Windows 7 forgot the administrator password what to do. What to do if you forgot your computer login password

The absent-mindedness and inattention of some users can lead to the fact that the password for the Windows XP account is forgotten. This threatens both a banal loss of time to reinstall the system and the loss of valuable documents used in work.

First of all, let's figure out how you can't “recover” passwords in Win XP. Never try to delete a SAM file that contains account information. This may lead to the loss of some information in the user's folders. It is also highly recommended not to use the method of replacing logon.scr with the command line (launching the console in the welcome window). Such actions will most likely render the system inoperable.

How to recover your password? In fact, there are several effective ways, from changing the password using the Administrator account to using third-party programs.

ERD Commander

ERD Commander is an environment that runs from a boot disk or flash drive and includes various utility utilities, including a user password editor.

Preparing a flash drive.
How to create a bootable USB flash drive with ERD Commander is described in detail in, where you will also find a link to download the distribution.
Next, you need to reboot the machine and change the boot order in the BIOS so that our bootable media with the image recorded on it comes first.
After loading, use the arrows to select Windows XP in the list of proposed operating systems and click ENTER.
Next, you need to select our system installed on the disk and click OK.
The environment will load instantly, after which you need to click on the button "Start", go to section "System Tools" and select the utility "Locksmith".
The first window of the utility contains information that the Wizard will help you change a forgotten password for any account. Click here "Next".
Then select the user in the drop-down list, enter the new password twice and click again "Next".
Click "Finish" and reboot the computer ( CTRL+ALT+DEL). Don't forget to return the boot order to its previous state.

Administrator account

In Windows XP, there is a user that is automatically created when the system is installed. By default, it has the name “Administrator” and has almost unlimited rights. If you log into this account, you can change the password for any user.

First, you need to find this account, since in normal mode it is not displayed in the welcome window.

This is done by holding down the keys CTRL+ALT and press twice DELETE. After this we will see another screen with the option to enter a username. Enter "Administrator" in the field "User", if required, write a password (there is none by default) and log into Windows.

A simple way to access a computer with Windows 7 (8) to reset the admin password. To gain access to a locked computer, we will perform several steps.

Method one

Create a bootable USB flash drive and remove the password using it. (all data on the flash drive will be destroyed)

Download the program and image. Unpack the contents and run the file rufus_v1.4.1

In the open program window, click on the disk icon, select the image in the unpacked folder called BootPass and press the start button.

We are waiting for the bootable flash drive to be created.

Now we insert the USB flash drive to reset the password into the password-protected computer and select “boot from USB” when booting.

For complete instructions, watch the video

Method two(This method is suitable for advanced users.)

1. We gain access to windows with administrator rights.

rename the file c:/windows/system32/sethc.exe to sethc.ex_
rename the file c:/windows/system32/cmd.exe to sethc.exe

(If you can’t rename the file, use the Unlocker program, it is in the boot disk, you can download it here)

reboot the computer.

A login window appears before us, requiring you to enter a password.
On the keyboard, press the right SHIFT button and do not release (10 seconds) until the command prompt window appears.

We are in the system command prompt with administrator rights. This means that we can do whatever we want with the computer.

Create a new user hacker

write on the command line
net user hacker /add press Enter

Now we give him administrator rights
net localgroup administrators hacker /add press Enter

That's it, we have a hacker user with administrator rights.
We restart the computer and see the hacker account in the login window, click on it and get into the system.

2. Change the Windows user password

Go to the settings of the user for whom you need to change the password and click reset password. Windows 7 administrator password recovery completed successfully.

Then, if necessary, you can delete the hacker user, enter in the command line:
net user hacker /delete or delete in windows users.

Don't forget to return the file names to what they were originally.

If you can’t log into Windows 7 because you forgot or lost your account password, then this article will help you. It contains all effective ways to delete, reset or replace the password of any account(even the administrator) in the “seven” and recommendations are given on how to protect yourself in case the password is lost in the future. All the described methods to unlock a user account are absolutely safe if you follow the instructions and do everything carefully.

How to reset a forgotten password using Ophcrack

Ophcrack- a unique utility that allows you to restore access to any account in Windows 7 in just a few minutes. Moreover, it works in any edition of the OS, starting with XP, and can function from a bootable USB flash drive. The program’s operating mechanism is somewhat different from the password selection algorithms of similar applications and includes several components:

LM hash algorithm- passwords are stored in this format in Windows 7, the number of characters of which does not exceed 15;
rainbow tables- the mechanism is designed to recover encrypted passwords through the use of hashes with a complex process of reverse decryption.

