Passwords, passwords, passwords….something we are going to have deal with as one of our common annoyances for some time to come. Their necessary evil provides another layer of protection for your bank, your online shopping, your tax software and of course the entire operating system. We have so many passwords these days, that we have websites and password managers like LockCrypt and Clipperz, dedicated solely at helping you manage your passwords.
Even with the ability to store and retrieve your security, it does no good if the operating system is inaccessible. Ignoring your PC for a few years, removing a computer from a domain, or simply needing administrative rights on a PC are just a few reasons that the admin password may need to be reset. With Microsoft’s improved security over the last few years, it became more difficult to resent Windows administrator password. However, there are still several ways to get around it and I am bringing you three of the easiest ways to reset forgotten windows password for XP, Vista and Server 2003.
1. Reset Windows Admin Password with Ubuntu
Ubuntu has become, far and away, the most popular distribution of Linux in the world. Its ease of installation and use makes it the ‘go to’ operating system for an open source alternative. In this case you don’t even have to install the OS. You simply use the Live CD that is included with the burned ISO of Ubuntu.
Here are the instructions for resetting the Windows administrator password using Ubuntu Linux.
(Internet Connection Required)
1. Go to Ubuntu and download the latest ISO of the operating system.
2. Use one of the free ISO burning applications to create a bootable Ubuntu CD. Of course you’ll need another PC in order to do this.
3. Use the Live Ubuntu CD to boot into the live version of the OS.
4. Go to System > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager.
5. Then Settings>Repositories
6. Once the ‘Software Sources’ window appears, make sure you select ‘Software restricted by copyright or legal issues’, then click close.
7. Click reload on synaptic package manager.
8. Click Search, and type in ‘chntpw’.
9. Once the ‘chntpw’ app is found, right-click on it and ‘mark for installation’.
10. Click “Apply on Summary Window” and also to confirm changes.
**Remember an internet connection is required for the above steps. If there is no availability for a connection, a USB flash drive will be required.**
12. Next, we must mount the Windows drive. In Ubuntu, go to Places> Select the appropriate drive.
13. The final step of the process is actually resetting the password via the Linux terminal.
14. In Ubuntu go to Applications>Accessories>Terminal.
15. Type ‘cd /media/disk/WINDOWS/system32/config/’ in the terminal window.
16. Type ‘sudo chntpw SAM’
17. This by default will change the Administrator password. If you would prefer to change a particular user. Type ‘sudo chntpw -u username SAM’.
18. Afterwards, you’ll see a long display of information, most of which can be ignored.
19. The next step is to actually reset the windows password. It is recommended to make the password blank with an asterisk * .
20. You’ll then have to confirm the change with a Y, and reboot.
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