Reset Your Forgotten Password the Easy Way Using the Ultimate Boot CD for Windows
We’ve written previously about how to create your own Ultimate Boot CD for Windows, which is based on XP but can still be of use for repairing Vista computers as well. Today we’ll show you how to reset your password easily using that CD.
For you to be able to use this technique, you’ll need to have created your own boot CD first. This isn’t the only way to reset your password, so stay tuned as we cover even more ways to reset your passwords, and then we’ll show you how to prevent somebody else from doing the same thing to you.
Resetting Your Password
Once you’ve started up the Ultimate Boot CD, you’ll want to navigate through Start \ Programs \ Password Tools and find NTPWEdit in the menu.
Once the utility opens, you’ll want to click the (Re)open button to open up the SAM file which contains your Windows password, which should show you the list of usernames.
Note that if it doesn’t or you are using a dual-boot, you might have to browse to find the correct SAM file.
Once you’ve found your username in the list, you can simply use the Change password button. Note that if you are using Vista you probably shouldn’t edit the Administrator password.
At this point you should be able to reboot the computer and login with your new password. It’s just that simple.
Note: If you have previously encrypted files using the built-in Windows encryption features, changing the password will make them inaccessible. Instead you should try and crack the password, which we will cover in an upcoming post. (Thanks jd2066 for pointing this out).
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There are also other ways listed at http://www.petri.co.il/forgot_.....ssword.htm for resetting passwords too.
Also like some of the methods on that page I think the one on this page can make NTFS encrypted files inaccessible.
@jd2066
That’s a very good point which I forgot to mention, it will definitely make encrypted files inaccessible. I should update the article.
Will this work for vista aswell??
Worked fine with Vista when I tested it.
You can also find passwords using OPH crack. This is a bootable Linux ISO that will show you the various passwords associated with different accounts on Windows. (usually in about 5 minutes or less) It will not work with passwords containing special characters such as $#@ etc. For this you will need some crazy time and something called rainbow tables.
Also look for something called Trinity Rescue Kit. Its another Linux ISO that allows you to “unlock” the Administrator account in Vista or change passwords or even just wipeout passwords.
Interesting stuff!
First, this web site is very helpful. Thanks.
I have inherited a new to me computer with Windows-XP SP3. I do not have the password. The previous owner’s user name appeared (prior to my modifications below) when starting Windows normally but is not listed in the NTPWedit list after clicking (Re) open on Ultimate Boot. My apparently erroneous thought was reset all passwords for all “users” using the process outlined in your post. These users names included…..
500 Adiminstrator
1006 ASPNET
501 Guest
1004 Help Assistant
1007 QBDDataServiceUser
1002 SUPPORT_388945a0
1003 SUPPORT_b326ad0c
Now, when I start Windows normally, when prompted to type control alt delete (at a “Welcome to Windows” pop up window) to enter a password and log on to Windows, the machine does not respond to my input devises at all. Clearly, I have made a novice mistake. (BTW, I am very close to wiping the machine and installing XP or Ubantu from scratch. However, I would like to log on Windows normally before I do so.) Any suggestions would be appreciated. I am a computer user but far from a expert self proclaimed or otherwise.
this software is amazing. I used an xp disc to create the boot disk and then used the boot disk on vista and it worked like a dream. thank you so much, save lots of time and energy!
you should try “windows password reset”.
First thanks for the info on this site, really has been great. I have a IBM Thinkpad T42, running Windows XP pro. My kids reset the password. I have the Ultimate Boot CD, and have used it on other PCs. But for some reason I won’t boot on this machine. Is there a way to put it on a Flash drive since it seems that the CD isn’t reading any CD’s. I looked all over the site and I didn’t see a answer. Any help would be great thanks.
http://wiki.e107.org/?title=Fo.....n_password there is an article about how to reset/bypass/remove windows password. It must be helpful for those who have been locked out of computer