Windows XP Password During Recovery Console

[Andrew]

Hi

I had a ahrd time with my 80 gig hard drive. So I tried using the recovery
console because the Windows XP kept rebooting itself. The computer would go
through all the start ups. When it got to the OS, it just restarted. So I
thought there was something corrupted in one of the files. So I used the
recovery console in XP to fix the issue. The problem I had, was it asked for
the admin password for the recovery. I have no clue what it is. This is an
upgrade version not an OEM version. I went from Windows 95 to 98SE to XP
Home ( Installed XP Home when it was released years ago). So I gave up on
the hard drive. Bought a 250 Gig and installed XP Home on that. Then went
into the BIOS and changed it so the 250 gig would boot first. And I changed
the jumpers to make the 80 gig a slave so that I could get all my files off
it.

Any idea on how I can determine what the admin password is for the recovery
console?

 

[GreenieLeBrun]

Hi

I had a ahrd time with my 80 gig hard drive. So I tried using the
recovery console because the Windows XP kept rebooting itself. The
computer would go through all the start ups. When it got to the OS,
it just restarted. So I thought there was something corrupted in one
of the files. So I used the recovery console in XP to fix the issue.
The problem I had, was it asked for the admin password for the
recovery. I have no clue what it is. This is an upgrade version not
an OEM version. I went from Windows 95 to 98SE to XP Home ( Installed
XP Home when it was released years ago). So I gave up on the hard
drive. Bought a 250 Gig and installed XP Home on that. Then went into
the BIOS and changed it so the 250 gig would boot first. And I
changed the jumpers to make the 80 gig a slave so that I could get
all my files off it.
Any idea on how I can determine what the admin password is for the
recovery console?

As it is XP Home then the Admin password is probably blank, just tap Enter
when asked.

You may be better off doing a "Repair Install" than trying to fix the
machine with the recovery console:-

How to perform an in-place upgrade (reinstallation) of Windows
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;315341

How to Perform a Windows XP Repair Install
http://michaelstevenstech.com/XPrepairinstall.htm

 

[Jonathan]

Well, there are tools available for attacking the registry to obtain the
password, but really it isn't necessary. You don't need to know what the old
password is, just reset the administrator password using a free tool such as
this:

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

Good luck.