How to easily reset a forgotten password in any version of Windows. Windows Password Recovery: Windows Account Password Reset Utility Removing a windows 7 password from a flash drive

What should I do if I forgot my computer password? This guide will tell you what to do if you forget your Windows password and how to solve this problem without reinstalling the operating system. In addition, we will consider other possible problems with passwords. Windows 10 and Windows 7 operating systems have improved security features compared to earlier Windows XP/2000 systems.

By the way, you may have one of the frequently used passwords set on your PC, full list popular passwords, see -.

The latest versions of windows use a more efficient password system designed for business use so that no one without the necessary authority can access information on your computer. This is a double-edged sword. Most users forget some important password at least once. And then the user / owner of the information becomes the "enemy without access rights" for his computer.

Naturally, for every protection method there is a way around it, especially if you have physical access to the computer.

In this article, we will look at various methods to protect your computer with a password and how to bypass them. We will start not with user account passwords, but with equally important passwords, such as BIOS passwords.

How to "bypass" the BIOS password?

BIOS password- one of the oldest ways to protect your computer from unauthorized access and one of the most common. Why? This is one of the most effective means if the user does not have access to system unit. IN otherwise, it's like locking the house with many locks and leaving the window open.

The default BIOS settings on all motherboards do not store password information. So all you have to do is take away BIOS password, - just reset the current settings, restoring the default configuration. But remember that resetting the current BIOS settings will destroy not only the password, but also all those settings that you set yourself.

There are two ways to reset BIOS settings. Most motherboards have a special jumper to clear the CMOS (memory that stores BIOS settings). Usually this jumper is located near the battery on the motherboard, but to be sure, it is advisable to refer to the instructions from the motherboard. On some motherboards instead of a jumper, there are just two contacts that need to be closed with a metal object, such as a screwdriver, to reset the CMOS.

If your board has a jumper, then to clear the CMOS, turn off the computer, install the jumper so that it closes the jumper contacts, and press the computer's power button. Your computer will not boot, but the CMOS settings will be reset. Remove the jumper and turn on the computer again. You will most likely see a screen asking you to press F1 to install. BIOS settings. If you're happy with the default settings, press F1 and then BIOS menu select ‘Save and exit’. After that, the computer will boot as usual, except for the BIOS password.

If you don't know where the required jumper is located on your board, or if there isn't one at all, which is quite possible, you will have to go the other way. Each motherboard has a battery that powers the CMOS memory, allowing information to be stored. As a rule, this is a standard CR2032 battery.

To clear the CMOS, turn off the computer and remove the battery (you may need a thin screwdriver). After 5-10 minutes, replace the battery and turn on the computer. The BIOS will be set to default settings and there will be no password. To continue loading, you will need to press the F1 key, and if you are satisfied with the default settings, select the 'Save and exit' item in the BIOS menu that appears.

As you can see, this is all very easy on a desktop computer, but with a laptop, the BIOS password can be a serious problem. Due to the frequent theft of portable computers, manufacturers made sure that access without a password was almost impossible. So, if you forgot the BIOS password for your laptop, most likely you will have to contact service center manufacturer.

What to do if you forgot your Windows password?

If circumstances have developed in such a way that you have forgotten your Windows password, then we recommend that you reset it using a built-in account called Administrator. This is done in safe mode, while loading or restarting your PC.

To restore access to your computer, you just need to press F8 and in the menu that has already opened, in which some additional options booting your operating system, you will have to select the above " Safe mode". Next, you will need to select the built-in account, which, by the way, cannot be protected by any password by default.

If you did everything correctly, since you exactly followed the above sequence of actions while still on the Desktop, you should knock out a window with a message that Windows is working in the “Safe Mode” you need, which is as simplified as possible. You will need to click "Yes" and go to Control Panel - User Accounts, where the icon of the account is located, the password from which you yourself want to reset. On the left, you must select the "Change password" item and enter in the corresponding window, and then confirm New password. Ultimately, for the aforementioned changes to take effect, you will need to restart your PC.

How to crack a Windows password on a computer or laptop?

