Win XP Pro password help

Hello TZ community,

I would like to start off by saying that this has been quite the trying experience and yes I know I am stupid/careless/lacking common tech sense on more than one level, but here it is: I am running Win XP Pro on a self-built pc and I have one admin account and yes I forgot the password.

I was going out of town set a password so my hooligan brother wouldn't do anything to it and when I came back I forgot some character or number that I appended last minute.

I have scoured the internet and here are my more specific problems.

>First of all I attempted to log into safe mode and use the that Admin account to use the net user command, but for some reason the generic safe mode Admin account has a password- I don't know why and have absolutely no clue as to what it might be. What is the default for XP Pro?

>I have tried booting from various other OS's to no avail (95, 98, XP home, Linux).

>I have attempted to use password reset utilities (suggested on the petri.co article including the lostpassword.com demo). It refuses to boot from disk. The boot order in bios does the disc drive first- I don't understand why these utilities are not working. I even had to use my XP Pro CD to help make a windows key image for one of the bootables. As a result I am even less inclined to try buying a password reset/recovery prgrm.

>I have attempted removing the harddrive and putting it into another computer and accessing it that way: this gets me the closest. I can access my prgrms and everything but I cannot get to my documents, music, and pictures- all of which are important- school docs, music I paid for, and pics of a family vacation overseas. The admin profile is now a folder which I cannot access- I have tried taking ownership by logging on to the computer with the other harddrive's admin account but when I right click and select properties there is no security tab on the "access-denied" folder.

>Local computer store Service depts are less than useless.

As you can see I am not posting a problem w/o having tried a teensy bit of research and a tad bit of actual work. I would GREATLY appreciate any help/suggestions on this. I feel that the two avenues most worth trying are figuring out the password for the safemode admin acct and figuring out how to access the profile as a locked up folder.


Thank you from a new struggling and rather exhausted member,

pearl03

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Originally Posted by pearl03

First of all I attempted to log into safe mode and use the that Admin account to use the net user command, but for some reason the generic safe mode Admin account has a password- I don't know why and have absolutely no clue as to what it might be. What is the default for XP Pro?

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Have you tried leaving the password box blank and hitting enter.

Maybe this? http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;321305

**edit - er...nevermind:

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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..

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**edit:

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I Forgot My Administrator Password!
by Vic Ferri

Can't Log On to Windows XP?

If that’s your only problem, then you probably have nothing to worry about. As long as you have your Windows XP CD, you can get back into your system using a simple but effective method made possible by a little known access hole in Windows XP.

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- I have not read the page because I'm posting immediately: http://pubs.logicalexpressions.com/P...cle.asp?ID=305

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1. Place your Windows XP CD in your cd-rom and start your computer (it’s assumed here that your XP CD is bootable – as it should be - and that you have your bios set to boot from CD)

2. Keep your eye on the screen messages for booting to your cd Typically, it will be “Press any key to boot from cd”

3. Once you get in, the first screen will indicate that Setup is inspecting your system and loading files.

4. When you get to the Welcome to Setup screen, press ENTER to Setup Windows now

5. The Licensing Agreement comes next - Press F8 to accept it.

6. The next screen is the Setup screen which gives you the option to do a Repair.

It should read something like “If one of the following Windows XP installations is damaged, Setup can try to repair it”

Use the up and down arrow keys to select your XP installation (if you only have one, it should already be selected) and press R to begin the Repair process.

7. Let the Repair run. Setup will now check your disks and then start copying files which can take several minutes.

8. Shortly after the Copying Files stage, you will be required to reboot. (this will happen automatically – you will see a progress bar stating “Your computer will reboot in 15 seconds”

9. During the reboot, do not make the mistake of “pressing any key” to boot from the CD again! Setup will resume automatically with the standard billboard screens and you will notice Installing Windows is highlighted.

10. Keep your eye on the lower left hand side of the screen and when you see the Installing Devices progress bar, press SHIFT + F10. This is the security hole! A command console will now open up giving you the potential for wide access to your system.

11. At the prompt, type NUSRMGR.CPL and press Enter. Voila! You have just gained graphical access to your User Accounts in the Control Panel.

12. Now simply pick the account you need to change and remove or change your password as you prefer. If you want to log on without having to enter your new password, you can type control userpasswords2 at the prompt and choose to log on without being asked for password. After you’ve made your changes close the windows, exit the command box and continue on with the Repair (have your Product key handy).

13. Once the Repair is done, you will be able to log on with your new password (or without a password if you chose not to use one or if you chose not to be asked for a password). Your programs and personalized settings should remain intact.

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don't know about sp2:

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I tested the above on Windows XP Pro with and without SP1

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I have tried a blank password to no avail.

I will try the win xp cd method and post results tomorrow.

