I have a media center edition of windows xp. i changed the password yesterday morning and forgot because i was half asleep. i am stuck the windows login screen. i am the administrator of the computer so there is a password for that. the guest account has been turned off so there isn't a option there. i don't have a password reset CD either. tho i will after this i sorted out (isn't hindsight a pain?). i need a way to either view my password hint or just reset the password. i would really not prefer to pay the 30$ to have someone else reset the password so any help would be much appreciated.
i cant log in as a admin. that's the account that i am locked out of. and all safe modes still require the password!
If this is Windows XP. Go into safe mode by re-starting the computer and pressing F8 repeatedly as the computer starts up. You will be given a choice on which "mode" you'd like to start Window in. Choose Safe mode. Then (in safe mode) click Start and then click Run. In the open box type "control userpasswords2" (without the quotes). You will now have access to all the user accounts, including the administrator's account and will be able to reset the password. Just click the administrators user account, and then click Reset Password
cant get that far. it is going straight to the log in box. which is the problem. even if safe mode. as i stated earlier.
use this free software to reset your password, works everytime. nt password reset http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/
Amateurs... 1. Place your Windows XP CD in your cd-rom and start your computer (it’s 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 you’ve 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 agree with the above post. Try to burn a copy of NT Password Reset either from another PC or a friend. Put the CD in so that your machine boots from it (you may have to change a setting in your BIOS, also called "Setup" usually F1 or F2 on most systems, or if your system has the option for a "Boot Menu", usually ESC or F9.) The CD will load a Linux program and it is pretty straight forward. Make sure you save your changes before quitting the application and rebooting the PC.
i think a friend of mine is going to download the program for me and burn it. if that doesn't work then i am not sure what i am going to do. the console didn't come with a boot CD when i bought it.
Usually when a PC ships without a boot CD/rescue disc there is a space reserved on the hardrive to restore (not the System Restore Utility) your PC to it's original state. Look in Start Menu > All Programs. It might be hiding in a subfolder.
The nt bootcd will work, I've used it 3 or 4 times on windows xp and it has worked everytime. If for some reason it doesn't work, there are many other programs that can do similar things, but try the free ones first. The only password that can't be bypass is the BIOS password on laptops, everything else especially a windows logon can be easily reset.
At last. I knew I burned this disc last summer but I forgot that I loaned it to a friend. I also couldn't remember the name of the website or the software. But here it is. Free download. I tested it on my own PC running XP Home, my son's with XP PRO, and my buddy needed it for his Vista machine. It worked like a charm on all three. The three of us tested separately, all successful. Go here: http://www.pcloginnow.com/index.html or here: http://www.pcloginnow.com/product.html Works. Done.
There are tons of bartPE CDs out there that have built in password reset tools, you just boot into the CD, start the program, point it at the %windir% drive and it will reset the admin passwod for you.
offline nt worked like a charm. had to spend a few minutes figuring the program out. but ultimatly it worked great!
