Many times we face this problem when we or our friends forget Windows password and can't log into Windows. So here we are posting a few methods / utilities which can be used to recover Windows password:
DISCLAIMER: Following information should be used only if its your system and you have forgotten account password. Don't use this information to access a system which is not yours without permission.
1st Method:
The first thing which you check if you forget login password. When we install Windows, it automatically creates an account "Administrator" and sets its password to blank. So if you have forget your user account password then try this:
Start system and when you see Windows Welcome screen / Login screen, press <ctrl>+<alt>+<del> keys twice and it'll show Classic Login box.
Now type "Administrator" (without quotes) in Username and leave Password field blank. Now press Enter and you should be able to log in Windows.
Now you can reset your account password from "Control Panel -> User Accounts".
Same thing can be done using Safe Mode. In Safe Mode Windows will show this in-built Administrator account in Login screen.
2nd Method:
If the above mentioned trick doesn't work, try following trick which is actually a loophole in Windows XP Setup and a big security hole:
A. Boot using Windows XP Setup CD and follow the instruction like Accepting EULA, etc.
B. When it asks to repair your existing Windows installation, accept it and press "R" to run the repair.
C. Setup will start repairing your Windows and will start copying files, etc.
D. After a few minutes setup will restart your system and when it restarts don't press any key when it shows "Press any key to continue..." otherwise Setup will start from the beginning. Don't press any key and setup will resume where it left.
E. Now it'll start doing other tasks and will show a small progressbar with a few details in left side.
F. Look carefully at the details and when it shows "Installing devices", press <Shift>+F10 keys in your keyboard.
G. It'll open a Command Prompt window. Now type nusrmgr.cpl and press <Enter>.
H. It'll open the same "User Accounts" window which you see in Control Panel.
I. Now you can remove or reset any account password without any problem.
3rd Method:
You can use various bootable rescue CDs as mentioned in following link:
Download FREE Bootable Rescue CDs from Kaspersky, BitDefender, Avira, F-Secure and Others
There are also a few 3rd party utilities and rescue discs to help you recover your Windows password:
UBCD for Windows:
UBCD4Win is a bootable recovery CD that contains software used for repairing, restoring, or diagnosing almost any computer problem. UBCD4Win is based on Bart's PE. Bart's PE builds a Windows "pre-install" environment CD, basically a simple Windows XP booted from CD. UBCD4Win includes network support and allows you the ability to modify NTFS volumes, recover deleted files, create new NTFS volumes, scan hard drives for viruses, etc.
Ultimate Boot CD (UBCD):
Ultimate Boot CD runs independently of any operating system. It will boot from any Intel-compatible machine, regardless of whether DOS/Windows/Linux/BeOS is installed on the machine. However, you do need an operating system and a ISO-capable CD writer software to create the Ultimate Boot CD from the downloaded ISO image file.
Offline NT Password & Registry Editor:
This is a utility to reset the password of any user that has a valid (local) account on your NT system. You do not need to know the old password to set a new one. It works offline, that is, you have to shutdown your computer and boot off a floppydisk or CD. It'll detect and offer to unlock locked or disabled out user accounts. It is also an almost fully functional registry editor.
4th Method:
Windows XP and further versions also provide another method to recover forgotten password by using "Reset Disk". If you created a Password Reset Disk in past, you can use that disk to reset the password. You can create password reset disk using Control panel -> User Accounts applet.
5th Method:
If all fails, then simply reinstall Windows and create new accounts. To recover lost data, you can use Data recovery tools available on net but the chances will be very low to get data back.
That's all we can suggest. If you have any other method / tool, feel free to post here.
Also check:
How to Reset / Remove / Bypass a BIOS or CMOS Password?
This article was posted by VG in following section: Troubleshooting, Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows XP.
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amit
Hii evry1....i know i'll sound dumb..but plz help me. I don't know my administrator password...as it was not set by me but my younger sister n she said that the password was not created due to some error.
I dont have ny other user accounts. and now i can't loginn into xp.i know the 4th & 5th will work but can't risk losing my files. even in the repair console it is asking for password!!
VG
^^ You can try 1st and 3rd options which are completely safe.
johnnyfoos
help-
I'm trying to fix an old inspiron 4150
for a lady I knows 11 year old daughter and the system came from an older brother now gone from the war!
The 1st trick didn't work.
The main problem is that the child has folder over some of the tabs in the mod bay so the thing can't work from a cd/dvd drive.
can it book up from a disc from a different computer using a cat5 cable or usb cable???
gourav
i have i third party software to clear password of XP and server 2003 and other 2000 pro & server and nt you can clear password
you boot from bootebal cd and go C:WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\CONFIG deleted SAM file after it password is clear
whan partition is NTFS you can use NTFS boottebal DOS
NOT = please do not use this mathed on Xp and SERVER 2003
johnnyfoos
"The main problem is that the child has folder over some of the tabs in the mod bay so the thing can’t work from a cd/dvd drive."
Thanks but as I stated-
There isn't any CD or DVD drive to work from.
I did get a parallel port to removable mod bay device type cable the other day, but after hooking my DVD drive up to it I never could get the machine to see any disc's in it and I didn't see any way to get it to book from there..
?????????????????????????????
Madan SP
Thank you yaar I forgot my system password, now i recover with your suggestion
Andy
You;ve made the world a better place with those tips.... it worked!!!!
coolsandy
please get me the master password for windows xp professional. am facing a lot of problem i promise i will not mis use it or leak it am suffering a lot please get me the thing as soon as possible
VG
^^ Sorry but there is no master password for Windows.
Mohit Mohan Mittal
Hiii Vishal Gupta
Plz Tell Me How To Make Windows Xp Plz Plz Plz
Thanks Plz