When I am in this situation, I use the Ultimate Boot CD for Windows to reset the password. There are other tools to accomplish this, but UBCD4win is an extremely handy multi-use tool that I think every tech should have in their arsenal. The CD's uses include repairing systems that fail to boot, malware removal, running chkdsk, and a host of others.
Point your browser to http://www.ubcd4win.com/ You'll find everything you need to know to build your own CD.
To reset a password, boot up your CD and open NTPWEdit. One can find it under
Start>Programs>Password Tools>NTPWEdit.
Once the application is open, make sure that the path to the SAM(Security Accounts Manager) file is correct and press
(Re)open. This is almost always, C:\WINDOWS\system32\config\SAM. If it is not correct, make the necessary changes and then press (Re)open.
A list of accounts will appear. Choose the appropriate account and press
Change password. Type the new password in the dialog box that pops up and then verify it by typing it in a second time. If you want a blank password, leave the fields blank and simply hit enter.
Make sure to press
Save changes before exiting. Otherwise, well, your changes won't be saved. That's it. Reboot and log into the account. This works on XP, Vista, and Windows 7. It probably works on NT and Windows 2000, as well.
Posts
Windows operating system provide opportunity to create password reset disk before hand. But if not created password reset disk, at that time only windows password recovery software can reset windows password.
ReplyDeleteYes. One can make a password reset disk before hand. The problem is client often do not. However, the above method will reset a forgotten password. Your expensive software is unnecessary.
ReplyDelete