Thanks guys

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Originally Posted by pearl03

>I have attempted removing the harddrive and putting it into another computer and accessing it that way: this gets me the closest. I can access my prgrms and everything but I cannot get to my documents, music, and pictures- all of which are important- school docs, music I paid for, and pics of a family vacation overseas. The admin profile is now a folder which I cannot access- I have tried taking ownership by logging on to the computer with the other harddrive's admin account but when I right click and select properties there is no security tab on the "access-denied" folder.

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Try persevere with this. There should be a way that you can take ownership of the folder to access it's contents. It has worked for me on many occasions.

Try the instructions here: http://support.microsoft.com/default...308421&sd=tech

hey guys,
Okay I tried booting from cd but it just goes straight to win xp login- I'm going to try it again insuring that the bios boots from cd.

I'll also try the ownership via MS support but my question is this: I had win xp pro on the hard drive that is locked up but the harddrive on the computer that I am using to access my hard drive has home edition- MS gives two sets of directions one for pro and one for home...which do I follow?


Thank you guys for the continued support and help.

pearl

okay i tried the setup repair security hole but it also asks for the admin password right after i select 1: C:\WINDOWS...

If you get your hands on a PE or bart CD you may be able to retrieve (or change password with utility) your

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my documents, music, and pictures- all of which are important- school docs, music I paid for, and pics of a family vacation overseas.

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Hey guys thanks so much!
While I was trying the setup repair method I for some weird reason remembered my OOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLDDDDDDDD admin password I guess I did make it a long time ago.

So I got into safe mode and net usered it. Thanks a bunch problem resolved.

And yes I will be making a password reset disk immediately and will not be forgetting any more passwords.

Thanks TZ!
pearl03

Hehe...glad you got it sorted pearl03. I guess a reset disk might just come in handy.

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Originally Posted by pearl03

okay i tried the setup repair security hole but it also asks for the admin password right after i select 1: C:\WINDOWS...

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I ALSO HAVE PEARL03'S PROBLEM. PLEASE HELP me
i didn't undestand what is your mean about PE or bart CD

MiniPE has a utility called Password Renew 1.0 - I guessing it's for logon. The only other alternative, if password utilities are not working, is to install a second windows xp and access/transfer your files.

Perhaps these methods may work:

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go to bios setup
reset the clock
all the number should be oo:00:
then press ctrl + F9 enter
then u should be seen a screen that asking your new password type 000000 then enter
then type exit_winxp
coold boot then press F8 then select boot with network ....
presto!!! the door is open for you ...

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if you want to find out the admins password and dont wanna have to boot in safe mode or cant download a program called pwdump2, just search for it in google or any search engine.
once you have go it unzip it the open command prompt and type c:\(location of pwdump2 folder)\pwdump2.exe > c:\(where ever you can save it)\pass.txt.
once you have the pass file open it in a pass cracker program (you can get a good one from a company called @stake it is a demo but lasts for 15 days
there you have the admins password and if you cant use command prompt go and get a sub cmd program like LC4 is exactly the same but isnt dissabled by admin registry options

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get your hands on a windows 2000 boot disk, you can download it for anywere on the net. then just boot your comp with it and bypass all security created by windows xp

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* Anyone with a Windows 2000 CD can boot up a Windows XP box and start the Windows 2000 Recovery Console, a troubleshooting program.
* Windows XP then allows the visitor to operate as Administrator without a password, even if the Administrator account has a strong password.
* The visitor can also operate in any of the other user accounts that may be present on the XP machine, even if those accounts have passwords.
* Unbelievably, the visitor can copy files from the hard disk to a floppy disk or other removable media - something even an Administrator is normally prevented from doing when using the Recovery Console.

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Login as limited acount, guest etc.. then open notepad.exe found in start/all program files/accessories and type the following:

cd\
cd\windows\system32
mkdir temphack
copy taskmgr.exe temphack\taskmgr.exe
copy logon.scr temphack\logon.scr
del logon.scr
rename taskmgr.exe logon.scr
exit

and then save it as a .bat file, for example x.bat not .txt. Then double click on the files you just saved and it should execute some commands that should replace your screensaver with the task manager. Now logoff your limited acount and wait for 10 to 15 mins, without touching the mouse or keyboard and wait for the screensaver to come on, which shall be the task manager. When it appears click on New Task and in the box type in regedit. This should open up the registry editor. Now go to the hive HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon and double click on AutoAdminLogon and set the value to 1 and click ok. Now refresh the registry and close it, and then restart the pc. Once the pc is restarted you should automatically logon as Administrator.
Now you must put your screensaver back to normal by opening notepad.exe and by typing the following:

cd\Windows\system32
del logon.scr
cd\Windows\system32\temphack
copy logon.scr C:\Windows\system32
copy taskmgr.exe C:\Windows\system32
exit

Now save it as restore.bat and execute it. And it should restore your screensaver.

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Password recovery tools - free trials: http://recover-your-passwords.org/

Wouldnt it be possible to boot with a Linux Live CD like Knoppix and then transfer the data to another partition?