Hi,
Please refer the KB Article # 321305 "How to log on to Windows XP if you
forget your password or your password expires" at
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=321305
Note: I have pasted the contents of the KB Article
INTRODUCTION
===============
This article describes how to log on to Windows XP if you forget your
password or your password expires and you cannot create a new one.
Note If you have not created a password reset disk, and you have also
forgotten the password for all user accounts, you cannot log on to your
existing Windows installation for security reasons. This information
applies to starting Windows XP typically, to safe mode, and to Recovery
Console. In this case, you must perform a "clean" installation of Windows
XP, re-create all user accounts, and then reinstall all your programs.
MORE INFORMATION
====================
To log on to Windows XP, use any one of the following methods:
Method 1: Use a password reset disk
---------------
If you created a password reset disk for Windows XP, reset your password by
using the password reset disk.
For additional information about how to use a password reset disk, click
the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft
Knowledge Base:
305478 How to create and use a password reset disk for a computer that is
not a domain member in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=305478
306214 How to create and use a password reset disk for a computer in a
domain in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=306214
Method 2: Log on as an administrator to reset the password
--------------
If you cannot log on to Windows by using a particular user account
(including the Administrator or Computer Administrator accounts), but you
can log on to another account that has administrative credentials
(including the Administrator or Computer Administrator accounts), follow
these steps:
1. Log on to Windows by using the administrator account that has a password
that you remember.
Note
====
You cannot log on as usual by using the Administrator or Computer
Administrator account to a Windows XP Home Edition-based computer or to a
Windows XP Professional-based computer in a workgroup. To log on as the
Administrator or Computer Administrator, you must start Windows XP in safe
mode. For additional information, see the "Windows XP Home Edition or
Windows XP Professional in a workgroup" section.
2. Click Start, and then click Run.
3. In the Open box, type the following command, and then click OK:
control userpasswords2
4. Click the user account that you forgot the password for, and then click
Reset Password.
5. Type a new password in both the New password and the Confirm new
password boxes, and then click OK.
Warning
=======
If you reset the password for a user account in this manner in Windows XP
Professional, the following kinds of information for that user will be no
longer available:
o E-mail messages that are encrypted with the user's public key.
o Internet passwords that are saved on or remembered by the computer.
o Any files that the user has encrypted.
You should now be able to log on to Windows with the user account and the
new password. The following sections provide step-by-step instructions to
reset the password for a typical user account in Safe Mode by using the
Administrator (or Computer Administrator account.
Windows XP Home Edition or Windows XP Professional in a workgroup
============================================================
To log on as Administrator and reset the password, follow these steps:
1. Restart the computer. After the Power On Self Test (POST), press the F8
key.
2. On the Windows Advanced Options menu, use the ARROW keys to select Safe
Mode, and then press ENTER.
3. When you are prompted to select the operating system to start, select
Microsoft Windows XP edition (where edition is the edition of Windows XP
that is installed), and then press ENTER.
4. On the To begin, click your user name screen, click Administrator.
5. Type the administrator password, and then press ENTER.
Note
====
In some cases, the Administrator password may be set to a blank password.
In this case, do not type a password before you press ENTER.
6. Click Yes to acknowledge that Windows is running in safe mode.
7. Click Start, and then click Control Panel (or point to Settings, and
then click Control Panel).
8. Click User Accounts.
9. Click the user account whose password you want to change.
10. Click Change the Password if you want to keep a password, or click
Remove password if you do not want to use a password. If you remove the
password, go to step
11. Type the new password for the user, and then click Change Password.
12. Quit the User Accounts tool, and then restart the computer.
Windows XP Professional in a domain
================================
To log on as Administrator to reset the password, follow these steps:
1. In the Welcome to Windows dialog box, press CTRL+ALT+DELETE.
2. Type the logon information for the Administrator account, including the
password, and then click OK.
Note
====
The Administrator password may be set to a blank password. In this case, do
not type a password before you click OK.
3. Click Start, click Run, type compmgmt.msc, and then click OK.
4. In the Computer Management (Local) box, expand Local Users and Groups.
5. Click the Users folder.
6. In the right pane of the Computer Management window, right-click the
user account whose password you want to reset, and then click Set Password.
7. Click Proceed.
8. In the New password box, type the new password for the user account.
9. Type the same password in the Confirm password box, and then click OK.
10. Click OK to acknowledge that the new password has been set.
11. Quit the Computer Management snap-in, and then restart the computer.
The information in this article applies to:
=================================
o Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
o Microsoft Windows XP Professional
o Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition
o Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition
o Microsoft Windows XP 64-Bit Edition Version 2002
Hope this helps ......
Ashok (Ashokan Achari)
The Posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
--------------------
From: <
[email protected]>
Sender: <
[email protected]>
Subject: FORGOTTEN PASSWORD
Date: Sun, 1 Aug 2004 13:36:58 -0700
HI,
I HAVE A COMPUTER WITH WINDOWS XP PRO ON IT I ONLY HAVE
ONE ACCOUNT ON THE SYSTEM BEING THE ADMINISTRATOR I HAVE
COMPLETELY FORGOT THE PASSWORD TO LOGON TO MY SYSTEM
BECAUSE THE CHANGE PASSWORD SCREEN IS APPEARING NOW SO I
NEED TO KNOW HOW I CAN LOGON TO MY SYSTEM AND CHANGE THE
PASSWORD OR WILL I HAVE TO COMPLETELY REINSTALL WINDOWS
XP ALL OVER AGAIN I HAVE SOME VERY IMPORTANT DATA ON THIS
SYSTEM I HATE TO LOSE IT ALL.
THANK YOU