The program can also unlock complex passwords by extracting them from registry files and then decrypting them using completely new methods of data processing, due to which the load on hardware resources is small, and the selection speed increases by orders of magnitude.

Using a bootable flash drive with Ophcrack

The algorithm below is relevant for computers that cannot be accessed using the following reasons:

the password for one account is lost, but there are no other accounts;
It is not possible to access any user profile on this computer.

If you encounter such a case, you will have to follow instructions, which boils down to the following: creating a bootable USB drive based on a special version of Ophcrack and booting from this media to restore access to the account. In more detail, these instructions look like this:

For inexperienced users, it is recommended to select the first (graphical) operating mode of OphCrack: Ophcrack Graphic mode. But it should be taken into account that in graphical mode the program may not start, but in text mode it works flawlessly, although it requires certain skills in handling console programs.

If we consider working in a program with an interface in more detail in the next section, then we will dwell in more detail on using its console version. Although the only peculiarity here is the absence of windows and buttons. After launching the console version of the utility, it will automatically detect passwords for all accounts and display them in the “ Results».

Removing a password from Windows

What to do if you forgot administrator account password? The program will also help here Ophcrack, But if there is a network connection to download it. Let's consider the sequence of actions:

After a few seconds or minutes, depending on the complexity of the combination of characters in the password, it will be displayed in the “ NT Pwd».

Using system recovery tools

What to do if no access to the Internet or another computer, do I need to log in to my account? Will help solve the problem Bootable USB drive or disk, containing a distribution of the Windows 7 operating system used on the computer.

In this case, resetting the Windows 7 administrator password is carried out as follows.

We connect the boot drive of the same edition of the “seven” as installed on the PC.
Reboot the PC.
Call up the boot menu of the computer/laptop. This can be done using the F2, F9, F11 or other keys specified in the motherboard manual or on the BIOS boot screen.
In the list of available devices, select the target USB drive to start the computer from.
Press any key to boot from the selected media.
Select the language of the system installed on the computer, and then click the Next button.
Click the link « » in the window with the Install button to launch the Windows 7 OS recovery tools.
In the parameters, select the command line to call the tool for executing system commands.
In the window that appears, enter the command regedit and execute it using the Enter key. As a result, the classic registry editor window will open.
In this window, as in the file manager with the display of directories in the form of a tree, go to the HKLM section.
Through the main menu, call the command "", located in the menu " File».
Select the file " config» - « SYSTEM", which has no extension.
Set any file name without using Cyrillic characters and confirm it by pressing the enter button.
Let's go to the bush " HKLM" - "entered_hive_name" - Setup.
Double-click to open the key editing menu “ CmdLine».
For the parameter value, enter “ cmd.exe" to launch Command Prompt before booting Windows 7.
In the same way we set the value “ Setup Type"equal" 2 ».
Select a new bush in HKLM.
Call the command " Unload bush", located in the menu item " File».
We restart the computer, as a result of which the command line will appear.
At the command line, enter a command like net user username password and execute it with the Enter key. After this, the command line can be closed.

Thus, it is easy to recover a forgotten password as many times as you like, but using the proposed method on other people’s computers will not work due to the fact that changing the password is required when gaining access to any of the accounts.

Creating a flash drive to instantly reset a password for a specific account

If you don’t want to repeat the situation with a forgotten password, it’s better to make a floppy disk to reset it. By floppy disk we mean a flash drive, because the use of floppy disks and disks has not been relevant in recent years.

As a result, the wizard will generate a boot disk necessary to unlock the account for which the password has been lost.

Now, if for some reason you cannot log into Windows 7, click the Reset password button, insert the created disk or flash drive and follow the instructions. which boil down to clicking the Next button.

After reinstalling the system, changing the password, or creating a new account, the password reset disk will have to be created again.

Knowing how to reset the Windows 7 administrator password and having a flash drive with the key file, a forgotten password will no longer be a problem.

Video on the topic

Passwords help protect your account in operating systems from unauthorized users. However, it also happens that they are forgotten, and it is not possible to get into the system from an administrator account, and you don’t have the installation media with you. In this case, you will have to reset the password using slightly non-standard methods.

