There is a hidden administrator account. You can log on it and you can change or remove all the other passes of your comp without knowing the previous passes. Just type ctrl alt del twice and then type Administrator on the account name and you can enter. If that won't work, restart the computer and toggle the F5 button.You will get screen that will ask you if you want to boot with command prompt, choose it and then type net user, then press enter
# Then again type "Net user [Username of the Account]*" then press Enter, without the ["], and quotes. Make sure you spell the username correctly, and you have the '*'
# To change password press enter and after that tieler south * Reset password to what ever you want.
If that won't work, go to this link ..more suggested info on the replies

http://www.raymond.cc/...

I was given a desktop computer with windows xp pro sp2. I forgot the password that he told me and I tried to do some of the things that was in the forum, but i don't have the disk to do it in repair. I have a 8gb usb drive and my only computer access is at the library and i downloaded NT/Password disk but can't put on floppy because the library has a block on it. I have a dell laptop but does not have a floppy drive. i do have a copy of windows 2000 professional but can't use that. can somebody help me please help me?

I tried the command prompt but it still ask for a login/password, so what to do now?

I bought a acer laptop of a friend and he forgot the password ive tryed lots of stuff like f2 f8 and still cant acces it how can i get pass the password so i can change it n gain access

Call the DELL TECHNICAL SUPPORT and tell them that you did not received any disc with your computer, even if your system is out of warranty they will send you the disc FREE OF COST. I know these things because and trust me u will surely get the DISC. Make sure u lie properly.

I think the problem you are having is what you think the user name is and what it actually is are two different things, after following the command prompt string mentioned at lenght above you come to the first instance you enter net user, now here is the tricky part, when you try to log onto the the computer, the thing your seeing (usually the former owners name or nickname) your seeing a "profile" not a user name. so after entering the first net user command you will see some text fill your screen. of those things listed from the directory will be "Admisistrator" (one of the existing profiles on the computer) and another name, often being a last name or the like. that is the actual username you should be entering in the next command followed by the *, hope this helps, being a comp sci major and knowing unix helped me :P!!!!

Gook luck guys, ~~AKH~~

What I would suggest is that you find a place that you can download and burn a copy of "Hiren's Boot CD" and follow the instructions given below:

1. Download
2. Burn to CD
3. insert into your CD drive
4. reboot
5. Set bios to boot from CD[press F1; F2 ; F11; DEL]
look here if you even NOT understand it:
http://www.hiren.info/pages/bios-boot-cdrom
6. Select "Start Boot CD"

I have had the problem before and my dad was the one to fix it using the program. What you do is put the burned copy of Hiren's Boot CD into the computer and restart it. Set to "Boot from disc drive" by pressing any one of the buttons during the boot up screen. Then just follow the steps. If you are having a hard time understanding, click the link or copy or whatever and go to the page for more information.

Hope this information helps you!

First off, John D. you are thief, 500$ for an IT install disc is bull when you can just download them or call the companies for a copy. There is no IT version of an installation disc, only volume licensing, and you still cannot use someone elses volume product keys unless you know their domain name and company name and support contact, along with the product key, and the build number and exact specs on the systems they are deploying their copy of the disc on. Installation discs are nothing without product keys, unless you have a cracked copy of one, or access to a third party program that will void out the activation client (oobe.exe).

There are 3 real ways to bypass any stuck passwords on any XP computer.

1. Use the build in machine administrator, if it's unlocked. Seeing that administrator's can change the passwords of administrators, access to any local administrative account will yield an entry to the user account control panel applet. To see if your built in admin account is unlocked, you will need to start the computer normally. When it finishes loading, you will have one of two screens: The welcome screen, or the Windows Logon screen. If you have a welcome screen (Windows XP Home default) you will need to press CTRL ALT DEL simultaneously, and then again. CTRL+ALT+DEL release, CTRL+ALT+DEL release. The welcome screen should change to the advanced login screen, that you may already have if you have turned off the welcome screen, or if you are using XP pro, or Windows Server 2003. Next, for username type in Administrator, leave the password blank. If you can get in with this account, or any administrator account, click on start and click run. Type "Control UserPasswords2". From here, adjust the passwords of each account on the computer as you see fit.

2. Next, let's say you can't get into any administrative account, or perhaps windows is not loading all the way because your product key has expired. You will NOT be able to access command prompt in safe mode to change administrative accounts unless you can actually logon to the computer, so if windows is locked because of product key issues, don't try this. But if you can still get into a user account that is not an admin, and you need to unlock an admin, the login as the normal user and create a new account using command prompt (as a limited user you cannot do this via the control panel) and type

net user Admin2 password1 /create

this creates an account named Admin2 with a password of password1.
next see if you can make this account an admin. type

net localgroup Administrators Admin2 /add
if you get an access denied message, you will need to go to step 3. If you get a command completed successfully, the log out and go to the normal login screen. Then log in as Admin2 with the new account, and you now have admin control of the pc. Go to step 1.

