Forgotten password in WinXP Professional
MrBill
Missouri Member
My nephew forgot his password to his computer and we can't log on. I tried booting in safe mode, but I don't know what the default administrator password is either. The OS is WindowsXP Professional.
Any ideas how to retrieve the password or log on as administrator in safe mode?
TIA!
Bill
//edit: It's Professional not Home, like I first posted.
Any ideas how to retrieve the password or log on as administrator in safe mode?
TIA!
Bill
//edit: It's Professional not Home, like I first posted.
0
Comments
Good news is -- he can't lock the account, so try away!
Worst case scenario is that I format the drive and he can start over again....
http://www.crackpassword.com/products/prs/otherms/ntsecurity/
AFAIK, this version is not illegal, it will not work over the web. It is an Elcomsoft product, and cracks only passwords and not serial numebrs or such and is intended for system admins.
If not simple, there are Linux emergency boot disks with password decoders that can handle XP and 2000 and NT machines also.
But, if not simple I suggest you get him to reload XP once, then write down password backwards and put in back of an address book or some such thing he is not likely to lose and which is NOT a sticker on the PC.
probably best case scenerio if one of the password crackers (how can that be legal?) that Ageek offered doesn't work...
As with most things, if illegally broken into the software could yeild code that could be used in ohter ways, but all algorithms can be misused in some manner. So, legal to admin own box or act as agent for box's owner to admin as owner desires if that does not break rights of others.
A Windows 2000 CD can boot up a Windows XP box and start
the Windows 2000 Recovery Console, a trouble shooting program.
Windows XP then allows the visitor to operate as Administrator without
a password, even if the Administrator account has a strong password.
The visitor can also operate in any of the other user accounts that may
be present on the XP machine, even if those accounts have passwords.
Source: http://www.briansbuzz.com/w/030213/
also found this www.ciacommander.com and also you can use LC3 to crack it.
I changed password for Administrator while I had the chance, so next time I should be able to get into the system if he "forgets" his password again.