Re: Windows XP password

Thanks, they ended up bringing it to a shop and wiping the hard drive clean and reinstalling everything. He lost everything of course. Not
my choice of options. Oh, well. Thanks for the reply.

Nepatsfan wrote:
"Dennis" <den942@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message news:OVHXttuUIHA.5516@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Got a call from a friend. While his son was at college he for got the password to start windows under his user name. Is there a way to reset
the password or get windows up and running with out it, or a way to
change it?

Keep in mind that if XP Professional is installed on this computer and any files were encrypted, using the following advice will mean that access to those files will be lost for good. That said, you can try logging on with the built-in Administrator account and going to Control Panel -> User Accounts to change the password.

How you log on with the Administrator account depends on what version of XP you have installed on your computer.

XP Home Edition

To logon with the built-in Administrator account in XP Home Edition you have to restart the computer and boot into Safe Mode.
To start in Safe Mode, reboot your computer and
start tapping the F8 key as soon as you see anything displayed
on the screen.
Keep hitting F8 until the Advanced Startup
Options menu appears.
Use the up and down arrow keys on your
keyboard to select Safe Mode.
Hit Enter.
Click on the Administrator icon.
Unless you changed it, the password should be blank.

XP Professional
Restart your computer.
If the Welcome screen is displayed, hit the Ctrl + Alt + Del key combination twice.
This should bring up the Log on to Windows dialog.
Enter Administrator in the User Name box.
If you set up a password for this account, enter it now. Otherwise, leave the password box blank.

If you're still locked out of your computer, take a look here.

Offline NT Password & Registry Editor
http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/

Ultimate Boot CD for Windows®
http://www.ubcd4win.com/howto.htm

Good luck

Nepatsfan


.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: I can not log onto anything
    ... The Second Question of Windows Troubleshooting: what is the malware/virus status of the machine? ... Navigate using your Up arrow key; the mouse will not work here. ... Once in Safe Mode, you will see the normally hidden Administrator account. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.newusers)
  • Re: Windows XP password
    ... to start windows under his user name. ... Administrator account and going to Control Panel -> User Accounts to change the ... restart the computer and boot into Safe Mode. ... Ultimate Boot CD for Windows® ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support)
  • Re: Forgot Windows Password
    ... I have a friend who has forgotten his Windows sign on ... I have never used a Windows sign on Password, ... Administrator account and going to Control Panel -> User ... keyboard to select Safe Mode. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.basics)
  • RE: Windows explorer/start menu crashes in administrator account
    ... I suggest you first restart the computer in Safe Mode to see if this issue ... Safe Mode is a method of starting Windows by using only ... the default settings and minimum device drivers are not causing the issue. ... Windows explorer/start menu crashes in administrator account ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.security_admin)
  • Re: Can some body help me..please!!
    ... try logging into the Administrator account. ... boot the computer into Safe Mode. ... do Ctrl-Alt-Del twice to get the classic Windows logon box. ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)