totse.com | Resetting Windows Administrator rights

sumaco · #1 2008-07-11, 02:41

Does anyone know of a realtivly simple way of resetting the administrator password in windows XP? I don't have accses to the old password. It's a dell, if that helps.

«·» · #2 2008-07-11, 03:01

Overview

Get the machine to boot from CD (or floppy)
Floppy version need to swap floppy to load drivers.
Load drivers (usually automatic, but possible to run manual select)
Disk select, tell which disk contains the Windows system. Optionally you will have to load drivers.
PATH select, where on the disk is the system?
File select, which parts of registry to load, based on what you want to do.
Password reset or other registry edit.
Write back to disk (you will be asked)

Download Link
http://home.eunet.no/pnordahl/ntpasswd/

Try that?

SWATFAG · #3 2008-07-11, 06:08

With XP Home all you need to do is boot into safe mode. Then open Control Panel > User Accounts > Administrator and reset the P/W. Get into safe mode by tapping the F8 key as the pc boots.

Or check out these vids.

http://www.youtube.com/results?searc...rch_type=&aq=f

oddballz194 · #4 2008-07-11, 16:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by SWATFAG View Post

With XP Home all you need to do is boot into safe mode. Then open Control Panel > User Accounts > Administrator and reset the P/W. Get into safe mode by tapping the F8 key as the pc boots.

If there's a password on the Administrator account, you can't get into it in Safe Mode without the password.

If that wasn't the case, they probably wouldn't have bothered putting a password system in place, since anyone could bypass it. Microsoft may have released software which was (in some cases) notorious for vulnerabilities, but I don't think a gap that large would get past them...

SWATFAG · #5 2008-07-11, 17:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by oddballz194 View Post

If there's a password on the Administrator account, you can't get into it in Safe Mode without the password.

If that wasn't the case, they probably wouldn't have bothered putting a password system in place, since anyone could bypass it. Microsoft may have released software which was (in some cases) notorious for vulnerabilities, but I don't think a gap that large would get past them...

Yea, like MS has always released the most secure OS's that they could aftyer years of working on them. Sheesh. Don't you feel foolish.

Anyway, THIS

Quote:

Steps

1. Reboot your machine.
2. Press F8 before the Windows boot screen appears.
* Do not press F5 as used on the NT/9x series of Windows.
3. You will be be prompted with a boot options menu.
4. Select the Start Windows in Safe Mode option.
5. Click through several self-explanatory screens until your reach the familiar 'Welcome' screen.
6. Note that this welcome screen is limited to 256 colors and 640x480 resolution because the primary graphics will have been set to the Windows Safe Mode software VGA adapter. You will not be able to change this mode even in Display options, while Windows is running in Safe Mode.
7. Find the icon for the Administrator user. If the default settings of your system haven't been changed, there should be no password for this account.
* The Safe Mode Welcome screen might display some of the other users on your system.
8. Login as the admin.
9. Press Yes at the prompt asking if you would like to continue using Safe Mode.
10. Continue on to the User Settings control panel. Here you can change any of the other passwords for user on the machine. Make any changes you want.
11. Reboot your computer. As long as you don't press any keys (i.e. F8) during the boot-up the computer will startup normally.
12. Login as the user for which you set the password.

http://www.wikihow.com/Log-on-to-Win...-Your-Password

Annnnddddd THIS

http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&r...rd&btnG=Search

oddballz194 · #6 2008-07-11, 18:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by SWATFAG View Post

Yea, like MS has always released the most secure OS's that they could aftyer years of working on them. Sheesh. Don't you feel foolish.

Anyway, from your own list of directions:

Quote:

7. Find the icon for the Administrator user. If the default settings of your system haven't been changed, there should be no password for this account.

This won't work if the Administrator account is passworded, according to your own source. Also, if you can get into it in Safe Mode, you can do so in normal mode.

