What happens if your forget your Windows OS (operating system) User Password?
I highly recommend having a user password. Sometimes they get forgotten. All is not lost. Odds are pretty good that you can get back into your system without a lot of effort (for a modestly skilled tech).
How this works is that the software below simply goes into the registry and clears the password (that actual process takes a few seconds, once you get there). So the next time you turn on your PC, you just select your user and go, which allows you to then create a new password. (This process will not "recover" your password, just clear it. There are programs that can tell your the password, but they are really complicated. I never tried them.)
Getting to that point where you select the option to clear the passwords can take some time depending on your proficiency level. For an average user this could take 4 to 8 hours (or more)... so you may want to recruit a geeky friend for help who may:
Be Familiar With:
Downloading and extracting ISO images.
Verifying an ISO image via the md5sum.
Burning that image to a CD
Booting the resulting disk up.
Dealing with making changes to the BIOS if necessary (to change the boot-device order).
You better know what you are doing if you need to go into the BIOS.
Oh yeah... and don't forget... RTFM !!!
On more than one occasion I have had to do run this procedure, or suggest it. You are not alone. The good news is that the following site makes this task absurdly easy... once you get the boot-CD prepared, and verify that the BIOS is ready to go.
It is not 100% bulletproof... but it is unlikely you will damage your system. It pretty much either works, or not. In most cases it will work, you just need to keep going at it till you get it right.
It has been YEARS since I had to do this myself, so once you get into the "Offline NT Password & Registry Editor" you are on your own (so be sure to read the instructions).
> > > - 170722 - instructions:
Following is a copy of an e-mail I generated to help someone with this. Their competency was mid-level (an average daily user, who used a PC every day at work extensively, just not for deep tech stuff).
>
Available for:
"More or less tested from NT3.5 up to Windows 8.1, including the server versions like 2003, 2008 and 2012. Also 64 bit windows supported."
You may need to take some time to read the instructions at the following website:
At:
Offline NT Password & Registry Editor ...
http://pogostick.net/~pnh/ntpasswd/
follow link that reads:
"Password reset CD/USB bootdisk: Instructions & image to download."
>
At that landing page...
Download:
"cd140201.zip (~18MB) - Bootable CD image... "
... {this should be an ISO image, which creates a "bootable" disk}
(md5sum: f274127bf8be9a7ed48b563fd951ae9e)
It is best if you verify the ISO image with the md5-checksum, but not absolutely necessary. (However, if the download had an error, the disk will likely fail, and skipping this verification step just adds to the list of potential problems. Boot-disk failures are pretty rare, but they do happen.)
See: https://www.google.com/#q=md5sum+freeware ... for suggestions on md5sum checkers.
When you burn the ISO, your CD/DVD burner software will have an option to "Burn an ISO", or something similar, just have a few extra blank CD's around for multiple tries if needed.... (Reading the manual is always a good idea.) If you need additional help with how to burn and ISO, Google "How to burn and ISO image"... or something similar.
BE SURE TO HAVE A SHARPIE HANDY AND WRITE ON EACH DISK AS YOU BURN THEM SO YOU DO NOT GET THEM CONFUSED.
Once you get the bootable CD ready, insert it into the CD/DVD drive with the PC off, and turn the machine on.
One of two things will happen:
1. The "Offline NT Password & Registry Editor" will start up (assuming all is right for it). Follow the instructions for that program.
2. The PC will bypass the CD for booting, and go into your OS (Windows) as normal.
If #2 happens, you will need to go into the BIOS and modify the "boot device order" so the CD/DVD drive is 1st... then try again by restarting the PC. (Do NOT attempt to edit the BIOS unless you are confident about doing so.)
If you are feeling bold, try starting with this Google search:
How to enter a computer BIOS screen
Note:
If your PC tries to boot off the CD and fails, you at least know that the BIOS is set correctly (with the CD/DVD as the 1st boot device). You probably just need to tweak the creation process in burning the ISO, in order to get on your way.
Also:
CDBurnerXP
For a really nifty cd-burner software (for Windows) which will burn your ISO (as well as anything else) ... try:
https://www.google.com/#q=CDBurnerXP
use:
This is a really simple and well designed utility.
If you are creating the ISO on a different OS (Mac, Linux, etc.), you probably have some homework to do.
If you need to use the instructions on this page, feel free to Let Me Know how it went. I may or may-not get back to you, this is a labor of love.
If you screw up, you are on your own.
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