How to Change a Windows XP Lost Password

Sunday morning. You just had your breakfast, now you're settling in to check your e-mail. A fatal error occurred and administrative access is required to fix it. So you prepare to log in to the administrative account on your computer, and find that the account is password protected, and you can't remember that, since it was probably several months since you installed Windows. You may be thinking "What can I do to change the password or just get administrative access?" Here's one way you can get back in!

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1. • When you installed Windows XP (or when the people who sold you the computer installed it), it created an administrative account automatically. This account has NO password by default, and can be used to access everything in the computer. By accessing it, you can change any password on the system.
2. Log out all limited user accounts. When a limited user account is logged in, it prevents you from accessing the classic log-in dialogue.
3. Press CTRL+ALT+DEL twice. Make sure you are at the log-in dialogue. When you do this, the screen will flicker, and you will see the classic log-in that existed on earlier versions of Windows.
4. Log in to the administrative account. Change the username in the dialogue to "Administrator", and press ENTER or click OK.
5. Open up the command shell. Press START, click RUN, and type in CMD, press ENTER. This will bring up a window likely unfamiliar to you. This is the command line, it allows you to manage files or change settings without restriction (no restriction on the administrative account). Before the graphical environment of Windows, this is

what Microsoft users used. For more info, PM Boidsie or look it up on a search engine.

1. Change the password of the account. Type in (without the quotes, and yes, the asterisk (*) is necessary) "net user (username) *". It will ask you to type in a password, then to retype it. You just changed the password!
2. Log in. Exit the command shell dialogue, don't type in anything else if you don't know what you're doing, you could really hose down your computer. Log out of the administrative account, then log back in to your account with the new password.
3. 3rd party utilities There are many 3rd party utilities which can recover forgotten Windows password:
   • Windows Password Recovery Tool Service: passwordunlocker.com
   • Windows Password Recovery Tool is a program that works instantly to remove any lost or forgotten password. Simply boot your PC from the supplied Boot CD, and get access to forgotten Windows and administrator passwords in just seconds. Their method is so much faster/easier, and works great!

Source : www.wikihow.com