Forgetting password!

[shempmcgurk]

I just got a desperate call from a senior citizen...a snowbird that
just arrived in Florida, turned on her computer, and discovered that,
when prompted by Windows, she had to enter a password which she has
forgotten.

What are her options in lieu of remembering it?

 

[Malke]

I just got a desperate call from a senior citizen...a snowbird that
just arrived in Florida, turned on her computer, and discovered that,
when prompted by Windows, she had to enter a password which she has
forgotten.

What are her options in lieu of remembering it?

If you have forgotten your password, if you have another user account
with administrative privileges you can log into that account and change
your original user account's password from the User Accounts applet in
Control Panel. If you don't have another account like this set up or
don't have the password to it, you'll need to log into the built-in
Administrator account. In XP Home, boot the computer into Safe Mode. Do
this by repeatedly tapping the F8 key as the computer is starting up.
This will get you to the right menu. Navigate using your Up arrow key;
the mouse will not work here. Once in Safe Mode, you will see the
normally hidden Administrator account. The default password is a blank.

In XP Pro, you do not need to go into Safe Mode. At the Welcome Screen,
do Ctrl-Alt-Del twice to get the classic Windows logon box. Type in
"Administrator" and whatever password you assigned when you set up Windows.

If you reset the built-in Administrator account's password in Home or
have Pro and don't remember the password, use NTpasswd to change the
built-in Administrator account's password to a blank.

http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/

Then go to the User Accounts applet in Control Panel and set passwords
that you will remember and make other desired changes. WRITE THE
PASSWORDS DOWN AND PUT THEM SOMEWHERE YOU WON'T LOSE THEM.


Malke

 

[shempmcgurk]

If you have forgotten your password, if you have another user account
with administrative privileges you can log into that account and change
your original user account's password from the User Accounts applet in
Control Panel. If you don't have another account like this set up or
don't have the password to it, you'll need to log into the built-in
Administrator account. In XP Home, boot the computer into Safe Mode. Do
this by repeatedly tapping the F8 key as the computer is starting up.
This will get you to the right menu. Navigate using your Up arrow key;
the mouse will not work here. Once in Safe Mode, you will see the
normally hidden Administrator account. The default password is a blank.

We did everything okay up to getting into safe mode (I am going over
the instructions by phone with my friend who is sitting at her
computer doing all this).

Once in safe mode, however, we weren't able to find anything called
"Administrator account", so we got lost at this point.

 

[Xandros]

look in Control Panel->User Accounts

--

Xandros

If you have forgotten your password, if you have another user account
with administrative privileges you can log into that account and change
your original user account's password from the User Accounts applet in
Control Panel. If you don't have another account like this set up or
don't have the password to it, you'll need to log into the built-in
Administrator account. In XP Home, boot the computer into Safe Mode. Do
this by repeatedly tapping the F8 key as the computer is starting up.
This will get you to the right menu. Navigate using your Up arrow key;
the mouse will not work here. Once in Safe Mode, you will see the
normally hidden Administrator account. The default password is a blank.

We did everything okay up to getting into safe mode (I am going over
the instructions by phone with my friend who is sitting at her
computer doing all this).

Once in safe mode, however, we weren't able to find anything called
"Administrator account", so we got lost at this point.

 

[Unknown]

How do you get to control panel if you can't log on?

look in Control Panel->User Accounts

 

[Xandros]

re-read the thread. They have logged onto Safemode.

 

[Unknown]

Oooooppssssssss!

re-read the thread. They have logged onto Safemode.

 

[Xandros]

It's easy to miss. Some of us are top posting and others are bottom posting.

 

[John John]

He can't read, all he can do is troll.

 

[Malke]

We did everything okay up to getting into safe mode (I am going over
the instructions by phone with my friend who is sitting at her
computer doing all this).

Once in safe mode, however, we weren't able to find anything called
"Administrator account", so we got lost at this point.

In Safe Mode, are you going directly to the Desktop of some account or
do you get the Welcome Screen with icons? Remember that we can't see
your friend's computer.

If your friend doesn't see the Administrator icon at the Welcome Screen,
she should do Ctrl-Alt-Del twice to get the classic Windows logon box.
Type in "Administrator" and try leaving the password blank. Then follow
the rest of the directions.


Malke

 

[Unknown]

And you are never wrong so therefore you insult.

He can't read, all he can do is troll.