Sunday, September 7, 2014

How to Retrieve Passwords in Windows XP

Here are multiple ways to recover or change passwords on a Windows XP computer if you have forgotten your password.

Method 1 of 8: Administrative Privileges Method

  1. Retrieve Passwords in Windows XP Step 1.jpg
    1
    Use your admin privileges.If you are logged on to an account with administrative privileges, you can change user passwords using the following steps.
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  2. Retrieve Passwords in Windows XP Step 13.jpg
    2
    Click on the green Start button and click Run.
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    3
    Type cmd into the text box and press Enter.
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    4
    Type net user [Username of the Account] *. (For example, net user Administrator*). Then press Enter. Make sure you spell the username correctly, and you have the "*" after the username and space between username and "*".
  5. Retrieve Passwords in Windows XP Step 16.jpg
    5
    Type in what you would like to reset the password to, then press Enter. Type it in again and press Enter.
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Method 2 of 8: Restart and Reset Method

  1. Retrieve Passwords in Windows XP Step 6.jpg
    1
    If you are logged out of the computer and cannot figure out the password at the start up screen, do the following. (This typically only works on Windows XP Home Edition.)
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    2
    Restart the computer.
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    3
    Tap the F8 button repeatedly while your computer starts up. You will get a screen with a list of options.
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    4
    Choose Safe Mode or Safe Mode with Command Prompt. Press Enter to confirm your selection.
  5. Retrieve Passwords in Windows XP Step 10.jpg
    5
    Select your account. After waiting a while for all the drivers to load (all the scrolling stuff), you will get the Welcome Screen, where you choose an account to log into. We know that the other accounts you can't get into, but there should be a new account calledAdministrator.
  6. Retrieve Passwords in Windows XP Step 11.jpg
    6
    Click on the Administrator account and then use the Administrative Privileges Method above to reset someone's password.
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Method 3 of 8: Other Username Method

  1. Retrieve Passwords in Windows XP Step 12.jpg
    1
    Log in with any valid account.
  2. Retrieve Passwords in Windows XP Step 13.jpg
    2
    Go to Start menu.
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    3
    Click on “Run” and type “cmd”. Click OK.
  4. Retrieve Passwords in Windows XP Step 15.jpg
    4
    Type the “net user” command to view the user accounts list.
  5. Retrieve Passwords in Windows XP Step 16.jpg
    5
    Choose the account for which you want to change the password. For example, if you change the password of administrator account, type the command “net user administrator *” without quotes. Type the new password for the user and retype the password to confirm and press enter. The password has been successfully changed.
    • Note that this might not work on a limited account.
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Method 4 of 8: Windows XP Method

  1. Retrieve Passwords in Windows XP Step 17.jpg
    1
    Boot off your XP disk.
  2. Retrieve Passwords in Windows XP Step 18.jpg
    2
    Start an installation and 'Repair' your windows installation.
  3. Retrieve Passwords in Windows XP Step 19.jpg
    3
    When the progress bar says 'Installing Devices', press Shift-F10 to get a command window.
  4. Retrieve Passwords in Windows XP Step 20.jpg
    4
    Type NUSRMGR.CPL to get the User Accounts control panel. Change what you like.
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Method 5 of 8: Windows XP Password Manager Method

  1. Retrieve Passwords in Windows XP Step 21.jpg
    1
    Download and install Windows Password changer from www.password-changer.com on another computer.
  2. Retrieve Passwords in Windows XP Step 22.jpg
    2
    Run the software to create a password recovery disk with a CD or USB drive.
  3. Retrieve Passwords in Windows XP Step 23.jpg
    3
    Boot the Windows operating system from “Active password changer” CD and chose the “Active Password changer” option.
  4. Retrieve Passwords in Windows XP Step 24.jpg
    4
    Chose the second option of “search for MS SAM Database on all hard disk and logical drives”.
  5. Retrieve Passwords in Windows XP Step 25.jpg
    5
    Press Enter to continue.
  6. Retrieve Passwords in Windows XP Step 26.jpg
    6
    Chose the account number for changing the password.
  7. Retrieve Passwords in Windows XP Step 27.jpg
    7
    Press “Y” to save the changes and exit.
  8. Retrieve Passwords in Windows XP Step 28.jpg
    8
    Press any key to restart the system.
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Method 6 of 8: Windows 2000 Method

  1. Retrieve Passwords in Windows XP Step 29.jpg
    1
    Use a Windows 2000 recovery CD to boot the machine.
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    2
    Start the Windows Recovery Console.
  3. Retrieve Passwords in Windows XP Step 31.jpg
    3
    Access anything you like.
  4. Retrieve Passwords in Windows XP Step 32.jpg
    4
    Add a user with Administrator privileges.
  5. Retrieve Passwords in Windows XP Step 33.jpg
    5
    Change the Administrator password.
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Method 7 of 8: Linux Method

  1. Retrieve Passwords in Windows XP Step 34.jpg
    1
    Boot the machine with a recent version of Linux that runs off CD.
  2. Retrieve Passwords in Windows XP Step 35.jpg
    2
    Mount the Windows drive (or volume with 'Documents and Settings' in it).
  3. Retrieve Passwords in Windows XP Step 36.jpg
    3
    Access whatever files and folders you need to.
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Method 8 of 8: Hard Drive Method

  1. Retrieve Passwords in Windows XP Step 37.jpg
    1
    Pull the hard drive from the machine.
  2. Retrieve Passwords in Windows XP Step 38.jpg
    2
    Install it in a drive enclosure.
    • Or plug it into another machine's IDE/SATA/SCSI/(whatever it is) port and give it power.
  3. Retrieve Passwords in Windows XP Step 39.jpg
    3
    Boot up with that second machine's normal boot drive as 'Administrator' and access or change permissions on any files on the drive you like.
  4. Retrieve Passwords in Windows XP Step 40.jpg
    4
    Put the drive back in its original case.
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