How to reset your Windows Password using a Windows Password Reset Disk

  • December 11, 2012
  • Read 82,690 times
 

If you have forgotten your Windows password and have previously created a Windows Password Reset Disk, you can use this disk to change your password to a new one. This will allow you to login to Windows again using the new password. To reset a password, start Windows and attempt to login to the account that you have forgotten the password. When you enter the wrong password once, Windows will display an additional option under the password field labeled use your password reset disk in Windows XP or Reset Password for later versions of Windows. These reset password prompts for the different versions of Windows are shown below.

 

Windows XP Password Reset Prompt
Windows XP Reset Password Prompt

 

Windows 7 Password Reset Prompt
Windows Vista and Windows 7 Reset Password Prompt

 

Reset password prompt in Windows 8
Windows 8 Reset Password Prompt

 

When you click on the Reset Password option, or use your password reset disk in Windows XP, Windows will start the Password Reset wizard as shown below.

 

Password Reset Wizard

 

Click on the Next button to start the reset process. You will now be at a screen that prompt you to select the removable media that corresponds to your password reset disk.

 

Select Password Reset Disk

 

Once you have selected the password reset disk please click on the Next button. You will now be at a screen where you can enter a new password for the account that you are locked out of.

 

Reset Password screen

 

Note: If you receive the error "An error occurred while the wizard attempting to set the password for this user account." when attempting to reset a password, you are probably trying to reset an account that is not associated with the inserted password reset disk. Either try a different password reset disk or use it with a different account.

Please enter your password and then once again to confirm it. Then provide a hint that will help you remember the password in the future. When you are ready, click on the Next button and you will be presented with a screen that states that your password was reset correctly.

 

Finished Resetting Password

 

Click on the Finish button to close the Password Reset Wizard. You will now be back at the login prompt where you can enter your new password and login to Windows.

If you have not already created a Password Reset Disk and would like instructions on how to do so, please see this tutorial:

How to create a Windows Password Reset Disk

If you need help with this process, please ask in one of our Windows forums.

Users who read this also read:

  • How to create a Windows Password Reset Disk Image
    How to create a Windows Password Reset Disk

    Whenever you create a new account in Windows, you should create a password reset disk that allows you to reset your Windows account password if you forget it. If you have a lot of users and do not wish to create a reset disk for each one, then you should at least create one for the administrator account on that computer. You can then use that administrator account to change any other user's ...

  • How to change your Windows Password Image
    How to change your Windows Password

    A basic task that all Windows users should know how to do is to change their password. If your computer becomes compromised or you are concerned that someone may know your password, you should immediately change it in Windows.

  • How to tell if you are running a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows Image
    How to tell if you are running a 32-bit or 64-bit version of Windows

    When Windows is installed on your computer it can be installed as a 32-bit version or a 64-bit version. For most people, whether they use a 32-bit or a 64-bit version of Windows does not make a difference. It is, though, important to know whether you are running a 64-bit or 32-bit version of Windows when performing certain tasks on your computer. For example, if you install new hardware or update ...

  • How to use the Windows 7 System Recovery Environment Command Prompt Image
    How to use the Windows 7 System Recovery Environment Command Prompt

    The Windows 7 System Recovery Command Prompt is a text-based console that allow you to perform maintenance and recovery tasks on your computer by typing the commands that you would like to execute. These commands allow you to perform a wide variety of tasks such as replace infected files, delete infections, repair boot up configurations for your hard drive, resize hard drive partitions, as well as ...

  • How to create a command-line toolkit for Windows Image
    How to create a command-line toolkit for Windows

    If you are a system administrator, IT professional, or a power user it is common to find yourself using the command prompt to perform administrative tasks in Windows. Whether it be copying files, accessing the Registry, searching for files, or modifying disk partitions, command-line tools can be faster and more powerful than their graphical alternatives. This tutorial will walk you through ...

 

Comments:

blog comments powered by Disqus
search tutorials
Mandiant mWise Conference 2024

Login