In order to do this, you will have to follow the following sequence of actions:

1. Prepare a CD or flash drive, which should contain a special set of resuscitation programs intended for Windows recovery. You will need to insert it into the drive or into the appropriate port during the subsequent reboot of the computer. You can prepare this package of resuscitation programs yourself by downloading programs there that are intended for separating, saving and restoring data, or you can download some ready-made RBCD 10.0, for example;
2. During PC startup, in order to enter the BIOS, press the "DELETE" button. There we will need to change the installation priority and assign the computer to boot from the CD-ROM. After that we visit our boot disk in the drive and restart the PC;
3. Having entered the resuscitator disk in me, which should appear after the resuscitation software package has been loaded, we must select the editable a copy of Windows and go to the "System Restore" mode - the section that will be located at the very bottom of the page;
4. We are looking for the command line and enter “regedit” there (we are looking for it in the dialog settings of the same window). We find, and then select the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE section, in which we need to select File, and then Load hive;
5. Open the "SAM" file and select the section - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\hive_name\SAM\Domains\Account\Users\000001F4. Double-click on the key F placed there and go to the very first value in the line, which we will need to replace with the number 10;
6. In the same section, select "File", and after that "Load Hive". Click "Yes" to confirm the unloading of the hive. We close the registry editor, finish the installation process in this way, take out the USB flash drive or disk and restart the computer.

How to find out the password from the computer?

Question: how to crack a password on a computer remains relevant to this day. Unfortunately, it seems possible to actually find out the password from a computer only by choosing it correctly manually. Therefore, if you are not ready to spend a few hours of your free time on this process, we strongly recommend that you just reset it and come up with some new one.

Again, it's much easier to just reset your password and come up with a new one after. Nevertheless, if you just need to find out the password, we recommend that you use a program for this purpose, which is called, from the image of which you will need to make a boot disk. Having correctly configured the BIOS to boot from the drive and installing this program, immediately upon entering the Desktop, you will see a window in which you can see the usernames, including the Administrator, as well as passwords from their accounts.

Asking the question: what to do if you forgot the password from your own PC, it is absolutely not necessary to use the above methods of recovering it. Resetting the password in the operating room Windows system 7 can also be produced using net commands user. For this case, while restarting the PC, you will need to press F8. Thus, you can open a Menu that allows you to carry out additional boot options for this operating system, in which you will need to select not just "Safe Mode", but one that would also support the command line. While in it, you will need to select the built-in Administrator account and in the Command Interpreter window, immediately after that, the system prompts will appear, where you will need to enter net user "username" "password".

We assume that you yourself understand that instead of "username" you will need to enter the name of your local user account, and instead of "password" you will need a new password. If you did everything correctly, then in order to close the window, you will need to write on the command line: exit and restart the PC.

How to reset password on Windows 8?

In the case of this operating system, things are much simpler! Resetting the password on Windows 8 can be done as follows:

• On the login screen, you will need to click on the special power icon, which is located in the lower right corner of your screen;
• Next, you need to click Shift key and click "Reboot";
• Click "Troubleshooting";
• Click "Reset PC";
• Click "Next" and the system will automatically reboot in order to start preparing for a password reset.

How to reset password on Windows 10?

It is not so difficult to reset the password for Windows 10 users, of course, provided that they have access to e-mail, or to the phone to which their Account. Otherwise, you will have to reset the password from the flash drive, as described above.

How to reset the Windows 7 administrator password?

Reset password Windows administrator 7 best via Interpreter Windows commands. Observe the following sequence of actions:

1. First, run it. You can do this by adhering to the following path: Start - Run - Run the program - cmd. In the Command Interpreter menu that opens, you will need to enter: control userpasswords, after which you will have a window called "User Accounts";
2. Select the account from which you want to reset the password and do not forget to uncheck their item "Require username and password";
3. In the window that opens, you will be required to enter, and then confirm a new password. Next, in the command boot window, you will need to enter Exit and restart the PC as usual.

View passwords that Windows stores

In addition to access passwords for various Windows users stores a number of other equally important ones: the password for connecting to the Internet, passwords mailboxes or access to websites. There are usually quite a lot of them, so it is quite natural that they are forgotten over time.

The operating system offers an "auto-complete" feature for passwords and other frequently entered information in browsers ( Google Chrome, Yandex.Browser, Opera (Blink), Firefox, Explorer 11, etc.). So it is not uncommon for a user to enter a password once, and after a few months, of course, he cannot remember it. Everyone understands that important passwords need to be written down, but not everyone does this. And if you no longer remember the password, how can you find it out, because it is displayed as a series of asterisks: ******?

The solution is offered by programs from different manufacturers that can get the password from this string of asterisks. There are quite a few freely distributed programs for decrypting Windows passwords or hidden passwords from input lines in different browsers.

