Quite often, in an attempt to protect our computer from prying eyes and hands, we set a password to enter the system. And everything would be fine if the human brain also stored information reliably, like a computer, but sometimes we tend to forget even the most important things. And now, the usual problem and the standard question: "What if I forgot the password from the computer?"
Most often, "well-wishers" are advised not to play and feel free to reinstall the OS. This is not to say that advice does not help, but why complicate things when everything can be done much faster and easier. If we are not talking about a “secure” BIOS, then it’s easier to find out how to reset the password intended for the account if you forget the user password.
The easiest way to regain access to your computer is the ERD Commander program. Type in a search engine. The utility is freely available and distributed, so downloading a disk image will not be difficult.
Record the image using any disc burning program , or make a bootable USB flash drive and boot from it. Restart the computer and enter the BIOS, in it you need to change the boot priority. If you want to boot from the disk, change the First Boot Device Priority value (usually called so) to a DVD drive or USB HDD in case of boot from a USB flash drive. We are loading and if the owner has forgotten the user's password, we select the first item. Hit Enter. Then the download will go through and the OS selection will appear. Choose the one (if there is something to choose from) to which access is lost. We find the "Start" menu, go to the "System", then look for the Wizard to change the password. Click and select "Next" in the window. Now you need to enter "New Password" and "Confirm Password" you must ALWAYS enter new values. This password will be temporary and must be changed when loading Windows. You can even enter “1” as a password, enter and confirm the main thing. Click the “Next” and “Finish” buttons. At the first boot, the OS will issue a warning that you need to change the password. Agree, and change the temporary to permanent, or leave the confirmation field blank. In this case, the protection function will be removed automatically. Now it’s clear what to do when the owner forgot the user password for Windows XP.
But what if I forget the password from the computer on which Windows 7 is installed?
The order is the same as in the case of XP. Download, record, assign, launch, but ... For this, we need to run Microsoft Diagnostics and Recovery Toolset. It has several tools that restore the system, and among them we need to select the "Password Change Wizard". And then already, as described above. As a result, instead of complicated explanations of how to reset the password, we technically replace it. Fast and efficient.
If the owner does not know what to do, if he forgot the password from the computer, and the method described above did not help (which is unlikely), there are many other utilities. True, other methods do not work as fast, but efficiency is guaranteed. These utilities can reset any password. The principle of operation is simple. The minimum version of an alternative OS, such as Linux or DOS, is loaded. With their help, you can open access to the password archive, and more specifically to encrypted files that store autofill forms in memory. Examples of the use of such hacking can be easily found on the Internet. But this is still a hack and it leads to consequences. You lose access to all data that has been encrypted. What to do? If you forgot your computer password, but all files are needed in integrity, then you need to act like this. Launch an alternative operating system and decoder. Most often they use LC4 or Proactive Windows Security Explorer. These programs, character by character, perform password guessing. They do not crack it, but pick it up and restore it. Such a process can take from one hour to a week (!). It all depends on the complexity of the combination.
There is a choice of methods. By and large, it all depends on your free time and ability to navigate in the utilities and software device of the computer.