Computer Admin Login With Lost Password?

Im trying to fix some things on my acount but, i hava to be able to log into my Admin. acount. my dad had the comp. before me and he forget the password to get into the acount. how do i hack into my own computer to get the password, or is there any way of defragging my comp. without being a admin?

You can start your computer in safe mode by pressing F11 before the windows logo shows up and starts loading . When you start your computer in safe mode it has an admin account that anyone can use. I don't know if you can change your password without knowing your old one but you can create a new admin account and delete the old one while saving the files.

Can you see the admin password login screen? If you can, there is a program you can download from tucows or download.com that 'reads' **** out characters to enable you to read the password. I'm not sure how effective it is but it might be worth a try.

If you do what Plenoptic has suggested (start in Safe Mode) and click the Administrator user on the login screen, there is no password. From here you can defrag the PC and also access the User Accounts part of the control panel, where you can either delete the old admin user and create another, or just change the password. You don't need to know the old password, as the whole idea was that an admin could change someone's password if they forgot it.

If F11 won't get you into safe mode, boot up as normal, then go Start > Run and type "msconfig". Then click the BOOT.INI tab, and tick the checkbox next to /SAFEBOOT, which will also boot you into safe mode. Just remember to change it back when in safe mode, or you'll always boot into it.

Ok thanks guys this helped her out a lot. I was with her when she did it lol. That's awesome i didn't know you coudl do that. That doesn't make any sense though. If someone wanted to hack your account thats all they would have to do.

There also exist some linux boot disks that can change (or clear) the admin password.
But you can't read out the current password.

So if you wan't to use your dad's computer that way, he always knows because the password has changed or is removed.
The only safe is Linux , Windows 2003 , or Windows XP connected to a Server.

Here those things don't work, if you have forgotten the password you have a big problem.
The password security of Windows XP (stand alone) is very low, there are several ways to disable it.

Windows XP and 2000Pro have no option if you forget your admin password.................How ever Win98 has some one. in Command Prompt (Restart your computer in command prompt) search c directory for ".pw" files . All PW Files are saved with their username like if i have a username masterleous tha file would be masterleous.pw
open this file you can see here your password. or simple delete this file no Passwor Login will remain

Well, you totally still arnt locked out even with no access to the computer. You can always steal the sam file (boot into linux live cd) and send it to yourself or put it on some removeable media. Then just find something like Cain n Abel, or John the Ripper, etc and load the SAM file into it. Depending on how secure youre passwords are, and how good of a computer you have, just takes a lil bit of waiting for it to crack it.

In other words: the legal uses of such programs (if the password did belong to you and you just forgot it)

This post has been edited by neuspadrin: Aug 4 2006, 05:14 PM

Why bother what your password was that you have forgotten.
If you can't remember it now , you can't in the future.
Just clear the password , resart and setup another one (a more easy to remember).

But this only works if your computer isn't connected to a server.
If it's connected to a server the password is (normally) stored on the server.

Virus now requires administrator and HP administrator PW can I fix it?
Computer Admin Login With Lost Password?

Hi.. I got a virus and now my computer wants an administrator and HP_administrator PW in SafeMode. Can I get around this? It's driving me nuts!

-reply by ElectricSmile