Can't remember Admin. password

  • Thread starter Thread starter Linda
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L

Linda

How and where can I retrieve my Admin password and/or make a new one? I
need it to wirelessly install things on my laptops.

Thanks,
Linda
 
Linda said:
How and where can I retrieve my Admin password and/or make a new one? I
need it to wirelessly install things on my laptops.

I don't understand why you think you need your "Admin password" to
"wirelessly install things" or what you mean by that, but here's my
standard "so you've lost your password" answer. If this isn't what you
wanted to know, then post back with a clearer description of what you're
trying to do.

If you have forgotten your password, if you have another user account with
administrative privileges you can log into that account and change your
original user account's password from the User Accounts applet in Control
Panel. If you don't have another account like this set up or don't have the
password to it, you'll need to log into the built-in Administrator account.
In XP Home, boot the computer into Safe Mode. Do this by repeatedly tapping
the F8 key as the computer is starting up. This will get you to the right
menu. Navigate using your Up arrow key; the mouse will not work here. Once
in Safe Mode, you will see the normally hidden Administrator account. The
default password is a blank.

In XP Pro, you do not need to go into Safe Mode. At the Welcome Screen, do
Ctrl-Alt-Del twice to get the classic Windows logon box. Type in
"Administrator" and whatever password you assigned when you set up Windows.

If you reset the built-in Administrator account's password in Home or have
Pro and don't remember the password, use NTpasswd to change the built-in
Administrator account's password to a blank.

http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/

Then go to the User Accounts applet in Control Panel and set passwords that
you will remember and make other desired changes. WRITE THE PASSWORDS DOWN
AND PUT THEM SOMEWHERE YOU WON'T LOSE THEM.

Malke
 
Linda said:
How and where can I retrieve my Admin password and/or make a new one? I
need it to wirelessly install things on my laptops.

Thanks,
Linda


You can google for an Emergency Rescue Disk and download that. The disk is actually based on Linux with various rescue options. It supports NTFS and FAT32 formatted drives. What you do is insert the CD and reboot your machine. The option to reset the admin password works beautifully. Once you have the admin user reset then you can boot up in the safe mode and change all of the other passwords. I have only seen the rescue disk fail on certain makes of computers where you have a hidden partition containing diagnostic stuff and other restorial applications. I have successfully used the disc on a HP computer and several off brands. It will not work on my Compaq laptop and I understand that it won't work on some other laptops. Good luck.
 
Snake Man wrote:


(snippage)

Read my post to the OP again. The NTpasswd program to which I gave a link is
exactly what you're talking about: a Linux-based utility.

The chances of the OP coming back to this old (6 days is dead in Usenet
terms) thread are unlikely.

Malke
 
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