Many users protect their account with a password from unauthorized access. Undoubtedly, using a password increases the level of security and allows you to ensure the protection of personal data. Reset Windows password relevant in case of its loss or when the user simply forgot the password and cannot enter his previously created account. There are several ways to reset a password, but there is no need to consider all of them, so we will consider only the simplest and most effective method.
The easiest Windows password reset method whether it is an operating system XP, 7 or 8 - the use of a system software product referred to as: ERD Commander MS DaRT(The abbreviation stands for Emergency Repair Disk and Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset, respectively Emergency Repair Disk and Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset).
Simply put, the ERD Commander software toolkit is a bootable disk with the Windows PE operating system and a set of special utility programs loaded from removable media (CD, DVD, USB, external hard drive) to restore the operating state of the Windows operating system.
In order to reset your Windows password, you will need an ERD Commander image, which you can download by specifying a query in Yandex or Google search engines, the result will not keep you waiting. We downloaded the image, now you need to burn it to removable media, there was no CD at hand, so a USB drive was selected. If you do not know "how to make a bootable USB flash drive", then you can take a look in this article.
After you have made a bootable USB flash drive and recorded ERD Commander on it, you need to install the boot from the primary device in the Bios I / O system and specify your removable media.
If all the above steps are performed correctly, a window will appear in front of you with a choice of operating systems and their bit depth. Choose the one you need.
After a while, the system will offer to select an operating system from the list, indicate your system.
You will see the System Recovery Options window, select the Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset menu item.
Note: for the Windows XP operating system, the location and name of the Windows password reset utility is different from Windows 7 and 8, so you must follow this path Start → System Tools → Locksmith
Make your changes and restart your computer, enter your new password when logging into your account. Windows password reset procedure completed successfully!
If you cannot log in to Windows 7 due to the fact that you forgot or lost your account password, then this article will help you. It lists all effective ways to delete, reset or replace the password of any account(even an administrator) in the "seven" and recommendations are given on how to protect yourself in case the password is lost in the future. All the described ways to unblock a user account are absolutely safe if you follow the instructions and do everything carefully.
How to reset a forgotten password using Ophcrack
Ophcrack- a unique utility that allows you to restore access to any account in Windows 7 in just a few minutes. Moreover, it works in any edition of the OS, starting with XP, and can function from a bootable USB-stick. The mechanism of the program is somewhat different from the algorithms for guessing passwords of similar applications and includes several components:
- LM-hash algorithm- this format stores passwords in Windows 7, the number of characters of which does not exceed 15 pieces;
- rainbow tables- a mechanism designed to recover encrypted passwords by using hashes with a complex reverse decryption process.
The program can also unlock complex passwords by extracting them from registry files with subsequent decryption using completely new methods of data processing, due to which the load on hardware resources is small, and the selection speed increases by orders of magnitude.
Using a bootable flash drive with Ophcrack
The algorithm below is relevant for computers that cannot be accessed by the following reasons:
- the password for one account has been lost, but there are no other accounts;
- no user profiles on this computer can be accessed.
If you are faced with a similar case, you will have to execute instruction, which boils down to the following: create a bootable USB drive based on a special version of Ophcrack and boot from this media to restore access to the account. In more detail, this instruction looks like this:
For inexperienced users, it is recommended to select the first (graphical) mode of OphCrack operation: Ophcrack Graphic mode... But it should be borne in mind that in the graphical mode the program may not start, and the text mode works flawlessly, although it requires certain skills in handling console programs.
If we consider working in a program with an interface in more detail in the next section, then we will dwell on using its console version in more detail. Although the only feature here is the absence of windows and buttons. After launching the console version of the utility, it will automatically determine passwords for all accounts and display them in the " Results».
Remove password from Windows
What to do if you forgot password for the administrator account? The program will also help here Ophcrack, but with a network connection to download it. Consider the sequence of actions:
After a few seconds or minutes, depending on the complexity of the combination of characters in the password, it will be displayed in the " NT Pwd».
We use system recovery tools
What to do, if no access to the Internet and another computer, but do you need to log into your account? Solve the problem will help bootable USB stick or disk containing the distribution of the Windows 7 operating system used on the computer.
