forgot win password.

[supersaiyan]

hi there ppl.
i forgot my winxp password and want some help.
how can i retrieve it without formatting or re-installing the os.
one more thing. i am on a network and i am myself the main administrator of the network.
pls help and fast.

[Kniwor]

hi there ppl.
i forgot my winxp password and want some help.
how can i retrieve it without formatting or re-installing the os.
one more thing. i am on a network and i am myself the main administrator of the network.
pls help and fast.

You are the adminstrator, but is ur account name "Administrator"?

asking this because there is an inbuilt "Administrator" account in XP, it's hidden,

So reboot, press F8 while rebooting, boot in safe mode, enter into the Adminstrator account,
press [windows+R] keys and type lusrmgr.msc. Then change the password of ur account, If u account is Adminstrator, then there are ways of doing it, but first let's try this one.

[shaunak]

see if this helps:
http://cryptid.5gigs.com/Win9x.htm

[Kniwor]

That link is not working for me.

[Choto Cheeta]

why so much safe mooding??

just do this

At the time when ur windows XP LOGIN screen appears (with user names)... just press CTRL+ALT+DEL 2 times... now a log in box will appear... now there put Administrator as user name... & leave the password blank (Hope that who installed the OS didnt put any password in that account...).... now press enter...

[Kniwor]

why so much safe mooding??

just do this

At the time when ur windows XP LOGIN screen appears (with user names)... just press CTRL+ALT+DEL 2 times... now a log in box will appear... now there put Administrator as user name... & leave the password blank (Hope that who installed the OS didnt put any password in that account...).... now press enter...

I just told that becuase in rare cases this does not work if u've changed the login screen, only rarely though.

[Choto Cheeta]

in rare cases this does not work if u've changed the login screen,

lol... if the log in scree already been changed then it becomes more easy... just type Administrator at the user name box... thats it...

[Kniwor]

in rare cases this does not work if u've changed the login screen,

lol... if the log in scree already been changed then it becomes more easy... just type Administrator at the user name box... thats it...

what are u talking, if it's not classic logon and administrator is hidden...where do u type it.

[Choto Cheeta]

what are u talking, if it's not classic logon and administrator is hidden...where do u type it.

why dont u read the posts more carefully...

At the time when ur windows XP LOGIN screen appears (with user names)... just press CTRL+ALT+DEL 2 times... now a log in box will appear... now there put Administrator as user name... & leave the password blank (Hope that who installed the OS didnt put any password in that account...).... now press enter...

i gave u option for the useal XP wellcome screen...

[Vishal Gupta]

I got it from net once, but don't know the source?
If ne1 knows or hv the source pls provide here!

The method is as follows:

Forgot Ur Administrator Password!

Can't Log On to Windows XP?

If that’s your only problem, then you probably have nothing to worry about. As long as you have your Windows XP CD, you can get back into your system using a simple but effective method made possible by a little known access hole in Windows XP.

you can easily change or wipe out your Administrator password for free during a Windows XP Repair. Here’s how with a step-by-step description of the initial Repair process included for newbie’s.

1. Place your Windows XP CD in your cd-rom and start your computer (it’s assumed here that your XP CD is bootable – as it should be - and that you have your bios set to boot from CD)

2. Keep your eye on the screen messages for booting to your cd Typically, it will be “Press any key to boot from cd�

3. Once you get in, the first screen will indicate that Setup is inspecting your system and loading files.

4. When you get to the Welcome to Setup screen, press ENTER to Setup Windows now

5. The Licensing Agreement comes next - Press F8 to accept it.

6. The next screen is the Setup screen which gives you the option to do a Repair. It should read something like “If one of the following Windows XP installations is damaged, Setup can try to repair it�

Use the up and down arrow keys to select your XP installation (if you only have one, it should already be selected) and press R to begin the Repair process.

7. Let the Repair run. Setup will now check your disks and then start copying files which can take several minutes.

8. Shortly after the Copying Files stage, you will be required to reboot. (this will happen automatically – you will see a progress bar stating “Your computer will reboot in 15 seconds�

9. During the reboot, do not make the mistake of “pressing any key� to boot from the CD again! Setup will resume automatically with the standard billboard screens and you will notice Installing Windows is highlighted.

10. Keep your eye on the lower left hand side of the screen and when you see the Installing Devices progress bar, press SHIFT + F10. This is the security hole! A command console will now open up giving you the potential for wide access to your system.

11. At the prompt, type NUSRMGR.CPL and press Enter. Voila! You have just gained graphical access to your User Accounts in the Control Panel.

12. Now simply pick the account you need to change and remove or change your password as you prefer. If you want to log on without having to enter your new password, you can type control userpasswords2 at the prompt and choose to log on without being asked for password. After you’ve made your changes close the windows, exit the command box and continue on with the Repair (have your Product key handy).

13. Once the Repair is done, you will be able to log on with your new password (or without a password if you chose not to use one or if you chose not to be asked for a password). Your programs and personalized settings should remain intact.