Removing the password from Windows 7 without installation media

If you are unable to download a password reset disk for Windows 7, you can use one of the methods suggested below. Both involve solving the problem using system utilities. To do this, you do not need to download a Windows 7 password reset disk or a full system image. However, it is recommended to strictly follow the instructions, since both methods involve working with the interface "Consoles".

There is no need to try to reset your Windows 7 password using third-party software, as this will lead to certain problems.

Method 1: Command Line

This is the most universal, simple and secure way to change your Windows 7 password without knowing the old one. If necessary, you can later simply remove the new password from the operating system. To perform this method, you will need to be able to log into the OS interface, even from a guest account. Usually this is always there by default.

The Guest account has some limitations compared to the Administrator account. By default, they apply to making any changes to the OS, for example, installing/uninstalling programs, editing some documents, downloading content from the network. Restrictions on use "Command line" no by default.

The instructions for this method are as follows:

1. Press the key combination Win+R.
2. In the line that opens, enter cmd and click Enter.

1. Will start "Command line". First, you need to find out the number of users, their powers and logins in the operating system. To do this, enter the command net user and click Enter.

1. A list of all operating system users is displayed. You need to find the administrator account login. This will be easy to do if there are only two accounts in the OS.
2. Now write the command net user administrator_login new_password. Example command: net user Admin 123456. Press Enter.

After applying the command, restart your computer and log into the administrator account with a new password.

Method 2: Recovery Menu

This method can be dangerous, as it involves disconnecting the computer from power while it is running. However, a single use should not cause much harm.

The bottom line is this:

1. Restart your computer if it was turned on or turn it on if it was turned off.
2. When Windows starts loading, turn it off abruptly. For example, press the power button or unplug the power cable.
3. Then reconnect the power and turn on the PC.
4. Instead of the standard Windows startup, the screen should start "Windows Error Recovery", that is, recovery from an error.
5. You will be offered several options for starting the operating system. Select "Launch Startup Repair". In the Russian version it may be called "Run boot repair".

1. The system will begin loading. You may see a window asking for permission to perform a system restore ( "System Restore"). Cancel by clicking on "Cancel".

1. A recovery error message appears. Click on the item "View problem details".

1. A text file describing the problem will open. Here you need to click on the item "File" in the top menu. From the drop-down list, click on the item "Open".

Will open "Conductor" Windows with access to all system files. You need to go to the following path: C:\Windows\System32.
Here, find and rename one of these files utilman.exe or sethc.exe, adding the postscript bak or old to the name of one of them. If these files are not displayed in Explorer, then in the column "File Type" set the value "All files".
Now find the cmd.exe file. Copy it and paste it in the same directory.
Rename the copied file to "utilman" or "sethc". No need to rename the file to "utilman", if in step 10 you added a postscript to the file "sethc" and vice versa.
You can close "Notebook" and press "Finish". After this, the system will reboot.
Wait for the Windows start screen to load and click on the icon "Special Features", if you renamed the file to "utilman". If you renamed it to "sethc", then you will need to press the key five times Shift.

This way you will have access to "Command line" without having any access to the system. In the interface "Consoles" you will have to do the following:

1. If you do not know the exact name of the administrator account, then enter the net user command. It will display all data regarding system users, including their status.

1. Now write this command: net user Administrator account name new password. Example command, net user Admin 123456 . Press Enter.

Restart your computer and try logging in with the new password you set.

The methods discussed above help you reset your password on Windows 7 without using a disk with an OS image. However, it is recommended to create a system recovery image on a flash drive (installation disk) and perform a reset through it.

But then a problem happened - the owner forgot the administrator’s access code and when he tried to log in, he saw a message about the incorrectly entered password and the impossibility of logging into the system. The situation is further aggravated by the fact that Windows stores all passwords in a securely protected partition on the hard drive using the SAM system. For security reasons, accessing it and finding out the password is not as easy as it might seem at first glance. On the one hand, this will protect you from third-party interference, but, on the other hand, it greatly ruins your life if you forget the access combination. Users of Windows 7 suffer the most, since this version of the OS only offers work with a local account, unlike the newer Windows 8, 8.1 and 10. Here the user can attach a Microsoft account to the computer and, in case of a forgotten password, can reset it via website from any device. PC owners on seven can only remove the administrator password.

Fortunately, everything is not as scary as it might seem at first glance. If you follow our detailed instructions on how to reset the Windows 7 administrator password when using a local account, as well as how to find out the password, you can easily solve your problem in a short time without outside help. So let's get started.