We will use a program from Passware. It's an easy-to-use, free program that analyzes passwords hidden by asterisks and tells them to you. It is very easy to work with her. It is enough to highlight the line with the password and click the 'recover' button.

Of course, there are also commercial versions of programs, which, as a rule, have a large set of functions. For example, password program Recovery Toolbox scans the system and detects saved passwords, data saved for autofill, Outlook Express passwords, Internet connection passwords, etc. This information is then presented in a convenient form. A few more alternatives to the programs described above:, or Password Viewer.

Windows XP user passwords

Windows XP stores user passwords in a modified form. For example, the password "password" would be stored as a string like this: 'HT5E-23AE-8F98-NAQ9-83D4-9R89-MU4K'. This information is stored in a file called SAM in the C:\windows\system32\config folder.

This part of the SAM file is encrypted system utility syskey to improve password security. The data needed to decrypt the information after the syskey is stored in the system file in the same folder. But this folder is inaccessible to any of the users. Only the operating system itself has access to it during its operation. The SAM and system files can only be accessed by running a different operating system or by connecting the drive to another Windows computer.

Everything Windows versions XP have an "administrator" account. This name gives the user full access to the system and the ability to reset the passwords of all other users. This can save you if for some reason you cannot log in with your regular user password. The specific use of the administrator password depends on the version of Windows XP: XP Professional.

The administrator password is set during the installation of the operating system. If you write it down or just hit enter and leave it blank, you can easily log in as an administrator and reset user passwords. To log in in administrator mode, press CTRL+ALT+DEL twice on the welcome screen, a window for entering the administrator password will appear.

When the computer boots, go to ‘start\control panel\user accounts’ (start\control panel\user accounts) and change the required password. If you are already here, this good opportunity fix your mistake if you left the admin password blank. In addition, it is desirable to change the name of the 'adminisrator' account. This name is known to everyone and is the first one used to gain access to your computer. To change the account name, right-click on 'my computer' and select 'manage'. Expand ‘local users and groups’ ( local users and groups) and open the 'users' folder. Right click on the 'administrator' entry and edit it.
XP home.

This system will not let you just get access to the computer in administrator mode. First you need to boot your computer into failsafe mode. To do this: restart your computer; immediately after testing the BIOS, press F8 several times; in the menu that appears, select ‘start Windows XP in safe mode' (boot Windows XP in failsafe mode). When the computer boots up, log in with the username ‘administrator’. There is no default password. You can now change user passwords by going to ‘start\control panel\user accounts’ (start\control panel\user accounts). When you're done, restart your computer in the usual way.
Create a password reset disk

Windows XP allows you to write information to a regular floppy disk that allows you to reset your password. Naturally, if you have already forgotten the password and cannot access the system, then you will not be able to create any disk, but it’s worth getting such a floppy disk in advance to protect yourself from such accidents.

To create a floppy: go to ‘start\control panel\user accounts’ (start\control panel\user accounts); select the name under which you are logged in; select ‘prevent a forgotten password’ from the related task menu; follow the instructions of the launched wizard.

To reset passwords using a floppy disk: if you enter the password incorrectly when logging in, the system will ask if you have not forgotten it; at this point you will be able to use your floppy by following step by step instructions operating system.

Be careful: if you used builtin Windows features for encrypting files and folders, but have not installed the operating system update (service pack 1), deleting the password will result in the loss of encrypted information.

Utilities for changing passwords Windows XP/7/8/10

There are special utilities that allow you to edit or reset passwords for Windows XP/7/8/10 users. Most of them work by loading a minimal version of an alternative operating system, such as DOS or Linux, under which you can access files with passwords.

An example of such a utility can be found at this address: http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/ Operating instructions, as well as files for creating a bootable Linux disk are available on the same site.

Please note that if you have used the file and folder encryption functions of the operating system by changing the password using any program, you will lose access to encrypted data. In this case, the following method can help, which allows you not to replace the forgotten password with a new one, but to find out the old one.

Selection and decryption of passwords

If nothing else helps, but you have physical access to the computer, then all is not lost. Can be rewritten config files and SAM and try to decrypt the passwords they store with special utilities third party manufacturers. As we have already said, for this you will have to use an alternative operating system such as DOS or Linux. And when the files are at your disposal, you can use one of the password decryption programs, for example, LC4 or .

