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Windows XP Password Recovery

Posted on July 16, 2009October 27, 2009 by John Nash

This message just in from “Bill” in South Bend. I have not tested it yet.

Lets say you setup your XPpro laptop to require login accounts
instead of just starting up.

And lets say for some reason both the administrator and the other
user passwords don't work for some reason????

must one reformat ??

no.

------------
This was a bit ...  

I had logged "restore points" previously so I had a way out.

Boot into "command prompt safe mode"

the computer ask you for the operating system to load
select XP
the screen will now show a scrolling list of files it's executing...

turn off the computer in the middle of this....

powerup again and use F8 to open the safe mode select screen

select "command prompt safe mode"

computer will now immediately load with only a horiz growing load line

computer will ask you to select login person, select admin and enter

c:\ appears

goto the C:\windows\system32\restore directory
type rstrui.exe, and then press ENTER.

The registry resore function will execute and dump you into the
normal restore point selection screen.

restore from some point

Now the system reboots and dumps you into a functioning windows!!!!
no login required!!!

DONT STOP AT THIS POINT

GOTO RUN
type in      control userpasswords2
this brings up a panel that allows you to reset the admin password!!!!
do so.

Now exit and reboot with F8 again but select the GUI safemode not
command prompt

admin acct appears as option, you can now login with the new password
as admin you can now setup user accts as normal,
reset the "windows" account now

then reboot
normal windows appears with the "windows" account which you now know
the password to.

login and setup accounts etc.

whew!
----
Received Friday, 17 Jul 2009
This may have worked...
because I confused an account I set up called administrator with the
F8 safe mode admin.
The safemode admin may have been blank for a password.  may have.
it was late and I don't really recall.

I'd try it one's self a few times, assuming you have extra time.

The neat thing was how it bypassed the login after running the
restore to previous ...

so...if the safemode admin was really blank, that explains being able
to run the restore.  it does require a restore point to goto.
once running the change userpasswords2 chart, I probably could have
changed both the admin and the windows passwords, saving a step.

------------
now I'm stuck trying to create accounts again, instead of just the
boot up account, but I need to copy the old just boot up account into
them...
that way thunderbird recognizes the user.

huh...
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