In this case, resetting the Windows 7 administrator password is as follows.
- We connect the boot drive of the same edition of the "seven" as installed on the PC.
- Reboot your PC.
- We call the boot menu of the computer / laptop. This can be done using the F2, F9, F11 or other keys specified in the manual for the motherboard or on the BIOS boot screen.
- In the list of available devices, select the target USB drive to start the computer from.
- Press any key to boot from the selected media.
- We select the language of the system installed on the computer, and then click the Next button.
- Click the link «
»
in the window with the Install button to launch the Windows 7 Resume Tools.
- In the parameters, select the command line to call the tool for executing system commands.
- In the window that appears, enter the regedit command and execute it using the Enter key. This will open the classic registry editor window.
- In this window, as in the file manager with displaying directories in the form of a tree, go to the HKLM section.
- Through the main menu we call the command "" located in the menu " File».
- Select the file “ config» - « SYSTEM"That does not have an extension.
- Set any file name without using Cyrillic characters and confirm it by pressing the enter button.
- Go to the bush " HKLM"-" entered_bust_name "- Setup.
- Double click to open the key editing menu “ CmdLine».
- As the parameter value, enter “ cmd.exe"To start a command prompt before Windows 7 boots.
- In the same way, set the value " Setup Type"Equal" 2 ».
- Select a new bush in HKLM.
- We call the command “ Unload the bush"Located in the menu item" File».
- We reboot the computer, as a result of which the command line will appear.
- In the command line, enter a command of the form net user username password and execute it with the Enter key. After that, the command line can be closed.
Thus, it is easy to recover a forgotten password as many times as you like, but using the proposed method on other people's computers will not work due to the fact that changing the password is required when gaining access to any of the accounts.
Create a flash drive for instant password reset for a specific account
If you do not want to repeat the situation with a forgotten password, it is better to make a diskette to reset it. By a floppy we mean a USB flash drive, because the use of floppy disks and disks has not been relevant in recent years.
- We call " Start"And click on your account avatar.
- In the vertical menu on the left, click " Creating a password reset disk».
- "" Will open, where we click Next>.
- We select our USB flash drive (or floppy disk) from the list.
- Set the current account password, then click Next>.
As a result, the wizard will generate a boot disk that is required to unlock the account, the password from which was lost.
Now, if for some reason you cannot enter Windows 7, click the Reset password button, insert the created disk or USB flash drive and follow the instructions. which boil down to clicking Next.
After reinstalling the system, changing the password, or creating a new account, the password reset disk will have to be recreated.
Knowing how to reset the Windows 7 administrator password and having a USB flash drive with a key file, a forgotten password will no longer be a problem.
Related Videos
What to do if you forgot your computer password? This guide will show you what to do if you forget your Windows password and how to fix the problem without reinstalling your operating system. In addition, we will look at other possible password problems. The Windows 10 and Windows 7 operating systems have improved security features over earlier Windows XP / 2000 systems.
By the way, perhaps one of the most frequently used passwords is installed on your PC, see the full list of popular passwords -.
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 an "enemy without access rights" for his computer.
Naturally, for each protection method, there is a way to bypass 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 not start 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 widespread. Why? This is one of the most effective tools if the user does not have access to the system unit. Otherwise, it would be like locking a house with many locks and leaving a window open.
The default BIOS settings on all motherboards do not store password information. So all you have to do to clear the BIOS password is to simply reset the current settings, restoring the default configuration. But remember that resetting the current BIOS settings will not only destroy the password, but also all those settings that you set yourself.
There are two ways to reset BIOS settings. Most motherboards have a dedicated jumper to clear the CMOS (memory that stores BIOS settings). Usually this jumper is located near the battery on the motherboard, but for complete confidence it is advisable to refer to the instructions from the motherboard. On some motherboards, instead of a jumper, there are just two pins, which must be closed with a metal object, for example, a screwdriver, to clear the CMOS.