You will need:

1. Access to another computer.
2. At least two blank floppy disks.
3. Archiver designed to work with command line eg RAR.
4. DOS or Windows 98 boot disk (image required disk available at http://www.bootdisk.com/) or minimum version Linux (for example, Knoppix). There is no need for boot disks if you can simply connect your HDD. If you are using a DOS boot disk and the partitions on your hard disk are using file system NTFS, then to access them you will need a program that allows DOS to view partitions in NTFS format, for example, NTFSDOS.
5. Program for obtaining passwords. We recommend using , since the beta version of this program is free, and free version LC4 is very limited.

Using a bootable flash drive:

1. If your hard drive has NTFS partitions, copy the NTFSDOS file to your bootable flash drive.
2. Copy the archiver (RAR) to a bootable USB flash drive.
3. Boot your computer from this flash drive. If there are partitions with NTFS, type the command NTFSDOS, this program will show what letter is assigned to your system drive, and it will need to be used instead of the letter C in the next paragraph.
4. Archive system files with passwords. For example, if you use the rar32 archiver, the corresponding command will look like this: Rar32 a -va:\systemandsam c:\windows\system32\config\system c:\windows\system32\config\sam will ask you to insert the second one.

Password cracking

Each of the programs you select will list the accounts found in the SAM file. Select those for which you need to define passwords. If you are using , select Attack type: Brute-force. If you used only numbers in your password, check the box ‘all digits (0-9)’. Start the password guessing process using the command from the Recovery menu.

Password guessing can last from 10 minutes to several hours, or even several days, and may fail. Especially if the password uses mixed case letters, numbers and special characters.

This good way checking the strength of their passwords. If you just want to check your password, follow the steps above and see how long it takes to guess.

Programs for cracking a password in Windows

There are a huge number of software tools that can help you crack a password in Windows. In addition to the above program, there is also a Windows Admin Password Hack. But, unfortunately, it is no longer possible to call it relevant, since it only works in Windows 2000/XP. Its closest replacement is MultiBoot 2k10, which is essentially a feature rich boot disk.

conclusions

In any case, if one of your loved ones forgot the password on Windows 7, well, or you yourself were forced to face this - do not despair, there are a lot of solutions to this problem. Well, in order for you to no longer have questions: how to crack a password on a laptop, we strongly recommend that you save them somewhere, in notes inside your own smartphone, for example.

We hope that you will not have to resort to the methods we have described. To avoid such a need, remember that all important passwords must be recorded. And if there is a real need to protect information on your computer, then use passwords from characters in both cases and numbers and do not use ordinary words. In this case, your passwords will be very difficult to crack.

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Windows Repair is a rare type of program that can save your Personal Computer from almost everyone...

Let's describe the problem

• computer, laptop with Windows XP, Vista, 7, 8
• the built-in user Administrator is disabled or the password is also forgotten
• all users on the screen Windows logon under a password and you don't know any
• user with forgotten password - regular local account, not Windows LiveID (with mail)

If any of the above do not match, the recovery process may be different.

Problem Solving Process

What is necessary:

• ability to use torrent networks
• be able to burn an ISO image to disk / USB
• the disc itself (CD-R, CD-RW, DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW...) or any blank USB flash drive of any capacity
• change the boot order of the computer

The method and programs specified below are supplied "as is" - AS IS, they are not responsible for POSSIBLE damage and inoperability. The author has used this method on several computers and so far there have been no problems.

1. Download BootPass

BootPass - boot disk (Windows 7PE x86).

The disk contains full-featured programs for resetting and editing Windows passwords, programs for removing ransomware banners

Like most bootable discs, they are downloaded in ISO format.

Because the disk image in ISO format is already a standard and any program can burn it, even standard Windows tools 8.

Download BootPass from the torrent network (for example, http://rutracker.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4487280).

You can not download all the files, but only the necessary - the BootPass.iso file itself.

Others optional:

• Iso-Burner.exe is a very small program (646kB) for burning an ISO image to disk.
• Rufus.exe or WiNTBootic.exe to burn ISO image to USB
• text files - for information and instructions

2. Burn BootPass.iso to disk

Now we write the downloaded BootPass.iso image to optical CD-R disc w or USB.

There are many recording options, we will show only 3:

2.1 Standard Windows 8 tools

In Windows 8, this is very easy. Right click mouse call context menu and select "Burn Disc Image".

Don't forget to insert a blank disc.

