Sys. admin password reset a NO-NO subject?

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chasthur - 11 Jan 2007 21:34 GMT

A novice here. My neighbor lady, elderly like me, has forgotten her
admin password. I googled a Q. and the very first entry was from
'Windows Keys' that said for $45 they'd fix the prob with a download.
So.... it sounded too easy so I posted in another forum asking if it
was a legit deal..?

Was politely, but rather coldly, told that they do NOT deal with
password Qs and the thread was closed and I could appreciate the
reason? Fact is I'm a little dense about this matter and still don't
know whether to pop $45 to try to get poor Cynthia's Emachine going for
her!!

Is the PW site a rip-off or it works and Windows doesn't approve or
what? Can someone just kinda hint why this "P-word" won't be
addressed?

Chas. (scratching my head)

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chasthur

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DanS - 11 Jan 2007 23:01 GMT

> A novice here. My neighbor lady, elderly like me, has forgotten her
> admin password. I googled a Q. and the very first entry was from
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
>
> Chas. (scratching my head)

Who knows why password questions like that would not be answered. Someone
thinking they are holier than thou. We also have no idea where you posted
that question either.

MS can tell you how to do it.

Here is a M$ link:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/894900/

If that doesn't do it, here's a link to a password reset utility:

http://home.eunet.no/pnordahl/ntpasswd/

This one actually works, and I have used it several times. You can reset
ANY password, including the Administrator account, and you do NOT need to
know the password to change it.

(Read everything very carefully and be sure you understand what to do
before going forward.)

Regards,

DanS

And here is a link to

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chasthur - 12 Jan 2007 00:14 GMT

DanS Wrote:

> -
>
[quoted text clipped - 49 lines]
>
> And here is a link to

Thank you very much, Dan, I'll give the 2nd link a try. The forum I
asked in was windows BBS which has been very helpful in the past. If I
read that link 30 or 40 times I might work up the nerve to give it a
shot!!

Chas.

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chasthur

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Bruce Chambers - 12 Jan 2007 02:23 GMT

> A novice here. My neighbor lady, elderly like me, has forgotten her
> admin password. I googled a Q. and the very first entry was from
> 'Windows Keys' that said for $45 they'd fix the prob with a download.
> So.... it sounded too easy so I posted in another forum asking if it
> was a legit deal..?

Well, if you want to pay for something that widely available free of
charge, the choice is yours. ;-}

> Was politely, but rather coldly, told that they do NOT deal with
> password Qs and the thread was closed and I could appreciate the
> reason?

Some ultra-security-conscious people don't like dealing with password
issues because they've no real way of know if your question was
legitimate, or if it was posted by some 13-year-old trying to gets past
his parents' or his school's restrictions. So they play it safe.

> Fact is I'm a little dense about this matter and still don't
> know whether to pop $45 to try to get poor Cynthia's Emachine going for
> her!!
>
> Is the PW site a rip-off or it works

Pretty much, yes.

> and Windows doesn't approve or
> what?

Nope.

Simply log in using the built-in Administrator account (which
cannot be deleted) and modify the desired account(s) and use Start > Run

> "control userpasswords2" to modify the desired account(s).

By design, the only way to log into the Administrator account of WinXP
Home is to reboot into Safe Mode. For WinXP Pro, pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL
twice at the Welcome Screen will produce the standard login dialog box.

How to Log On to Windows XP If You Forget Your Password or Your
Password Expires
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q321305

Failing that, Linux-based password cracking utilities abound on the
Internet, freely available to anyone who can use Google.

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Bruce Chambers

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