3. If you cannot get into windows as any account or using command prompt in safe mode or if windows is locked with a bad product key, you can use third party software to adjust the Admin Password, or to adjust the microsoft oobe activation client, so that you can regain access. My suggestions would be to use linux boot disc, (which you can put on a CD, floppy, or flash drive) and as long as BIOS is configured to accept a boot order with one of these devices before the harddrive, then you are good to go. If not, you will have to go into BIOS to change it. Type F1 or F2 at startup to gain access to BIOS. If there is a BIOS password, and you don't know it, you will have to reset BIOS using the reset jumper on the inside of the motherboard. Look that up on google for more information.

4. If all else fails, and you cannot get in, you will have to settle for reformatting. This will clear all user data and files previously on the computer though, so save whatever you can before hand. Then, on another computer, download a copy of an installation disc for Torrentz or piratebay and burn the ISO to a disc using IMGBurn or nero, or any of those other hokey ISO burning programs. Then, place the disc in the computer you want to reformat. When it says "Press any key to boot from disc" (during the normal boot) press a key, and wait for the OS to load the WINDOWS Setup Menu. Follow the onscreen instructions to reformat the harddrive and reinstall windows. If it asks you for the current admin password you are doing something wrong. Make sure you are not trying to repair windows, or install windows onto the already made partition. This will ask for a password. You need to press D to delete the partition. Delete all partions on the drive. L to confirm the delete. Then once your disc is empty, press enter to reinstall windows and reformat, etc. Follow the directions on the screen. If you are using a cracked version of Windows, you will not need a product key. If you are using a normal disc, and you have a product key that works (usually on the side of the OEM machine, or on a label on the software package for ordered products) then type that in if it asks for it during setup, or after setup on the first logon when MSOobe (the activator) starts.

Any questions, or if you'd like me to outline specific instructions for you in a specific scenario, e-mail me privately at zgwin (at) zigweb (dot) net.

~Zach
Microsoft MVP
Software Architect

Ive forgotten my password an d im the only user,my cd drive is broke so cant use software please help,

Windows has a built in feature that creates a floppy diskette that helps you reset your password in case you don't remember it. This feature is accessible from Control Panel in the User Accounts applet. To create a password reset disk,click on the user account and click "prevent a forgotten password". You will need one blank formatted floppy disk to complete the task. Keep the floppy disk in a safe place for use in case of a forgotten password.

Most computers running Windows XP do not have a password set for the hidden administrator account that is accessible only in safe mode. You can access safe mode by pressing the F8 key just after the first screen(sometimes know as the BIOS screen). Windows gives a list of options after the F8 key is pressed. Choose the "Safe Mode" option and press Enter. Log on the account called "administrator" and open control panel. Navigate to the user account applet and click on the user account with the forgotten password. Click "remove password" and the account will be password free. This only works when there is no password set on the hidden administrator account. This method works only in Windows XP. The hidden administrator account is not accessible via safe mode in Windows Vista.

Third party tools have been developed that help you reset your Windows password. My personal favorite is "Windows password Recovery Tool 2.0". The software gives you the option to remove the password from any user account. Moreover, the software works for almost every version of Windows out there both 32-bit and 64-bit. It has both DOS and Windows versions. I prefer the Windows version since it uses a simple graphical interface and it is a lot easier to use than the DOS version.

I did ctrl+alt+del twice and typed Administrator. It didnt work that time, but when I restarted back up into safe mode with command prompt it brought out the hidden administrator account that couldnt be seen earlier. I was able to log in without a password into that.

Um I ttried just the first step and I"m soooooooooooooooo lost!!! can someone put it in stupid for me?? once the log in screen comes on I'm so lost, thanks

OK...here is a stumper.
Machine was setup for a domain hosted on a SBS 2003 R2 net. This machine's (my home office) administrator password is unknown or was typed in wrong. My server was upgraded to SBS 2008, and all passwords changed on the net. This machine was not used much, and the password was lost.

CD ROM is not recoginzed as a boot device in BIOS...(as I HAVE a cd rom of xp-pro and could re-activate a new copy of windows if needed. I don't need any applications on the machine, but keeping them would be helpful.

I can get to safe mode, but either way, I get a ctrl/alt/del request to go any farther for any option I see.

I am pretty sharp, but have not figured a way to boot this machine...any ideas

http://sites.google.com/site/changexpadmin

has a video I hope this can help

Can any 1 help me with a little problem i have .........

i have a windows xp and i have lost the admin password i have tried loads of things from loads of sites and they don't work i keep getting the same thing all the time "access is denied"

i have a limited account i can use and i can use a command prompt

i don't have any Cd's that i can use to re install every thing

can any 1 help???????