2.2 Iso Burner

If you downloaded this program as part of a torrent, then when you start it, a window will appear [email protected] ISO Burner. Only 2 fields - specify the path to the ISO image, select the CD-RW or DVD-RW burner. Press "Burn ISO".

2.3 used to UltraISO

Because she can record both just files and ISO images to optical discs and to USB, HDD, can also create boot disks, save in ISO format. In general, an advanced program.

You can download it from torrents, from the official website,.

P.S. UltraISO shareware product, you need to buy it later if you like it. By the way, you can check the recorded disc whether it will open in Explorer or not.

3. Change the computer boot order

If you already have the boot order set from CD-ROM(DVD-ROM) first, or you know how, feel free to skip this step.

There are 2 ways to change the computer boot order:

3.1 BIOS

In the BIOS of any computer, there are options for choosing a sequence to boot the system. If these options do not appear automatically when you turn on the computer, press the F2 or Del buttons - they may differ depending on the model and build of your BIOS.

In the BIOS, you need to go to the BOOT section and select the CD / DVD as the first boot device in the Boot Sequence.

Save settings and exit (SAVE AND EXIT)

3.2 without BIOS

Majority modern computers have the ability to assign a boot order without entering the BIOS. For this, a quick boot menu is used, which is called up by pressing a special key immediately after turning on the computer (for example, F10, F12 or even F8 - depending on the model of the motherboard).

Usually when BIOS boot It tells you on the screen which key to press.

P.S. The disc must be inserted into the drive.

4. Loading the BootPass Disk

The recorded disc has been inserted, boot from CD / DVD is set, the drive is working, and then we will have such a window.

We have a variety of programs to choose from that reset Windows passwords.

We have enough Password Reset v3.0. If it doesn't work, you can try others.

• Select the user with the forgotten password, click OK. The program asks if you are sure of your desires, the answer is YES! (OK)
• Next, it will ask, repeat (OK) or restart (Reboot) the computer?
• We repeat how many users need to be cleared of passwords and restart the computer.
• Confirm restart @Yes
• Remove the disk from the drive and click OK

5. Verification

As soon as Windows boots up, it will ask which user to select. Windows will not ask you for a password.

If all is well, don't forget to set a new password for your user.

P.S. in the password, use capital letters, numbers, and even better, special characters - *-+-=/?...

P.P.S. as a password, you can use phrases (rarely used) written in the English layout. For example, "Holy Bagheera1002" -> "Cdznfz

6. What to do if

failed to reset windows password

Go to step 4 and try another program.

Windows stopped loading

Remove all disks and USB. Set BIOS to boot from HDD/SATA/SSD. As a last resort, start Windows Recovery or call the wizard.

A little earlier, I considered a situation where a bootable system image was required, but it may not always be at hand, in addition, usually the weight of the system administrator's working disks (we are talking about LiveCD with software) is much less.

Today we will talk about working with specialized software for editing the SAM (Security Account Manager) database. I once described a procedure in Windows.

The SAM file itself (pun intended) is located in the windows\system32\config directory (for a 32-bit system) or windows\syswow64\config (for a 64-bit system) and cannot be accessed (and especially written to). That is why we use various LiveCDs, which can be found in large quantities on the root tracker or other site dedicated to the work of the system administrator.

For example, this assembly: LiveSeven (LiveCD AZJIO v5.6 from 01/01/2013 CD / USB WIM) from the rutracker weighs a little more than 270 megabytes, but it allows you to quite tolerably solve various system administrator tasks in the operating system, so I recommend downloading and burning a disc or flash drive. Since the assembly is author's, there is no piracy in this, I think the creator will only be glad that people use his collection.

By the way, I found a very pleasant way to burn ISO-shniki to a USB flash drive. If anyone did not know, this is easily done without various third-party utilities, the usual UltraISO. Open the ISO image, insert the USB flash drive, select the item “Boot -> Burn hard disk image…”

And, of course, the "Record" button.

Read more in a separate article:

Well, okay, how to burn a disc, set the BIOS to boot from media - I think it's not a problem. After loading, we will see the desktop of the system - this is good:

Here is a kind of “Start” menu, select the item “Password reset -> Reset Windows Password”. Then I will analyze the work with the program "Password Renew" for comparison.

In the main window of the program, select the Russian interface language and the SAM operating mode. That is, we work with a local database of accounts. I suspect that it is possible to work with the AD database of a Windows domain controller, I have not tried it yet, but the opportunity is nice.

