Forgot windows password; can I use 2nd HD to reset?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Robbie Hatley
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Robbie Hatley

I just got my computer (Windows 2000 Professional, service pack 2) out
of storage, where it's been for several months. (I lost my job, ran
out of money, got evicted from apartment, and put everything in
storage. I'm really getting beat up by the current economic
conditions.) Unfortunately, I've forgotten all my Windows passwords,
because I haven't used them in months, and I didn't write them down
anywhere.

I seem to recall that one of the ways this can be fixed involves
pulling the hard disk out of the problem computer (call it HD1), and
installing it as a slave hard disk in a computer with a Windows 2000
installation with a known password on a separate hard disk (call it
HD2). Booting from HD2 should then give access to the files and
folders on HD1. (The files and folders all have ownership set to
"Administrators Group", so logging-on on any account with
administrator privelidges should give me access.)

However, I don't recall how to go about resetting the passwords. Once
I've booted from HD2, how can I reset the passwords on the accounts on
HD1? Is this just a matter of cloning user profiles, or do I need to
do other stuff? Or can this be done at all?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help me with this.

PS: one of the first things I'm going to do if/when I get back in is,
create an emergency-access account with administrative privelidges,
write its user-name and password on a piece of paper, and put it in a
bank safe-deposit box. Should hedge against foggy memory.
 
Robbie Hatley said:
I just got my computer (Windows 2000 Professional, service pack 2) out
of storage, where it's been for several months. (I lost my job, ran
out of money, got evicted from apartment, and put everything in
storage. I'm really getting beat up by the current economic
conditions.) Unfortunately, I've forgotten all my Windows passwords,
because I haven't used them in months, and I didn't write them down
anywhere.

I seem to recall that one of the ways this can be fixed involves
pulling the hard disk out of the problem computer (call it HD1), and
installing it as a slave hard disk in a computer with a Windows 2000
installation with a known password on a separate hard disk (call it
HD2). Booting from HD2 should then give access to the files and
folders on HD1. (The files and folders all have ownership set to
"Administrators Group", so logging-on on any account with
administrator privelidges should give me access.)

However, I don't recall how to go about resetting the passwords. Once
I've booted from HD2, how can I reset the passwords on the accounts on
HD1? Is this just a matter of cloning user profiles, or do I need to
do other stuff? Or can this be done at all?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help me with this.

PS: one of the first things I'm going to do if/when I get back in is,
create an emergency-access account with administrative privelidges,
write its user-name and password on a piece of paper, and put it in a
bank safe-deposit box. Should hedge against foggy memory.
Click to expand...

Google is your friend. Put the words

Forgot windows password

into a Google search box and take it from there.
 
I'd asked a specific question on how to use a 2nd hard disk to reset
passwords on
a 1st hard disk, and "Pegasus" replied, most unhelpfully:
Google is your friend. Put the words
Forgot windows password
into a Google search box and take it from there.
Click to expand...

I did. Then I spent an hour wading through many, many posts from
previous years,
all from someone named "Pegasus", all telling people to just "look it
up on google".
Plus many posts regarding various software for purchase which can
supposedly
recover windows passwords. Needless to say, none of that is of any
help whatsoever.

I don't have further hours to wade through Google's thousands of
irrelevant hits, so
don't ask.

If you don't know the answer, please don't reply; it just waists
bandwidth.

SOOOO......... I ask again:

I just got my computer (Windows 2000 Professional, service pack 2)
out
of storage, where it's been for several months. (I lost my job, ran
out of money, got evicted from apartment, and put everything in
storage. I'm really getting beat up by the current economic
conditions.) Unfortunately, I've forgotten all my Windows passwords,
because I haven't used them in months, and I didn't write them down
anywhere.

I seem to recall that one of the ways this can be fixed involves
pulling the hard disk out of the problem computer (call it HD1), and
installing it as a slave hard disk in a computer with a Windows 2000
installation with a known password on a separate hard disk (call it
HD2). Booting from HD2 should then give access to the files and
folders on HD1. (The files and folders all have ownership set to
"Administrators Group", so logging-on on any account with
administrator privelidges should give me access.)

However, I don't recall how to go about resetting the passwords.
Once
I've booted from HD2, how can I reset the passwords on the accounts
on
HD1? Is this just a matter of cloning user profiles, or do I need to
do other stuff? Or can this be done at all?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help me with this.

PS: one of the first things I'm going to do if/when I get back in is,
create an emergency-access account with administrative privelidges,
write its user-name and password on a piece of paper, and put it in a
bank safe-deposit box. Should hedge against foggy memory.
 