Method 1. Using an installation disk or recovery image

To do this, you will need a boot disk or flash drive with Windows, or a previously created recovery disk (this can also be a flash drive). If you may not be able to figure out the second one, since you are unlikely to constantly create fresh recovery disks, then the installation image can be downloaded from a large number of sites.

Insert the disk or flash drive into the PC, and in the BIOS, mark the media as a priority when booting. This is necessary so that loading occurs from external media, and not from the built-in hard drive.
Depending on the version of Windows, click Diagnostics - Advanced options - Command Prompt or System Restore - Next - Command Prompt.
When the command prompt opens, add regedit and press Enter.
Click on the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE section to highlight it, then click File - Load Hive.
In the window that opens, go to C:\Windows\System32\config (if the system is installed in a different partition, the address will be slightly different) and open the System.
Name the loading partition any name, for example, 555.
In the registry editor, look in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\555\Setup section and find the CmdLine and SetupType parameters there. Double-click on each of them and change the indicators to the following:
- CmdLine - cmd.exe.
- SetupType - 0 change to 2.
Select the 555 partition you created, then click File - Unload Hive.
Take out the flash drive or disk, close all active utilities, select “Reboot” in the main window of the recovery wizard.

After restarting, when you log in, the command line will be expanded. With its help we will perform further operations.

Password reset

To reset your password, use this command:

net user login password

This command is relevant if you remember the exact spelling of the username. If you forgot, type the command net user, after which all accounts saved on the PC will be displayed.

Create a new account

If you do not have any administrator account installed, you will need to create one by entering a few commands. To do this, enter them one by one on the command line:

net user login password /add

net localgroup Administrators login /add

net localgroup Users login /delete

The first command first creates a new account, then assigns it to the administrators group, and then removes it from the users group. After applying all the commands, close the Command Prompt.

By creating a new account with a new password, you will be able to log into Windows without any problems.

Note! You won’t be able to find out your password this way, you can only reset it!

Method 2. Using third-party utilities

Offline NT Password Editor

If the first method involved using standard Windows capabilities, then the second suggests using third-party utilities that allow you to reset the Windows 7 administrator password. One of the most acceptable is Offline NT Password Editor, which allows you to gain full access to the OS system partition. You can either remove or change the password, or activate the administrator account. The utility does not provide a graphical interface, but nevertheless it is not at all difficult to understand. Each step is numbered and indicates what you need to do. So, what are the steps you need to follow to reset your password using this utility?

On another computer or laptop, go to the developer’s website, in the Bootdisk section, scroll to Download and download the version you need. The file name consists of numbers and letters. If you want to create a boot disk, download the file with cd in the name, but if you use a flash drive, then usb.
If you are using a disk, write the downloaded image using a burning program, and if using a flash drive, then perform the following manipulations:
- Copy the contents of the archive to a USB flash drive without creating any additional files.
- Expand Command Prompt as Administrator.
- Use the command f:\syslinux.exe -ma f:, where instead of f write the letter under which the flash drive is identified in Windows Explorer. If it doesn’t give any error, it means everything was recorded as expected.
- Insert your external media into the computer, set it in the BIOS as the first one to boot, and turn on the computer. The utility interface should start instead of the Windows Welcome window.

Step 1

The first step is to select the hard drive partition on which Windows is installed. The program provides a list of disk partitions indicating their size, which is what you should focus on. If you remember that the system is usually installed on drive C, which is several times smaller than drive D, it will be quite difficult to make a mistake. Enter the numbers with the section number and press the Enter button.

Step 2

After this, the utility asks which part of the registry needs to be loaded. Select 1 - Password reset, press the corresponding number and confirm with Enter.

Step 3

Changing or resetting a password by editing user data in the registry. The utility will launch chntpw Main Interactive Menu, in which item 1 - Edit user data and passwords - is immediately selected. Confirm your selection by pressing the Enter button. If you need to change the password, select 2 - Edit (set new) user password.

In the menu that opens, chntpw Edit User Info & Passwords, all computer accounts are displayed, with their code designation in hexadecimal notation (RID column). We are interested in the administrator account; most often it is displayed first in the list and is selected by default. If the account name is displayed in English letters, type it in the input field under the table; if in Russian, then use the information from the RID column. The entry in the input field will be in the format 0xABCD, where instead of ABCD you need to put the value from the table. The selection is confirmed with the Enter button.