In addition, there is a drop-down list of actions, we are interested in resetting or changing the user's password. Click Next.

Next, the program automatically determines the location of the SAM and SYSTEM databases (they are stored in the config directory) and represent registry hives. Why might you need to specify the paths to these files manually?

Case 1. We have several installed operating systems and we need to reset passwords in a particular one.

Case 2. We have separately located registry hive files taken from another computer (for example, these files were sent to us by mail and we need to reset the password and return it to the owner).

One way or another, the ability to specify these files manually is present and you need to remember this. In our case, the system is installed alone, so the program determined everything correctly.

Next, there is a list of users that exist in the SAM file. Here we select the one whose password needs to be changed/reset. By the way, here you can see if there are administrator privileges and if a password is set at all.

In the next window, we can perform certain actions with an already selected account - change the lock, disable, expired password flags. Set a new password - this option pleased me, you can not only remove it, but also set an arbitrary one. We mark the necessary actions and click the "Reset / Change" button.

Everything is ready!

As I promised, I will consider another program from the same area. It's called Password Renew.

After starting the program, we are prompted to select the Windows folder.

Click "Browse" and select our Windows directory. By the way, here is the difference from the previous program - there is no way to feed third-party SAM files to it.

In the drop-down list, select the desired user and set an arbitrary password. 123, of course!

I thought for a long time what to reap later. It turns out that the second item on the left is “Apply”. Some kind of not very good interface, the principle of the “Left-to-right, top-to-bottom” sequence is violated. Anyway. But the program worked.

In addition, you can create a new user. Select item 2.2 “Create a new user” and set a name and password. Also click 1.2 “Apply”. Well, we can add administrator rights 2.3 point.

To be honest, the interface of the program is not very successful, but it works and it needs to be adopted. Who knows what will be in our hands in a difficult situation?

How to reset the password in Windows 7 if it was lost. Reset password for 7 32 and 7 64 bits.

We will reset the password either from a USB flash drive or from a disk
To begin with, we need to have either a boot disk with ERD Commander, or a bootable USB flash drive with ERD Commander, since it is with the help of ERD Commander that we will reset password in windows 7!
According to the manual, I will do this from a bootable ERD Commander flash drive (there are practically no differences if you did this from an ERD Commander boot disk)
To get started, select your Windows 7 bit depth from the list. If you do not know what bitness of Windows you have, then choose at random. If you have chosen incorrectly, then an error will pop up and after reboot, just select another option

After a few minutes, select your operating system from the list (most likely it is the only one), press OK a couple of times and Next

ATTENTION! If an error pops up, restart your computer and select a different ERD Commander for 7, as you have selected the wrong BIT!If you clicked Next and a window popped up, as in the picture below, then you did everything right. Select Microsoft Diagnostics...
On the screen you will see a window in which you should select the utility that is responsible for resetting the Windows 7 password -> Change Wizard passwords(or Locksmith)


After that, a window will appear in which you need to select the REQUIRED USER from the list and write a NEW PASSWORD for it.

After that, take out the flash drives and load Windows. Come in with a new password, which, by the way, first change immediately to another one!
That's the whole procedure! If you want to remove the password altogether, go to Start-> start typing accounting-> select User accounts -> Removing a password-> Enter your old password and click Remove password

There are situations when you need to create a boot disk or flash drive with which you can reset your password. For example, you entered a password that was too complex and forgot it, now you cannot access your operating system, or you simply decided to play it safe in the future. Instead of immediately resorting to reinstalling the OS, you can simply reset the password using removable media, which can be created in two ways - system and software. They will be discussed in this article. The considered methods are relevant for all Windows operating systems from 7 to 10.

You can use this method only if you currently have access to your operating system and remember the password, and plan to make a password reset disk in the future. So, to create a bootable USB flash drive or follow these steps:

1. First, insert the USB flash drive into a free USB port or a disk into the drive. You will integrate the password reset settings into this removable media.

   

2. Hover your mouse over the context menu icon "Start" and press the right key, then select "Control Panel". Also, to call this window with a menu list, you can use the key combination Win+X. If you have a Windows 7 operating system, then to go to the control panel, first left-click on the menu "Start", then select the appropriate item from the list.

   

3. Now go to the edit accounts menu, which is located in the control panel. In order not to waste extra time searching for it in additional system folders, set the display mode of elements through icons (you can do this by changing the parameter "View" in the upper right corner of the window).

