP Home,Pro-Ext
all ya have to do when your password was changed on accident is restart or shut down your computer. Upon reboot tap F8 log into safe mod as Admin and go to control panel – User Accounts – Select what user is giving you difficulty and type in new password. Nice thing is it does not ask for old password to type the new one and no password to log in as safe mode admin. Good luck hopes it solves it for ya.
Just wanted to share that I just downloaded The Windows Password Unlocker. It worked great! I don’t like the fact that a lot of companies out there are advertising “Free Download” which it is BUT: if you actually want to use the unlock feature, you have to go back and purchase it. This just seems like false advertising! But I will say this, the utility works fine on Windows XP! Just recovered my system password without a hitch. For $19.95 and it runs a windows GUI interface, no messy DOS shell to navigate. Well done!
So far i tried all of the tools in this category, there’s only one that worked or worked better than others, that is Xp key changer, if many years of experience and my expertise mean something to you then I think i can suggest it: http://www.moonvalleysoft.com/xp-key-changer-p-32.html
Hi,i meet the same issue several days ago.
my friend told me a professional windows password recovery software—password genius. it can solve the problem easily .I could not wait to have a try and I was astounded to find it can empty the previous password without erasing anything！You can have a try.
Check this out: http://www.password-genius.com/how-to/how-to-get-in-my-computer-when-i-forget-my-windows-login-password.html
I think the best method to recover windows password is using windows password recovery software. Burn the .iso file to a blank CD or a USB flash drive or a floppy disk, insert the CD(USB/floppy disk) into the problem computer and your password will be reset to “Blank” without losing any data and you needn’t reinstall windows OS.