XP Administrator Password

  • Thread starter Thread starter Kibler
  • Start date Start date
K

Kibler

I have XP professional on my home PC. I did not write
down the administrator password when I loaded on the
software. How do I reset the password. It is possible
without re-installing.
 
Thanks, looks like the only way, according the the
article, is a clean installation. Too bad for me.
 
Is it blank. What about your other admin accounts? They can reset any password. There is never any need to use the administrator account. You should have created your own admin account. I have never logged on using the admin account except for the first logon.
 
Kibler said:
Thanks, looks like the only way, according the the
article, is a clean installation. Too bad for me.

-----Original Message-----


See "How to Log On to Windows XP If You Forget Your
Click to expand...

Password or Your
Password Expires" (http://support.microsoft.com/?
kbid=321305).
Click to expand...

I have two answers. First, you can use another account if that account
has administrator rank. Any administrator should be able to reset
passwords of other accounts (including the password for the
Administrator account). Second, you can brute force your way through.
XP has limited security if you can sit there on your own machine. I
think some researcher found a way to crack any XP password in 12 minutes
or less using a gigabyte of memory.

Alex
Click to expand...
 
When I set up XP on my computer I left the password box blank so I didn't
have to remember one. You could try not entering one.

 
-- If you have XP Pro on your computer, at the log in screen type
ctrl-alt-delete
twice. In the user account type administrator, leave the password blank and
press enter. You likely didn't create a password for this hidden account
during setup and if the computer was purchased with XP pre-installed it
doesn't likely have one either,

If you have Home, boot into Safe Mode (F8 after the post test and before
Windows starts. Once Windows starts loading, you've missed it and will have
to try again). You'll have an option to log on as Administrator. Again,
the same procedure, you'll be asked to log in to get into safe mode, type
administrator, leave the password blank and press enter.

This will get you in. Then go to Control Panel, user accounts, select the
specific user and select change password. Once you've changed the password
it would be advisable to create a Password Reset Disk by clicking "Prevent a
Forgotten Password" link in the left pane.

Michael Solomon MS-MVP
Windows Shell/User
Backup is a PC User's Best Friend
DTS-L.Org: http://www.dts-l.org/
 
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