   

4. Now select menu "Creating a Password Reset Disk" located on the left side of the window.

   

5. This will open a window titled "Master of Forgotten Passwords". Read a summary of the main features of this system utility and click "Further".

   

6. Open the list of disk devices on your PC or laptop and among them select your flash drive or disk that you intend to use to reset your password (in this example, it is a flash drive with the drive letter G :), then click "Further".

   

7. Enter your password to log into your account and left click on "Further". If you have not set a password, then do not enter anything in this field.

   

8. Wait until the parameters you need to reset your password are written to your USB flash drive or disk, then click on "Further".

   

9. The recording process will be very fast - in just a couple of seconds. Click "Finish" when finished.

   

After the done manipulations, a file called "userkey.psw", which is responsible for resetting the password.

Now, when you forget your password and enter the wrong one at least once, an additional function will appear in the input window "Reset the password". It will become available only if a removable media with a reset program written to it is connected to the computer.

On a note! This method will work for the account through which you created the password reset disk.

Video - Create a flash drive to reset your password

Windows 7 Login Password Reset Guide

Consider how using the created flash drive it is possible to reset the password using the example of Windows 7.

Important! You must first connect a USB flash drive to reset your password.

1. If you enter the wrong password, the "Recover password" column will appear, so you need to click on it.

   

2. After clicking on the option, it will open "Password Reset Wizard", read the information and click "Further".

   

3. Expand the list with devices and select your flash drive, click "Next".

   

4. Type the new password twice, click next.

   

5. When the reset is complete, click "Finish" and log in with the new data.

   

   

Programmatic way

If you forgot your password and cannot log into your account, then using the standard Windows interface will not solve the problem. You have to use third party software. You need to have two components to work:

• another computer with Internet access;
• blank CD or USB media for recording.

Once you have verified that you have them, you can start burning the reset disk. For this we use the program Online NT Password & Registry Editor. To create removable password reset media using this program, follow these steps:

1. Download the archive with the program files by clicking on the link http://pogostick.net/~pnh/ntpasswd/bootdisk.html Scroll down the page to the "Download" block.

   

2. Versions for CD and USB drives will be available on the site. If you plan to create a bootable disk, then download the version for CD, if the flash drive is for USB. Then unzip to a disk or flash drive.

   

3. Launch the console. You can do this using the command window. "Run". Open this window by clicking Win+R, then type in the line cmd and press "OK" or "Enter".

   

4. In the command line input field, type the command shown in the screenshot below. "E:" in this case, it is the drive letter of the removable media. If your flash drive or disk has a different letter, then enter it (and do not forget about the colon at the end). After entering the command, press "Enter". If nothing happened, then the command was entered correctly. In this case, the command line will only notify you of errors.

   

5. Insert a flash drive or CD into the computer on which you want to reset the password and turn it on. After that, a window should appear on the monitor, as in the screenshot below. This is the "introductory" info window, so just click "Enter" to move on. If you do not see such a window, then read the instructions for changing the settings - most likely, your removable media is simply not in the first place in the boot.

   

6. Next, the following window will appear, which will display devices with an installed operating system (in most cases, there is only one such device - your hard drive). The device will have a serial number (in this case "1"), and it is this number that you need to enter into this screen, and then click on "Enter".

   

7. The program will check the availability of the necessary components on your flash drive or disk. When this process is completed, you will have several options for further interaction (they are also numbered). Enter the number of the option responsible for resetting the password, aka "Password reset" (here it is the number "1") and press the enter button.

   

8. Now enter the parameter number corresponding to editing passwords.

   

9. Next, you will see a table of computer users, as well as information about their permissions (administrator and guest). These accounts will have their own unique ID RID- you need to enter it in this window. Enter RID your account and click "Enter".

   

10. Enter the serial number of the parameter that is responsible for resetting the password "Clear user password".

    

11. If the operation was successful, you will see an inscription in the window "Password cleared". Now enter "q".

    

12. Enter command "y" to save the changes by confirming with the key "Enter". After that, you will be able to start your OS without entering a password.

    

On a note! The program in question is not the only one of its kind. There are other password reset programs, such as Renee Passnow. The functionality of these programs is similar.

Now that you know the password reset methods, this can save you the hassle of reinstalling your system and can save your system data in a critical event.

Video - Bootable USB flash drive to reset your password in a couple of minutes