Windows Password Reset
"I changed my Windows login password yesterday, and now I can't remember it! Is there any way to reset the windows password, so I can regain access to my computer?"
How to Reset Your Windows Login Password
It's a sickening, powerless feeling to be locked out of your own computer. Sometimes people forget passwords. Sometimes the stored password on your hard drive gets corrupted in a system crash. Sometimes, malware changes your password without your knowledge. Whatever the cause, you CAN reset your password and get back into your Windows system.
Password resetting was not built into Windows prior to Vista. To get the reset job done you need to exploit a "bug" in Windows XP's Setup process, or use a third-party password recovery program. First, here is how to use Windows XP's Setup to reset your password:
- Insert your retail Windows XP CD in your CD drive
- Start or restart the computer
- When the "Welcome to Setup" screen appears, press Enter
- Setup offers to repair a damaged installation. Select your Windows XP installation from the list and press R to begin the Repair process. Pay close attention, you will soon interrupt this process!
- You will be required to reboot after the "copying files" stage; select "reboot" or wait for it to happen autmatically in 15 seconds. Put your fingers on the Shift and F10 keys and be ready!
- When you see "Installing Devices" progress bar in the lower left-hand corner of the screen, press Shift-F10 together.
- A command console window will open. Enter NUSRMGR.CPL and press Enter.
- The User Accounts Manager console will appear. Pick the account you need to change and enter a new password. Ta-da!
This method seems tedious but it's no more so than third-party password recovery utilities. Some of those cost up to $200 - you might as well just buy a new operating system! But there are many free password recovery utilities out there, which will either recover your existing password, or bypass the Windows password.
Free Windows Password Recovery Utilities
Here are two free password recovery utilities. They work with Windows XP and may work with other versions or even other operating systems. Be advised, you will have to download them; burn them to a CD or USB flash drive; figure out their often geeky instructions; and then execute commands. You might as well just use the Windows CD you already own.
Ophcrack tries numerous passwords until it gets the right one. There's no telling how long that will take.
Offline NT Password & Registry Editor simply deletes your password. Then you can log on to Windows XP or Vista without entering a password, go to User Accounts management and set a new password for security. This program has not been tested on Windows 7, but my guess is that it will work there as well.
Password Reset for Vista and Windows 7
Windows Vista and Windows 7 have password reset features built into them. But you will have to exercise foresight and create a password reset disk before you need it. Here is the general procedure; to find instructions in your version of Windows Help, search Help for "password reset".
- Click Start and then Control Panel
- Open the User Accounts console
- Look for the "create password reset disk" link and click it
- A wizard will pop up to prompt you through the rest of the process.
- You can use any sort of removable media to create a password reset disk: CD, DVD, USB drive, even a floppy disk if you still have such a thing. A keychain USB thumb drive is the most convenient and popular choice.
- When you see an "incorrect password" message again, don't panic. Just click OK to bring up the "reset password" link. Click that and follow instructions. You will insert your password reset disk, Windows will read it, and you be allowed to create a new password. Ta-da!
The Dark Side
Have you figured out there's a dark side to this password resetting business? If YOU can reset the password on YOUR computer, without having the current password -- then so can anyone else who has physical access to the machine, or to your password reset disk. Bottom line, Windows login passwords should not be relied upon to secure your system from intruders.
Got something to say about Windows password reset/recovery? Post your comment or question below...
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Posted by Bob Rankin on November 11, 2009 07:46 PM
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Article information: AskBobRankin -- Windows Password Reset (Posted: November 11, 2009 07:46 PM)
Source: http://askbobrankin.com/windows_password_reset.html
Copyright © 2005 - Bob Rankin - All Rights Reserved
Most recent comments on "Windows Password Reset"
(See all 13 comments for this article.)Posted by:
RGB
12 Nov 2009
An eye opener!
Posted by:
Dave
12 Nov 2009
It always seems a nonsense to me to actually have a password if there are so many ways of re-setting or getting past it!
Posted by:
Harland
13 Nov 2009
Went to forgotten password wizard in Vista. It wants me to choose a drive F, G, or H. My CD burner is Drive E. What to do?
EDITOR'S NOTE: Hmmm... what are your F/G/H drives?
Posted by:
calvin
13 Nov 2009
If windows is running and the "start" image appears at the left bottom corner, click on "start" and press "run".enter the command nusrmgr.cpl.You can change not only your password, but those of ALL OTHER USERS !!
Posted by:
victor emmanuel
16 Nov 2009
Hi Bobs! Thanks for your article, they are always worth reading. I know and use a very good one called EBCD (Emergency Boot CD) see www.pcministry.com or http://www.prime-expert.com/ebcd/ It's a linux based Live CD. I downloaded mine when it was free but now i think u need to pay some tokens to get. Mine can't reset Vista password but the one on their site now should and they have a good support team. There are many other ones but I am yet to try them but am very ok with EBCD.
Thanks.
Love your articles,
Your reader from Nigeria.
Posted by:
tony88
18 Nov 2009
This is an awesome tool.It resets your password on Windows using USB Drive
http://www.lostwindowspassword.com/
Posted by:
davi
10 Dec 2009
1. Log onto a computer that can link to the Internet. Download Windows Password Recovery Tool 3.0 from http://www.windowspasswordsrecovery.com for Windows XP, Vista, 2003, 2000, 2008 and decompress it on that PC. Note that: there is a .ISO file. Burn the .ISO file to a CD.
2.Get out the newly created CD and insert it to the locked computer. IT IS SHAREWARE.
3.Re-boot the locked computer and then follow the process of instructions. Just after a few steps, the old password will be removed.
4.Set new password:
Step 1: Open the "Control Panel
Step 2: Click the "User Account
Step 3: Select the account you wanna set a new password.
Step 4: Click "Changing Account " and "Set Up Password", then fill out the form as listed. Click "Create Password".
Posted by:
Linky Wu
21 Dec 2009
I just found something about windows password reset methods.
It also support windows 7 password reset
Those all are free and very helpful!
Posted by:
Glenn P.
24 Jan 2010
You wrote:
> "Password resetting was not built into Windows prior to Vista."
This is INCORRECT. Windows XP Pro DOES HAVE PROVISION for a Password Reset Disk! I KNOW this, for I'm ON WinXP Pro, and I've DONE it! You must have an Administrator-level account for this to work, however.
Here's how to create one:
1. Go to Control Panel.
2. Click on "User Accounts" from among the categories given.
3. Click on "User Accounts" AGAIN, this time in the "User Accounts" section (!).
4. Under "Pick an account to change", click on your account.
5. The "What do you want to change about your account?" dialog opens. In the "Related Tasks" box in the upper-left corner, click on the line that reads "Prevent a forgotten password."
6. The Forgotten Password Wizard opens. Follow the directions (you'll need a floppy disk).
Enjoy eating your Crow, you silly ole Rankin you!!! :)
Posted by:
Glenn P.
09 Feb 2010
Thanks to Process Explorer, I've determined that
another, shorter and more direct -- but much more complicated -- way to accomplish the same thing is to type in (or better still, copy-&-paste) the following line into your Start menu's "Run" dialog (even if it word-wraps here, it needs to be all on one line -- note, there IS a space between the ".exe" and the "keymgr", and also one between "ExW" and "User" -- but NOT between "Wizard" and "ExW"):
"C:\WINDOWS\System32\rundll32.exe" keymgr.dll,PRShowSaveWizardExW User Accounts
And, yes, you CAN paste the above line into a Windows shortcut (I just tried it!), which in turn means you put an option for it just about anywhere, your DeskTop or Start Menu included!
Hope this helps -- Enjoy!!! :)