how to reset a windows xpor vista password (with pictures)

8/10/2019 How to Reset a Windows XPor Vista Password (With Pictures)

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wikiHow to Reset a Windows XP orVista Password

Two Methods: Resetting a Vista Password Cracking an XP or Vista Password

Are you locked out of your computer due to a forgotten password? WhileWindows doesn't exactly

make it easy for users to recover lost passwords, there are ways to retrieve or reset them through

the command prompt or with third-party tools. See Step 1 below to get back access to your

computer.

1

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Find an installation or recovery disc.In order to perform this method, you will need

to enter the Recovery Console, which can only be accessed with a Windows Vista

installation or recovery disc. Insert it into your computer and boot from the CD/DVD drive.

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Method 1 of 2: Resetting a Vista Password

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Click Next at the Install Windows screen.If your computer booted directly to

Windows without you seeing the installation screen, your computer booted from the

hard drive. You will need to restart and be sure that you booted from the CD/DVD drive.

Click "Repair your computer".This is located in the bottom-left corner of the Install

Windows screen. After clicking, wait a few moments while the Setup program locates

your Windows installation.

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Highlight "Windows Vista" and click Next.Make a note of which drive Windows

is installed on. This is typically the C: drive, but it may be on the D: drive.

Select Command Prompt.In the System Recovery Options, select commandPrompt to load the Windows command prompt.


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6Inject the command prompt into your Windows login screen.You will be

copying the Command Prompt to overwrite the Accessibi lity Tools. Essentially, this

will give you the ability to load the command prompt from the login screen without having to

start Windows. Enter the following two commands in order, pressing Enter after each one. If

Vista is installed on the D: drive, change all the "c:" to "d:":

copy c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe c:\

copy c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe

c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe


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Select Yes when asked if you want to overwrite.

Reboot your computer.Remove your installation or recovery disc and reboot your

computer. Allow Windows to reboot as it normally would.


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Click the Accessibility button.This is located in the bottom left corner of the

Windows login screen. Instead of opening the Accessibility options, the Command

Prompt will open.[1]

Run the password reset command.In Command Prompt, you will be able to reset

the passwords for any of the user accounts. Enter the following command and press

Enter:

net user

Example:net user Administrator newpassword1

If your username has a space in it, put quotes around it (e.g. "User Name").


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Close the Command Prompt and log in.As soon as you run the command,

your new password will be ready to go. You can use it to log in immediately.

Create a password recovery disk.Once you are back into Windows, you can

create a password recovery disk so that you can avoid problems like this in the

future. Using the disk will allow you to quickly retrieve your lost password. See this guidefor

detailed steps on creating and using the disk.

Method 2 of 2: Cracking an XP or Vista Password


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1

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Download OPHCrack.This is an open-source, free utility that can crack your

Windows passwords using some advanced algorithms. The program has been made

available for free by the developers and all of the code is public and peer-reviewed.

OPHCrack comes in ISO format, which means it will need to be burned to a CD/DVD in

order to work.

Only download OPHCrack from i ts official SourceForge page. This is the version

directly from the developers. Do not download any version of OPHCrack that

comes in EXE format. Make sure to download the correct version for your version

of Windows.

Some antivirus programs will flag OPHCrack as a virus. This is because some of

the tools it contains are classified as "evil software", since they are expressly

designed for hacking. Using OPHCrack from the SourceForge page will not result

in any viruses.

If you can't access your computer because you are locked out, you will need to do

this on another computer.

Burn the OPHCrack ISO file.Burn the ISO file to a blank disc. This will allow you to

boot from the disc and load the OPHCrack software without loading Windows. This

guidehas detailed instructions for burning ISO files to disc.


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Boot your computer from your burned OPHCrack disc.Insert the disk into the

computer that you need to crack and boot from the disc. This guidewill show you how

to configure your computer to boot from a disc. When configured correctly, OPHCrack will

start automatically when your computer starts up.

Load the Graphic Mode.In the initial menu, select "Ophcrack Graphic mode -

automatic" and press Enter. After loading files, OPHCrack will load into the graphical

menu.


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5Wait for the passwords to be retrieved.Once OPHCrack starts, it will

automatically begin attempting to retrieve all of your passwords. This could take some

time, especially if the passwords are complex.

In the User column, you will see all of the active Windows User accounts.

Recovered passwords will be displayed in the NT Pwd field. If the field says

"empty", then that user does not have a password.


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Write down your password and reboot your computer.Once OPHCrack has

retrieved your password, write it down, remove the disc, and reboot your computer.

you can now log into Windows as you normally would, using the recovered password.[2]

Create a password recovery disk.Once you are back into Windows, you can

create a password recovery disk so that you can avoid problems like this in the future.

Using the disk will allow you to quickly retrieve your lost password. See this guidefor

detailed steps on creating and using the disk.


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Tell us everything you know here.Remember, more detail is better.

If so, share what you know about how to change your betta fish

water.

Please be as detailed as possible in your explanation. We will take your detailed

information, edit it for clarity and accuracy, and incorporate it into an article that will help

thousands of people.

Running OPHCrack on a machine that you don't own or have permission to work on is

considered hacking and is illegal.

1. http://www.askvg.com/how-to-launch-command-prompt-or-other-programs-using-ease-

of-access-button-at-login-screen-in-windows-vista-and-7/

2. http://sourceforge.net/p/ophcrack/wiki/Frequently%20Asked%20Questions/

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 127,363 times.

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Categories: XP Instructions| Vista Instructions

Recent edits by: Ausosoft.com, Shina, TJean

In other languages:

Espaol: Cmo restablecer una contrasea de Windows XP o Vista, Italiano: Come

Reimpostare la Password in Windows XP o Windows Vista, Portugus: Como Resetar

Senha no Windows XP ou Vista, Deutsch: Das Passwort von Windows XP oder Vista

zurcksetzen, Nederlands: Het wachtwoord van Windows XP of Vista

resetten, : Windows XP Windows Vista,:

WindowsVista, Franais: Comment redfinir le mot de passe de Windows XP

ou Vista, Bahasa Indonesia: Mereset Password Windows XP atau Vista

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