In
Robbie Hatley said:
If you don't know the answer, please don't reply; it just waists
bandwidth.

SOOOO......... I ask again:
Click to expand...

.... and you waste more bandwidth raising an FAQ twice.
 
I wrote asking how a 2nd hard disk could be used to reset passwords
This should sort it.
http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/
Click to expand...

No, it doesn't. That doesn't answer my question at all, in fact.
It's an ad for some software which may (or may not) allow resetting
of passwords. But I don't have the resources (time, money, and other
resources) to buy and try a bunch of software. Hence my question,
which no one has yet addressed.

I can't quite believe that no one in this group knows the answer to
this,
so for the 3rd time, I'll ask yet again:

I just got my computer (Windows 2000 Professional, service pack 2)
out
of storage, where it's been for several months. (I lost my job, ran
out of money, got evicted from apartment, and put everything in
storage. I'm really getting beat up by the current economic
conditions.) Unfortunately, I've forgotten all my Windows passwords,
because I haven't used them in months, and I didn't write them down
anywhere.

I seem to recall that one of the ways this can be fixed involves
pulling the hard disk out of the problem computer (call it HD1), and
installing it as a slave hard disk in a computer with a Windows 2000
installation with a known password on a separate hard disk (call it
HD2). Booting from HD2 should then give access to the files and
folders on HD1. (The files and folders all have ownership set to
"Administrators Group", so logging-on on any account with
administrator privelidges should give me access.)

However, I don't recall how to go about resetting the passwords.
Once
I've booted from HD2, how can I reset the passwords on the accounts
on
HD1? Is this just a matter of cloning user profiles, or do I need to
do other stuff? Or can this be done at all?

Thanks in advance to anyone who can help me with this.

NOTE: I DO NOT HAVE THE RESOURCES (TIME, MONEY,
AND OTHER RESOURCES) TO BUY AND TRY A BUNCH OF
SOFTWARE, SO PLEASE DON'T JUST GIVE LINKS TO
SOFTWARE PURVEYORS. THANK YOU.

NOTE: I DO NOT HAVE 100 HOURS TO SIT DOWN AND
WADE THROUGH 1000s OF IRRELEVANT GOOGLE HITS,
SO PLEASE DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME TELLING ME TO
"JUST LOOK IT UP ON GOOGLE". I ALREADY DID, AND
FOUND ONLY GARBAGE. THANK YOU.

PS: one of the first things I'm going to do if/when I get back in is,
create an emergency-access account with administrative privelidges,
write its user-name and password on a piece of paper, and put it in a
bank safe-deposit box. Should hedge against foggy memory.
 
Are you kidding? What a jerk. The tool is a free and widely used tool
developed by Mr. Nordahl and no putting the disk in another machine will do
you no good. <geeeesh> I seriously doubt that asking here again would yield
results.




--

Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect
 
I'd asked about the feasibility of reseting passwords on a bootable
Windows 2000
hard disk by putting the disk in another Windows 2000 machine. In
response,
"Dave Patrick" top-posted:
Are you kidding? What a jerk. The tool is a free and widely used tool
developed by Mr. Nordahl and no putting the disk in another machine will do
you no good. <geeeesh> I seriously doubt that asking here again would yield
results.
Click to expand...

Insert standard questions to all top posters here. (Eg, "who are you
talking
to?", "what are you talking about?", etc.)

As for your specific responses:

No, I'm not "kidding". What was it you thought I was joking about?

As for me being a "jerk" in your eyes, that's only a very mildly-
interesting
statement about you, and says nothing about me or about how to solve
the problem which is the topic of this thread.

"Free and widely used tools" are mostly useless to me, because I do
not
currently have the resources available to download or use them.

As for "putting the disk in another machine will do you no good", that
is
clearly a false statement. Yes, it would at least allow me to access
the
disk in question, so it does some good whether or not it allows
passwords
to be reset. (On the other hand, at least this response, unlike all
the
others before it, does make some attempt to reply to what I actually
wrote.)

So... so for the 4th time, I'll ask yet again:

I just got my computer (Windows 2000 Professional, service pack 2)
out of storage, where it's been for several months. (I lost my job,
ran
out of money, got evicted from apartment, and put everything in
storage. I'm really getting beat up by the current economic
conditions.) Unfortunately, I've forgotten all my Windows passwords,
because I haven't used them in months, and I didn't write them down
anywhere.

