Bypass user ID/Login to access windows

[Webjammer]

I have a friend who can not get her computer working due
to the fact that she does not remember her password.
Somehow, it has booted to a point of requiring a user
ID/password and she's tried everything under the sun. No
luck. Is there anyway to reboot into dos and bypass the
user ID/log in prompt?
Thanks!

 

[John Zeman]

I have a friend who can not get her computer working due
to the fact that she does not remember her password.
Somehow, it has booted to a point of requiring a user
ID/password and she's tried everything under the sun. No
luck. Is there anyway to reboot into dos and bypass the
user ID/log in prompt?
Thanks!

It seems like I read an article recently about this, but I can't recall if
there is a work around. However, according to the below paragraph, which
was taken from the Microsoft support site at:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;321305

your friend may not have much choice except to reinstall Windows. This
next paragraph is from the above link:

John


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.

 

[Jerold Schulman]

I have a friend who can not get her computer working due
to the fact that she does not remember her password.
Somehow, it has booted to a point of requiring a user
ID/password and she's tried everything under the sun. No
luck. Is there anyway to reboot into dos and bypass the
user ID/log in prompt?
Thanks!

Use tip 1984 in the 'Tips & Tricks' at http://www.jsiinc.com to reset the
Administrator password.

Then use the administrator account to reset the user password.



Jerold Schulman
Windows: General MVP
JSI, Inc.
http://www.jsiinc.com

 

[David Wang [Msft]]

If the user forgot her password after an intentional password change, use
Jerold's suggestion.

If the system never needed a password before but does now, I'd think the
system somehow got hacked (for example, XP's default install does not force
any user password but it's locked to only local usage [i.e. cannot Remote
Desktop to this machine using the password-less account] and disallows
no-password access from the network). If someone hacked the system such that
it now needs a password, you probably want to worry about rebuilding this
machine (after saving any user data [not programs]) and not just resetting
passwords.

Unlike Windows 9x/ME systems, on NT Operating Systems (including XP), you
cannot "bypass" the user ID/log in -- you have to authenticate to obtain a
user identity before the system will let you do anything. This
authentication may be a "blank password", but it still needs to be done.

--
//David
IIS
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
//
I have a friend who can not get her computer working due
to the fact that she does not remember her password.
Somehow, it has booted to a point of requiring a user
ID/password and she's tried everything under the sun. No
luck. Is there anyway to reboot into dos and bypass the
user ID/log in prompt?
Thanks!