Here's how. Log out of any accounts you're in. Hit CTRL-ALT-DEL twice, and a login dialog box will come up. Type in Administrator and leave the password field blank. If it's passworded, you'll get a wrong password message (which means Safe Mode won't help you either). If it's not passworded, you'll be logged in as Administrator.

I've actually DEALT with passworded Administrator accounts. I use them on all my machines, be it XP Home or XP Pro.

As for recovering the password, there's http://www.loginrecovery.com/, Ophcrack, and dozens of other programs and sites.

And I never said MS released the most secure OS's. Read my earlier post. I know they're vulnerable, just not as vulnerable as you seem to believe.

NOTE: The thread topic dealt with a PASSWORDED ADMINISTRATOR ACCOUNT.

Now, don't you feel foolish.

SWATFAG · #7 2008-07-11, 19:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by oddballz194 View Post

Anyway, from your own list of directions:

This won't work if the Administrator account is passworded, according to your own source. Also, if you can get into it in Safe Mode, you can do so in normal mode.

But it will work. I have used this method to change the PW on a PW protected comp.

Try it if you do not believe me. Or at least read the sites that I provided.

It so works.

I have seen it work.

There is no argument. It works. And there are other methods to hack into XP. One is the ERD floppy first used with NT.

And there is a way to get into XP using the command prompt.

But the safe mode method works also.

Quote:

If the default settings of your system haven't been changed, there should be no password for this account.

This statement means that there is no PW present while in Safe Mode. And the default settings refers to system settings and not logging or not logging a PW. Because while in safe mode - there is no need for a PW - unless you changed the system settings to require that there would be. And most people do not do this.

So I hope you understand the MS OS a little better now. OK?

oddballz194 · #8 2008-07-11, 19:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by SWATFAG View Post

But it will work. I have used this method to change the PW on a PW protected comp.

Try it if you do not believe me. Or at least read the sites that I provided.

It so works.

I have seen it work.

There is no argument. It works. And there are other methods to hack into XP. One is the ERD floppy first used with NT.

And there is a way to get into XP using the command prompt.

But the safe mode method works also.

But from the same site you copy-pasted that from:

Quote:

Some users are smart enough to password protect their Administrator account when they install windows. If that's the case, you'll have to know that password in order for this method to work.

None of the sites you've provided says you can get into the Administrator account if it's passworded, without additional software. Not that I can see -- I checked the site you quoted to get this most recent quote, and I checked the list of sites from Google.

And I HAVE tried your technique before, on several occasions. In each one, if the Administrator account was password protected, it was still password protected in Safe Mode.

oddballz194 · #9 2008-07-11, 19:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by SWATFAG View Post

This statement means that there is no PW present while in Safe Mode. And the default settings refers to system settings and not logging or not logging a PW. Because while in safe mode - there is no need for a PW - unless you changed the system settings to require that there would be. And most people do not do this.

So I hope you understand the MS OS a little better now. OK?

You're wrong on this. What that means is that by default, Windows doesn't put a password on the Administrator account during installation. All you have to do to change those defaults is put a password on the Administrator account (in normal mode, safe mode, or any other mode), and there will be a password present in Safe Mode.

BTW, an Administrator password IS a system setting.

You don't understand what that means at all.

So I hope you understand the MS OS a little better now. OK?

SWATFAG · #10 2008-07-11, 19:48

Quote:

Originally Posted by oddballz194 View Post

from Google.

And I HAVE tried your technique before, on several occasions. In each one, if the Administrator account was password protected, it was still password protected in Safe Mode.

And why wold you try this method several times if it did not work. That just sounds fishy to me.

When I tried it, the method was successful. Maybe you did it wrong.

System settings control the way the OS performs. Setting a PW is not a system protocol. If MS made the decision to have a default PW, then they PW would probably all be the same - by default.

That'a a joke that is based on MS logic.

But It worked for me. So it seems you are admitting defeat here since you tried several times and failed. And I admit that it worked for me.

So I know it works.

I don't know why you could not make it work.