Chosen Solution
I reloaded Windows XP and the log on password reset and I can’t log on. I don’t have password reset disk either.
Free solution. Press F11 button while powering up. Follow instructions for factory reset. Computer will be left in as new condition and all your files are gone but you can set a new password now.
Clane, You have a few options available to you; First of all I would try the simplest route. There is an Administrator account that is created with every windows Xp install. At the login screen, hit alt+ctrl+del 2 times, it should give you another login box, it may have a user name already inside it. Delete the user name, and type, “Administrator” no quotes. Hit enter, and it should log you in with admin privileges. From there goto Control Panel > User Accounts and change the passwords to your liking. Second you can use the F8 key during windows startup. Continually hit F8 when your computer first turns on, BEFORE the windows screen loads. It will prompt you with choices on how to boot windows. Choose Safe Mode, and goto Control Panel > User Accounts and change the passwords there. Good luck!
For those who are locked out of their computer and want their data, and in case a password removal disk did not work, here’s a fix I use all the time:
- Power down laptop, disconnect from charger, remove or disconnect battery;
- Remove HDD;
- Put it in a USB enclosure; connect it to a Mac or Linux based system; if it’s a Mac, make sure it has something like “Paragon NTFS” installed in order for it to read NTFS drives;
- Access the “user” files as if it was an external storage, and copy the needed data;
- Put back the hard disk in your computer, reconnect battery;
- Format or reset to factory settings depending on what configuration you have, such as access from a different admin user. Re-install OS, softwares, and copy data back. Lengthy, but works every time.
