"How do I reset my Windows XP Professional administrator password?" We all know password protection is extremely vital even if you're an individual user who only gets online once in a while. With the frequency of hacking instances on the rise, nobody can consider themselves immune to being attacked by malicious hackers.
The only problem is, passwords are easily forgotten, especially for strong ones. If you haven't logged into your system in a while and you have a unique password for your user account, it won't be surprising if you forgot the password on your next login.
So, how can you reset the password for Windows XP once you've forgotten it? Fortunately, there are a few ways in which you can reset your password and access your system again. However, you should only use methods that do not affect your data in any way. here are two methods that you can use to reset your Windows XP password.
Method 1: Reset Windows XP Local Administrator Password via Ctrl+Alt+Delete
In case your Windows XP system is setup to log you in with the welcome screen, you may be able to access the administrator account. Of course you can only use this method if there is no administrator password set.
When you boot up your Windows XP system, you will see the welcome screen. On that screen, you will need to press the Control + Alt + Delete key combination twice; this will load the user login panel. Click ok to see if you are able to login. If that doesn't work, try to type the word administrator into the username field and press OK again.
If this works for you go to the control panel go to user account and change account. Now select the account that you need to change the password for and follow the instructions you see on the screen. If that doesn't work you may need a special software to get you into your locked Windows XP system.
Method 2: Reset Windows XP Administrator Password with PassMoz
Another widely used method is by using password recovery software. Actually, there are many options you can choose from but it is not a simple task to find the best one. In this part, we will use PassMoz LabWin as we have tested it on multiple Windows XP machines and it worked pretty well. This premium utility is available as a free trial version so you can see what you're getting before you make a purchase.
The software is designed to be simple to use and does not require any additional installations for Windows account password reset. It also contains embedded ISO burning software so you don't have to use a separate utility for that. These are the steps you need to follow to use this intuitive software.
Step 1 Install PassMoz LabWin on Another PC
Download and install the software on a borrowed PC or laptop. You will need to do this in order to create the password reset disk that you will then use on the locked computer.
Step 2 Create Password Reset Disk from USB or CD/DVD
Open the program on the borrowed PC and then insert either a USB drive or CD / DVD. Now click on "Start Burn" and your password reset disk will be created in a few minutes. Now eject the bootable media from the borrowed PC and insert it into the locked Windows XP machine.
Step 3 Set Windows XP Password to Blank
Now boot up your Windows XP computer, but press the predefined key to enter the boot menu. Change the boot order preference by choosing the bootable media. You should now be able to see the software interface on your system.
In this step select the right Windows version, then select the user account you need to reset the password and click on "Reset Password". Then the password will be removed in a second. Click on "Reboot" button and you can log into Windows XP without inputting any password.
As you can see, the software is extremely simple and intuitive, and the process is very easy to follow. If you have any question regarding the step, please contact our support team for assistance.
Sumarry:
There are also several free software applications to reset your Windows XP password, but the problem with freeware is that updates are not always timely or even available. That means you may be using a really old version of the software which could be full of bugs. Remember that when you decide to use free software applications for any purpose.
