Admin Password Lost

[Brian Koll]

Does anyone know a recovery that a normal user can follow
to recover from an unknown Admin password on her personal
windows xp pc?

All I think I can recommend is a reinstall but there
should be some way she can recover. Ideas?

 

[Kaylene aka Taurarian]

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=290260
EFS, Credentials, and Private Keys from Certificates Are Unavailable After a
Password Is Reset

Windows Home XP
1. As windows is loading up press F8 repeatedly until the Windows advanced
screen comes up.
2. Select safe mode (the version of windows you want to use click XP wait until
it loads the welcome screen.
3. Select Administrator and it will log you on as administrator without a
password (provided a password was not created in this hidden account during
setup).
4. Go to Start - Control Panel - User Accounts.
5. Select your name and click change the password.
Then you should be able to change the password, shut down the computer and
restart in normal mode and use the new password you just created.

****

If you have XP Pro on your computer:-
1. At the log in screen " ctrl-alt-delete " twice.
2. In the User Account, type Administrator
3. Leave the password blank and press enter.
(Most likely a password wasn't created in this hidden account during setup).

If you decide to set a password it is recommended that you create a Password
Reset Disk by clicking on "Prevent a Forgotten Password" link in the left pane.
The Wizard will guide you through.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;321305
How to Log On to Windows XP If You Forget Your Password or Your Password Expires

http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/lostpass.htm
lists a few more options

 

[Shenan Stanley]

Does anyone know a recovery that a normal user can follow
to recover from an unknown Admin password on her personal
windows xp pc?

All I think I can recommend is a reinstall but there
should be some way she can recover. Ideas?

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=290260
EFS, Credentials, and Private Keys from Certificates Are Unavailable
After a Password Is Reset

Windows Home XP
1. As windows is loading up press F8 repeatedly until the Windows
advanced screen comes up.
2. Select safe mode (the version of windows you want to use click XP
wait until it loads the welcome screen.
3. Select Administrator and it will log you on as administrator
without a password (provided a password was not created in this
hidden account during setup).
4. Go to Start - Control Panel - User Accounts.
5. Select your name and click change the password.
Then you should be able to change the password, shut down the
computer and restart in normal mode and use the new password you just
created.

****

If you have XP Pro on your computer:-
1. At the log in screen " ctrl-alt-delete " twice.
2. In the User Account, type Administrator
3. Leave the password blank and press enter.
(Most likely a password wasn't created in this hidden account during
setup).

If you decide to set a password it is recommended that you create a
Password Reset Disk by clicking on "Prevent a Forgotten Password"
link in the left pane. The Wizard will guide you through.

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;321305
How to Log On to Windows XP If You Forget Your Password or Your
Password Expires

http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/lostpass.htm
lists a few more options

You have a few other options as well..

Hack your password:
http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/bootdisk.html

Another:
http://www.thomasmathiesen.com/itak/html/software.html


Now - what you may have been thinking of is this:

How to create and use a password reset disk for a computer that is not a
domain member in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=305478

Of course, you would have had to create that diskette AHEAD of time.