Lost or Forgot Computer Password? Reset Windows XP password!

If you have lost or forgotten your password for logging in to a computer running the Windows XP operating system, there are a few different options:

If you created a Windows XP password reset disk for Windows XP, you can use that disk to reset Windows XP password on your account. For more information on how to create and use password reset disks go to the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

How to create and use a password reset disk for a computer that is not a domain member in Windows XP

How to create and use a password reset disk for a computer in a domain in Windows XP

If you don't have a Windows XP password reset disk, the other option is to log on as the Administrator (or to have the person who is the machine's Administrator log on) and change the Windows XP password for your user account. For information on how to do this go to the following Mircosoft article:

How to Log On to Windows XP If You Forget Your Password or Your Password Expires.

If you don't know the Administrator password, and don't have a Windows XP password reset disk, then you will not be able to log on to Windows XP, and will need to reinstall the operating system and recreate any user accounts.

There are some programs available on the web which claim to be able to reset the Windows XP password(s) without access to an Administrator account, but these are not Microsoft programs, and are not recommended. If you do wish to try one of these programs (at your own risk), a web search should turn up a number of options.

Other tips:

• First, do you have the administrator password? Login as an admin and change the password of your user ID


• NEW: If you are an Administrator user, and are logged into Windows right now because your PC is setup to log you in automatically, but have forgotten your password in fact, and would now like to change it. well, Windows requires you to know the old one. However, there is a brute force way to reset the Administrator password. Open a Command prompt (START—> RUN—> then type “cmd” without the double quotes) and then type the following command:
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  net user username newpassword

  
  

  Remember, if the username has spaces in it, then enclose it in double quotes, e.g.,

  
  
  
  
  
  

  net user “Jackson” pulpypass

  
  

  This would change Samuel Jackson’s password to pulpypass provided Samuel Jackson was an Administrator user.

  
  


• Don’t have admin access? Well, you can get it if you wish by downloading a cool utility from Thomas Mathiesen to recover Windows password if you have forgotten it.


• Or, you could just download this program to reset Windows XP / 2000 / NT security if the Administrator password, secure boot password, or the key disk is lost.


• NTAccess can replace the administrator password of a Windows XP, Windows NT or Windows 2000 system by rebooting the computer with a special set of boot disks or CD-ROM (XP only). This is useful if you forgot the administrator password and cannot access the Windows XP/2000/NT system.


• Petter N Hagen has put together an Offline NT Password & Registry Editor, which is basically a single floppy or CD containing everything you need to edit the passwords on most Windows systems.