It has been tested on Windows XP Pro with and without SP1 and also has been used in a real situation where someone could not remember their password and it worked like a charm to fix the problem. This security hole allows access to more than just user accounts. You can also access the Registry and Policy Editor, for example. And its gui access with mouse control. Of course, a Product Key will be needed to continue with the Repair after making the changes, but for anyone intent on gaining access to your system, this would be no problem.

And in case you are wondering, NO, you cannot cancel install after making the changes and expect to logon with your new password.

Cancelling will just result in Setup resuming at bootup and your changes will be lost.

PS: I hv this whole thing stored on my comp and I'm just pasting it here.

May be it help u...

[Kniwor]

what are u talking, if it's not classic logon and administrator is hidden...where do u type it.

why dont u read the posts more carefully...

At the time when ur windows XP LOGIN screen appears (with user names)... just press CTRL+ALT+DEL 2 times... now a log in box will appear... now there put Administrator as user name... & leave the password blank (Hope that who installed the OS didnt put any password in that account...).... now press enter...

i gave u option for the useal XP wellcome screen...

Actually u're mistaken there, if u change ut login screen, and it's not classic logon still, sometimes it so happens that the [ctrl+alt+del] thing does not work, that's what i was trying to tell.

[naikosen]

Why so bothering in putting a CD and booting with it and run for a long period of time.
Use 'Active Password Changer'.

[hcp006sl]

I got it from net once, but don't know the source?

Nice solution. I shall try it.

Well probably you can change password with Knoppix CD. But, I cannot remember the commands at this moment.

[cryptid]

press F8 during boot and select boot in Safe mode now 2 or more accounts login will be presented and 1 of the accounts will be Administrator ,so now login as admin and goto control panel> user accounts > and then open ur account and reset the password, i havent gone into much details coz i am sleepy so if u understood this u will be able to reset the passwd for that account ,bye

this is easiest method so try this

[alib_i]

did you see the date of last post ?
it's a little old thread.

anyways .. the guy who asked the ques didnt reply at all.
may be he got what he wanted. :)

-----
alibi

[cryptid]

did you see the date of last post ?
it's a little old thread.

anyways .. the guy who asked the ques didnt reply at all.
may be he got what he wanted. :)

-----
alibi

Ya,,,, for some reason i think he formatted his disk and reinstalled windows

[Kniwor]

Why are we talking on a dead post, why did u have to call it???

[cryptid]

Dont call it a dead post some 1 else who may face the same problem might find this post usefull

[shakti]

relex,follow this
press WINDOW+R,
type "control passwords2"
then check all the login accounts

Vishal Gupta wrote:
I got it from net once, but don't know the source?


Nice solution. I shall try it.


[edit=theraven]
multi posts merged for the second time

[patelviren]

relex,follow this
press WINDOW+R,
type "control passwords2"
then check all the login accounts

Vishal Gupta wrote:
I got it from net once, but don't know the source?


Nice solution. I shall try it.

Hi not "control passwords2"
but "control userpasswords2"

[warrior]

Vishal-- nice info that you have....

ok.. let me ask you some thing.. suppose if you forgot the admin pass what you will do .. and you OS has onely one a/c ... may be all the people wil go for re-install or wil follow some huge process.... now there is a soln for every thing .....

use google to search "Windows Admin linux ISO" [cuz i forgot the direct link].. its a 2 MB ISO file, burn into the CD and just boot your PC with the disk.... YOU HAVE DONE IT.. just reset your Admin pass with a new pass....

[pratheesh_prakash]

do a google and download NTFS DOS and make a boot floppy.
then boot the compyter from the floppy...and copy the SAM and syskey (security.dat or system.dat...i dont actually remember) from c:\windows\repair or there is one more directory where the SAM and syskey are stored (i dont remember them).
next thing is to crack them, use softwares like SAMInside or CAIN to do that.
This method is very much thrilling than any other method.... though it will take some time according to your password strength.

NOTE:- mods, i think my answer is correct, if not please correct it otherwise, and i am not sure cracking your own password is legal or not. please delete this post if you feel that the content is inappropriate (BUT please dont warn me :wink: )

[Mualzavata]

L0phtcrack can crack passwd, but its a bit costly, u can use john the ripper for free!

[vaibhavgarg]

http://www.petri.co.il/forgot_administrator_password.htm has 5 of those cool utilities to recover the lost passwords, so after burning these on a CD, enjoy a nice sleep :)

[Kniwor]

do a google and download NTFS DOS and make a boot floppy.
then boot the compyter from the floppy...and copy the SAM and syskey (security.dat or system.dat...i dont actually remember) from c:\windows\repair or there is one more directory where the SAM and syskey are stored (i dont remember them).
next thing is to crack them, use softwares like SAMInside or CAIN to do that.
This method is very much thrilling than any other method.... though it will take some time according to your password strength.

NOTE:- mods, i think my answer is correct, if not please correct it otherwise, and i am not sure cracking your own password is legal or not. please delete this post if you feel that the content is inappropriate (BUT please dont warn me :wink: )

Yeah it's legal.

The other directory where the sam and system files are stored is C:\WINDOWS\system32\config.