If your board has a jumper, then to clear CMOS, turn off the computer, set the jumper so that it closes the jumper contacts, and press the computer's power button. Your computer will not start to boot, but CMOS settings will be cleared. Remove the jumper and turn on the computer again. Most likely, you will see on the screen a request to press F1 to set the BIOS parameters. If you are satisfied with the default settings, press F1 and select 'Save and exit' from the BIOS menu. After that, the computer will boot as usual, except for the BIOS password.
If you do not know where the necessary jumper is located on your board, or there is none at all, which is quite possible, you will have to go the other way. Each motherboard has a battery that supplies power to the CMOS memory, allowing information to be stored. Typically this is a standard CR2032 battery.
To clear CMOS, turn off your 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 booting, 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 simple on a desktop computer, but with a laptop, the BIOS password can be a serious problem. Due to the frequent theft of laptop computers, the manufacturers made sure that it was almost impossible to gain access bypassing the password. So, if you have forgotten the BIOS password for your laptop, most likely you will have to contact the manufacturer's service center.
What to do if you forgot your Windows password?
If circumstances have developed in such a way that you have forgotten the Windows password, then we recommend that you reset it using the built-in account called Administrator. This is done in safe mode, during boot or reboot of your PC.
To regain access to your computer, you just need to press F8 and in the menu that has already opened, in which you will be presented with some additional options for loading your operating system, you will have to select the aforementioned "Safe Mode". Next, you need to select the built-in account, which, by the way, by default, cannot be protected by any password.
If you did everything correctly, since you exactly followed the aforementioned sequence of actions, while still on the Desktop, you should knock out a window with a message that Windows is running in the "Safe Mode" you need, which is as simplified as possible. You will need to click "Yes" and go to the Control Panel - User Accounts, where there is an icon of the account, the password from which you are speaking and want to reset. On the left, you must select the "Change password" item and enter, and then confirm, a new password in the corresponding window. Ultimately, for the above changes to take effect, you will need to restart your PC.
How to Crack Windows Password on Computer or Laptop?
In order to do this, you will have to adhere to the following sequence of actions:
- Prepare a CD or a USB flash drive, which should contain a special set of resuscitation programs designed to restore Windows. You will need to insert it into the floppy drive or into the corresponding port during the next reboot of the computer. This package of resuscitation programs can be prepared independently by loading there programs intended for separating, saving and restoring data, or you can download some, already ready, RBCD 10.0, for example;
- 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 CD-ROM. After that, we visit our boot disk in the floppy drive and reboot the PC;
- Having entered my recovery disk, which should appear after the resuscitation package has been loaded, we must select the edited copy of Windows and go to the "System Restore" mode - the section that will be at the very bottom of the page;
- We are looking for the command line and enter "regedit" there (we are looking for it in the dialog settings of the same window). Find, and then select the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE section, in which we need to select File, and then Load hive;
- Open the SAM file and select the section - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ bust_name \ SAM \ Domains \ Account \ Users \ 000001F4. Double-click on the F key placed there and go to the very first value in the line, which we will need to replace with the number 10;
- In the same section, select "File", and then "Load Hive". Click "Yes" to confirm the unloading of the bush. We close the registry editor, thus ending the installation process, take out a USB flash drive or disk and restart the computer.
How can I find out the password from the computer?
The question: how to crack a password on a computer remains relevant to this day. Unfortunately, it is possible to really find out the password from the computer, it seems possible only by correctly selecting it manually. Therefore, if you are not ready to spend several 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 the password and come up with a new one afterwards. Nevertheless, if you just need to find out the password, we recommend that you use a program for this purpose, as they say, from the image of which you will need to make a bootable disk. Having correctly configured the BIOS boot from the drive and installing this program, immediately upon entering the Desktop, a window will open 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 Windows 7 operating system can also be done using the Net User command. To do this, while restarting your PC, you 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 register in the command line: exit and restart the PC.
How to reset Windows 8 password?
In the case of this operating system, things are much easier! Password reset 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 press the Shift key and click "Restart";
- Click "Troubleshoot";
- Click on "Reset PC";
- Click "Next" and the system will automatically reboot in order to start preparing to reset the password.