I seem to recall that one of the ways this can be fixed involves
pulling the hard disk out of the problem computer (call it HD1), and
installing it as a slave hard disk in a computer with a Windows 2000
installation with a known password on a separate hard disk (call it
HD2). Booting from HD2 should then give access to the files and
folders on HD1. (The files and folders all have ownership set to
"Administrators Group", so logging-on on any account with
administrator privelidges should give me access.)

However, I don't recall how to go about resetting the passwords.
Once I've booted from HD2, how can I reset the passwords on the
accounts
on HD1? Is this just a matter of cloning user profiles, or do I need
to
do other stuff? Or can this be done at all?


Thanks in advance to anyone who can help me with this.


NOTE: I DO NOT HAVE THE RESOURCES (TIME, MONEY,
AND OTHER RESOURCES) TO BUY AND TRY A BUNCH OF
SOFTWARE, SO PLEASE DON'T JUST GIVE LINKS TO
SOFTWARE PURVEYORS. THANK YOU.


NOTE: I DO NOT HAVE 100 HOURS TO SIT DOWN AND
WADE THROUGH 1000s OF IRRELEVANT GOOGLE HITS,
SO PLEASE DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME TELLING ME TO
"JUST LOOK IT UP ON GOOGLE". I ALREADY DID, AND
FOUND ONLY GARBAGE. THANK YOU.


PS: one of the first things I'm going to do if/when I get back in is,
create an emergency-access account with administrative privelidges,
write its user-name and password on a piece of paper, and put it in a
bank safe-deposit box. Should hedge against foggy memory.

--
Locked out,
Robbie Hatley
lone wolf (at) well (dot) com


The real question was, whether putting my the disk in another Windows
2000
machine can allow me to reset passwords on the accounts in my original
disk.
 
We know and again the answer is no, not feasible. Use the Linux boot disk to
reset the password like everyone else does.



--

Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect
 
I don't have further hours to wade through Google's thousands of
irrelevant hits, so don't ask.
Click to expand...

If you want to reset your password quickly, use the Nordahl boot diskette/CD
as everyone recommends. If you insist on using your own method based on
booting with a second disk, keep looking. It's your choice.
 
Robbie said:
I wrote asking how a 2nd hard disk could be used to reset passwords
on a 1st hard disk; "Dave Patrick" replied:

No, it doesn't.
Click to expand...

Yes it does ... go visit the page and READ it.


That doesn't answer my question at all, in fact.
Click to expand...

If you mean your question about installing the drive in another machine
that has been answered several times in this thread ... simply put:
you're wasting your time.

OTOH Dave and Pegasus gave you a solution which will sort your *problem*
(as opposed to your question) in a much simpler fashion than your
proposed method. And in return they get snarkiness.



It's an ad for some software which may (or may not) allow resetting
of passwords. But I don't have the resources (time, money, and other
resources) to buy and try a bunch of software.
Click to expand...

No it's not an "ad" in your sense of asking for money. Read the web page
(I dare you) It's a FREE utility

Hence my question, which no one has yet addressed.
Click to expand...

Actually they have - it's just not what you want to hear so you lash out
at the people trying to help you. If you need any more help, best change
your log-on.
 
Dave Patrick, Pegasus, and Sid Elbow wrote (paraphrase):
Using the 2nd-disk method is not feasible; you're just wasting your time.
Click to expand...

Ok, I get the message.

Now, I did manage to find THIS:

http://www.petri.co.il/forgot_administrator_password_alternate_logon_trick.htm

But that only fully works for older Win2K installations that haven't
been
updated (not service pack 2). I was able to boot the machine with
that,
without actually logging in, by substituting cmd.exe for logon.scr,
then typing "explorer", which starts the shell. But many programs
don't
work, I have limited privelidges, and I can't reset the passwords.

Ok, I downloaded the software you guys recommended to my USB
drive. Now I'll have to find a computer somewhere that can burn a
CDR.
Not easy under my circumstances, which are pretty resource-scarce,
but I think I can manage that.

Thanks for the tip.
 
Robbie Hatley said:
Ok, I downloaded the software you guys recommended to my USB
drive. Now I'll have to find a computer somewhere that can burn a
CDR.
Not easy under my circumstances, which are pretty resource-scarce,
but I think I can manage that.

Thanks for the tip.
Click to expand...

Your Win2000 presumably has a floppy disk drive. The Nordahl boot diskette
works perfectly for a Win2000 machine. End of story.
(And if you don't happen to have a FDD, borrow one from your friendly
computer dealer)
 
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