Next, the User Edit Menu is displayed with a list of actions that can be performed with the administrator account. Select 1 - Clear (blank) user password and confirm with Enter. The program should report a successful password reset.

Step 4

Saving the changes made (Step Four: Writing back changes). Press successively! and q to exit the previous menus, after which the utility will offer to save the changes by issuing the request “About to write file(s) back! Do it? Enter y, and at the next prompt type n.

To reboot, enter the command reboot or click on the small button on the computer system unit. The system will start you up without asking for a password. You can install it yourself in the account management menu.

ERD Commander

Another fairly advanced utility for resetting the Windows administrator password. First, you will need to create a bootable USB flash drive with the utility on your work computer. To do this:

Prepare a flash drive with a capacity of at least 1 GB, and also download the following four files: HPUSBDISK.zip, Ghost32.exe, Grub4dos.zip, ERD Commander image file in gho format.
Insert the flash drive into the computer, then run HPUSBdisk.exe, select your drive in the Device window, select File system as FAT32, and then click the Start button. The flash drive will be formatted, so make sure you save the important information stored on it somewhere.
Unpack the Grub4dos.zip archive and run grubinst_gui.exe, then select the flash drive in the Disk field and click the Install button at the very bottom. If the procedure completes successfully, you should see the following message: “The Mbr/bs has been successfully installed. Press to continue..." Now you can safely move on to the next stage.
Run Ghost32.exe - click Ok - Local - Disk - From Image, then select the ERD.gho file and click on it.
In the window that opens, select the flash drive, click Ok - Ok - Yes and wait until the bootable flash drive is completely created. This usually takes 10–15 minutes.

Now you have to work with the ERD Commander bootable flash drive. Here's what to do:

After connecting the flash drive to the computer, set the boot priority through the BIOS so that the flash drive comes first, and turn on the PC.
Select your version of Windows. If you confuse the system bit size, then it’s okay, just at the next stage the utility will give an error and you can repeat the procedure from the beginning.
After waiting for the download, select the installed operating system, click Next - Microsoft Diagnostics - Password Change Wizard.
You will see a window with a list of users and fields for entering a password. Select the administrator account, write down the new password and confirm it.
Remove the flash drive from the USB connector, boot into normal mode and use the new password.

Note! You won’t be able to find out your password this way, you can only delete it or set a new one!

Method 3. Substitution of system files

You've probably heard about the sticky keys feature. Simply press the Shift button 5 times quickly and a window will appear asking you to activate the mode. The file sethc.exe, located in the Windows system partition, is responsible for it. Interestingly, you can even activate it in the password entry window when Windows starts. But since the situation is that the user has forgotten it, we need to replace it with the cmd.exe file, which is responsible for opening the command prompt. How to do this?

Boot from external Windows media, in the installation window, click System Restore - Command Prompt.
Apply the following commands sequentially:
- copy c:\windows\system32\sethc.exe c:\- to create a backup copy of the sethc.exe utility.
- copy c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe c:\windows\system32\sethc.exe- to replace the file sethc.exe with cmd.exe.
Restart your computer normally.
When the password window appears, press the Shift button five times, which will open the Command Prompt.
To change your password, type the command net user login password, after which reboot again and now you will definitely be able to get into the system.

Note! You will not be able to find out the password this way, only delete it!

How to find out your account password

In this paragraph, we will learn how to hack the administrator password or simply find out it. Indeed, in many cases it is simply easier not to reset the password, but to simply assume that it is forgotten. To do this, we need the Ophcrack utility, which has the capabilities we need. It is capable of working in a graphical and text interface and, according to the creators, is able to find out almost any password stored on your system. How to use it?

Go to the official website and download the appropriate version: in the form of a program installation file if you can log into the system, or a Live CD to create bootable media if you can’t log into the system because you forgot your password.
Run the installation file or boot from a flash drive or disk and select the graphical or text interface of the utility.
Wait until the utility reads and displays the system passwords. Depending on the power of the computer, this may take different times.

That's all. As you can see, there is nothing complicated, and if your password is not too complex, then the program will help you find it. You will then be able to log in again and enter your access code. Practice shows that if the password is very complex, consisting of a combination of large and small letters, as well as numbers, then the program may not cope.

Conclusion

We hope that our instructions helped you in a situation where you forgot your Windows account password. You now know how to reset it and install a new one. If you still have questions, ask them in the comments.