How to reset Windows 10 password?
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 was linked. Otherwise, you will have to reset the password from the flash drive, as described above.
How to reset Windows 7 administrator password?
The best way to reset your Windows 7 administrator password is through the Windows Command Interpreter. Observe the following sequence of actions:
- First, launch it. This can be done by following the following path: Start - Run - Run the program - cmd. In the opened menu of the Interpreter of commands, you will need to enter: control userpasswords, after which you will see a window called "User accounts";
- Highlight that account the password from which you want to reset and do not forget to uncheck their item "Require username and password";
- In the window that opens, you will be required to enter and then confirm a new password. Next, in the command boot window, you need to enter Exit and restart your PC as usual.
View passwords stored by Windows
In addition to the access passwords for various users, Windows also stores a number of others, no less important: the password for connecting to the Internet, passwords for mailboxes or access to websites. As a rule, there are a lot of them, so it is quite natural that they are forgotten over time.
The operating system offers an "auto-complete" function 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, but after a few months, of course, he cannot remember it. Everyone understands that important passwords need to be written down, but not everyone does it. And if you don't remember the password already, 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 freeware programs for decrypting Windows passwords or hidden passwords from input lines in various browsers.
We will be using a program from Passware. It is an easy-to-use freeware program that analyzes passwords hidden by asterisks and tells them to you. It is very easy to work with her. It is enough to select the line with the password and press the ‘recover’ button.
Of course, there are also commercial versions of programs, which, as a rule, have a wide range of functions. For example, Password Recovery Toolbox scans the system and detects saved passwords, data saved for auto-complete, Outlook Express passwords, passwords for connecting to the Internet, 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 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 with the system syskey utility to improve password security. The data required 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 under a different operating system or by connecting the drive to another Windows computer.
All versions of Windows 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 specifics of using 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 wrote it down or just hit enter and left it blank, then you can easily log in as an administrator and reset user passwords. To enter the system in administrator mode, on the system welcome screen, press CTRL + ALT + DEL twice, a window for entering the administrator password will appear.
When the computer boots up, go to ‘start \ control panel \ user accounts’ and change the required password. If you are already here, this is a good opportunity to correct your mistake if you left the administrator password blank. It is also advisable to change the name of the ‘adminisrator’ account. This name is known to everyone and is used first to gain access to your computer. To change the name of the account, right-click on ‘my computer’ and select ‘manage’. Expand ‘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 in crash protection 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 crash protection 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'. When you're done, restart your computer in the normal way.
Creating a password reset disk
Windows XP allows you to write information to a regular floppy disk, which provides the ability to reset the password. Naturally, if you have already forgotten your password and cannot access the system, then you will not be able to create any disk, but it is worthwhile to create such a disk in advance in order to protect yourself from such accidents.
To create a floppy disk: go to 'start \ control panel \ user accounts'; select the name with which you are logged in; in the related tasks menu, select 'prevent a forgotten password'; follow the instructions of the wizard that starts.
To reset passwords using a floppy disk: if you enter the password incorrectly when entering the system, the system will ask, or you have not forgotten it; at this point, you will be able to use your floppy disk by following the step-by-step instructions of the operating system.
Be careful: if you used the built-in Windows file and folder encryption capabilities but did not install the operating system update (service pack 1), removing 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 password files.
An example of such a utility can be found at this address: http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/ Instructions for use, as well as files for creating a Linux boot disk, are available on the same site.
Please note that if you used the functions of the operating system to encrypt files and folders, 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 all else fails, but you have physical access to your computer, then all is not lost. You can overwrite the config and SAM files and try to decrypt the passwords stored in them using special third-party utilities. As we said, this will require using 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:
- Access to another computer.
- At least two blank floppies.
- Archiver designed to work with the command line, for example, RAR.
- A DOS or Windows 98 boot disk (an image of the required disk can be obtained from http://www.bootdisk.com/) or a minimal Linux version (such as Knoppix). There is no need for bootable disks if you can simply plug your hard drive into another computer. If you are using a DOS boot disk and the partitions on your hard disk use the NTFS file system, then to access them you need a program that allows DOS to view NTFS-formatted partitions, such as NTFSDOS.
