› 
There are plenty of ways to reset or change a lost Administrator password in Windows XP. Methods include using offline password reset tools with live CDs, using the SHIFT + F10 keystroke from Windows XP Setup screen to gain access to the Command Prompt (with full rights) and changing the password. Here is another way to reset or change the lost administrator password in your Windows XP installation.
Note: If you forget the password to a secondary administrator account, you can reset it by logging in to the built-in "Administrator" account easily. This article assumes the following:
- You have only one working administrator account in the system for which you’ve lost the password.
- You don’t have a Password Reset Disk
- You don’t have a Windows XP CD (which will be the case if you have a PC from OEM), or lost your retail Windows XP CD.
Resetting the Windows XP Administrator Password Using Locksmith
ERD Commander is part of the Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset (DaRT) whose 30 day evaluation is available here (MSDaRT50Eval.msi – 64.2 MB). We’ve covered MS DaRT earlier in article Perform a System Restore rollback on a non-bootable Windows XP computer. Follow steps 1-7 in that article to create a ERD Commander Boot CD.
Warning: In Windows XP, the changing of a local user password by an administrator, or through a method other than by the user, will block all access to previously encrypted files (using EFS) by the user.
1. Insert the ERD Commander Boot CD into the drive and restart the system
2. Boot the computer using ERD Commander Boot CD. You may have to set the boot order in the BIOS first.
3. Select your Windows XP installation from the list
4. From the ERD Commander menu (Start menu), click System Tools and click Locksmith
5. Click Next
6. Select the administrator account from the list for which you want to reset the password.
7. Type the new password in both the boxes, click Next and click Finish
Bookmark this Page!
BlinkList | del.icio.us | Digg it | Furl | reddit | Spurl | StumbleUpon |
Related Posts
- How to Change User Account Password at Command Prompt
- Fix for Error 0×80070005 When Creating a Task Using Task Scheduler in Windows XP
- Perform a System Restore Rollback Offline on a Non-Bootable Windows XP Computer
- How to Restore the Registry Hives From a System Restore Snapshot in Windows XP
- RegASSASSIN Resets ACL Permissions and Deletes Stubborn Registry Keys Easily
- On Resume, Password Protect vs on Resume, Display Welcome Screen Setting in Windows XP
- Fix for Themes Service Startup Problems in Windows 7 and Vista
- View the List of Services Hosted by the Svchost.exe Process Using Task Manager in Windows 7 and Vista
- How to Reset the Games Statistics Files in Windows 7
- Launching a Scheduled Task Manually Using Schtasks.exe
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to our RSS feed! We feature Tips, Troubleshooting information, Scripts and Utilities for Microsoft Windows Operating Systems!
Prefer an E-mail subscription?
I have used a program called Windows Password Recovery Tool 2.0 before to remove the password from different computers.
When i try to download it it says “sorry the requested page is not available” so how can i download it…
how can i download the soft ware ERD Commander and how can i by the cd
thanks for your help this is the most help full site that i never enter
Locksmith says it has reset the password, but when I login, I still cannot login. Any advice?
Nag, your problem is that “you copied erd50.iso into the cd” you should have burnt it, as in burn image in nero. That file is the cd that you will have and inside of that you have the system that will boot.
Ok, so ive download the file and installed it on a working PC, then i copied the erd50.iso file to a CD, placed the CD into my laptop, which ive forgot the admin password for, set the boot up priority to 1.CD 2. HDD…etc, and then i hear the disc running, but the ERD program doesn’t launch, instead the laptop starts to load windows XP as normal …..i am certain the cd has a the erd50.iso on it and i am certain the laptop first tries to read the CD drive and then the HDD…so what do i do know?
cheers
Nags
I’m using the ERD boot disk and I get to the point where I can choose the OS but my OS isn’t listed.
Even though it should be exactly as it is above ‘Microsoft Windows XP Professional, Service Pack 2′
I can only choose none and then boot into an empty OS and when I try to use locksmith I get an error that says reboot and choose OS but you can’t do that if you boot from the CD.
Please help!
I tried the ERD commander boot cd option and I get a blue screen when i boot from the CD – I never get to the ERD Commander OS selection screen.
Help?
suppose i want to use option number two (using shift + F10)when and where exactly do i press it before i change the password at the command prompt. Nb, i do not have a copy of Locksmith
Thanks
Zippy in Nairobi Kenya