I need to login to my XP home edition computer and I've forgotten my password to the user accounts. How can I log in?

I don't want to reformat, duh.

9/7/2005 12:39:32 PM

http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=xp+home+password+recovery&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8

9/7/2005 12:42:01 PM

Search! There are tons of threads of this on TWW. You'll find even more information on google. Get off your lazy ass.

9/7/2005 12:42:01 PM

http://www.petri.co.il/forgot_administrator_password.htm#1 - FREE

or you can try the link above and pay 295$

9/7/2005 1:10:20 PM

i swear i just read this thread like last week

9/7/2005 1:24:05 PM

Ctrl+Alt+Del will take you to the Windows 2000 style login screen

Type 'administrator' as the suer name.
Leave the password blank.

That sometimes works. Nasty little security vunerability if you ask me.

Once you are in you can blank out the user account passwords.

9/7/2005 1:47:14 PM

^ It's not a security vulerability, it's a result of people not setting up this logins correctly.

9/7/2005 1:55:11 PM

^Since they often don't give joe user the option to set the admin password when joe user first turns the computer on and they just leave it blank assuming that joe user even knows what an admin account is....

I consider that a vunerability. I've troubleshot on several PCs where there was a blank admin pwd. The user (obviously not tech saavy) never got a prompt to set the actual administrator password - just a prompt to create an additional admin level account. They had no idea that an administrator account was even there. Anyone could do anything with their machine if they simply plugged it into the network.

[Edited on September 7, 2005 at 2:13 PM. Reason : shot]

9/7/2005 2:12:30 PM

^
SOOO ... are you saying you currently have a lab or two where the administrator password is left blank?

9/7/2005 5:33:56 PM

once you get access to it - if you don't want to login again - you can setup minilogon to fix that problem permanently

9/7/2005 6:04:49 PM

^^no. Usually when I never see a prompt for a true "administrator" account a big red flag goes up. This doesn't happen if you do a clean install of an OS (at least on the XP Pro flavor). I always format a new CPU so I don't run into the hidden aol/disney/etc crap that comes with an out of the box ssytem.

A reformat/clean install lets you set the password to the administrator account during setup; however if you just turn on the computer right out of the box chances are you will be left with a blank administrator password if you are not careful. I think dell fixed this by and large but I have no idea about the home flavor of xp. I think it still has this "feature".

I no longer have a lab or two. I moved on to a new place that is much farther away

[Edited on September 8, 2005 at 12:08 PM. Reason : .]

9/8/2005 12:07:20 PM

ran across this today
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=321305

9/9/2005 9:26:39 AM

yeah, i read that like a week ago. no good for me now.



the administrator account isn't blank. i already tried ctrl alt del and typed Admin.. with no pw. Still won't log in.

Can you evan delete that account ? because it won't let me delete it while i'm in another administrator account that I actually got into.

[Edited on September 9, 2005 at 9:39 AM. Reason : reason]

9/9/2005 9:38:23 AM

http://static.thepiratebay.org/downloadtorrent/3377537.torrent/Hiren__s_Boot_CD_7.3_incl._Keyboard_Patch.3377537.TPB.torrent

9/9/2005 1:39:25 PM

^^Delete the official "administrator" account?

Maybe. Try:
1) Right-clicking on "My Computer" -> Manage
2) Expand "Local Users and Groups" -> Users
3) Right-click on Administrator -> Delete

Worth a shot at least.

9/9/2005 2:20:59 PM

How can he do that if he cannot log in?


did you type in "Administrator" or some other variation of that?

9/9/2005 3:21:48 PM

Read what I put in here:
http://www.thewolfweb.com/message_topic.aspx?topic=348008&page=1#7468752

It would take me a good 15-30 minutes to fully type out what to do ... easier to Google it.

Quote :

"did you really need 2 threads for this?"

9/9/2005 3:38:50 PM

PROGRESS UPDATE

soooo... I found a password to an old account that has administrator priveleges. And I try the Right click on my computer and deleting the account and get this... that option is not even there. It's there on every computer ive ever used in my life. what is wrong with this one?

So I have admin priveleges. But also.. I tried what ^^^^^^^^said and windows locked all the files in the other accounts cuz i removed the passwords and don't have the old ones.

So windows IS secure (in a way). It like disabled all the files under those old names. smart I guess

9/9/2005 4:24:46 PM

Quote :

"I need to login to my XP home edition"

Quote :

"Maybe. Try: 1) Right-clicking on "My Computer" -> Manage 2) Expand "Local Users and Groups" -> Users 3) Right-click on Administrator -> Delete"

ntpasswd or format c:, the choice is yours

[Edited on September 9, 2005 at 5:41 PM. Reason : .]

9/9/2005 5:41:40 PM