- Program for obtaining passwords. We recommend using it as the beta version of this program is free and the free version of LC4 is very limited.
Using a bootable USB drive:
- If your hard disk has NTFS partitions, copy the NTFSDOS file to your bootable USB stick.
- Copy the archiver (RAR) to the bootable USB flash drive.
- Boot your computer from this flash drive. If there are partitions with NTFS, type the NTFSDOS command, this program will show which letter is assigned to your system disk, and you will need to use it instead of the letter C in the next paragraph.
- Archive the 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 If the files do not fit on one flash drive, the archiver will ask you to insert a second one.
Cracking passwords
Each of the programs you select will list the accounts found in the SAM file. Select the ones for which you need to define passwords. If you are using, select Atack type: Brute-force. If you only used numbers in your password, check the ‘all digits (0-9)’ box. Start the password guessing process using the command from the Recovery menu.
Password guessing can take from 10 minutes to several hours, or even several days, and may end unsuccessfully. Especially if the password uses letters in different cases, numbers and special characters.
This is a good way to test the strength of your passwords. If you just want to check your password, follow the steps above and see how long it will take to find it.
Windows password cracking software
There are a lot of software tools that can help you crack your Windows password. Besides the aforementioned program, there is also Windows Admin Password Hack. But, unfortunately, it can no longer be called relevant, since it works only in Windows 2000 / XP. Its closest replacement is MultiBoot 2k10, which is essentially a feature-rich boot disk.
conclusions
In any case, if someone from your loved ones forgot the password for Windows 7, well, or you yourself were forced to face this - do not despair, there are many 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 you don’t have to resort to the methods we have described. To avoid this need, remember to write down all important passwords. 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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Good afternoon, dear blog readers, today I want to tell you how to create a bootable USB flash drive to reset the Administrator password in Windows. Earlier I talked about How to create a forgotten Administrator password reset floppy in Windows, Now let's talk about creating a special bootable USB flash drive. We will create it using the Rufus utility and the Passware Windows KeyEnterprise 11 program.
To create a bootable USB flash drive, download the Rufus utility link above, the Passware WindowsKey Enterprise11 program can be . The program itself is packaged in iso image. Using this program, you can reset the password on Windows operating systems starting from 2000, except Windows 8 .
By running the Rufus utility, select a removable disk (flash drive),
Run the Passware Windows Key Enterprise password reset program for this you need to go to BIOS , using the F2 or Delete key and in the BOOT section select the Boot from USB option, press the F10 key and ENTER. At the first start, the program will detect the drive on which the operating system is installed.
To continue at the bottom of the window, press 1. At the next stage, you must specify the user who needs to reset the password.
After selecting the user at the bottom of the window, press the Y key (agree) to reset the password. We confirm the password reset Y and press the N key at the bottom of the window
We remove the USB flash drive, restart the PC and enter the system.
If you need to immediately set a new password, then click on the "My Computer" icon and select the "Management" item. In the window that opens, select "Local users" - "Users",
select the one you need, right-click on it and click on the item "Set password"
Passcape Software Reset Windows Password Advanced 9.0 – the program is the most powerful tool for recovering or resetting passwords for Windows accounts: users, administrator, Active Directory users, domain administrator. The program is maximally focused on the unprepared user and is easy to use. On the other hand, the algorithms for searching and guessing passwords used in the program are unique and are not used in any other similar program. Unlike other similar utilities, Reset Windows Password is the only program that correctly handles all types of Windows accounts! Just boot Reset Windows Passwords from a bootable CD or USB, ‘remember’ forgotten password or unlock your account. A matter of minutes! Key features of the Reset Windows Password program:
click on the picture and it will enlarge
| System requirements: | |
| Operating system: | Windows XP, Vista, 7,8,10 (x86, x64) |
| CPU: | 1 GHz |
| RAM: | 512 MB |
| Interface language: | Russian |
| The size: | 315 MB |
| pharmacy4: | cured |
| * archive WITHOUT password |
