What if I forget my login password in Windows XP?
Many people create passwords that they don’t remember. Actually it is easy to fix IF somebody didn’t put a password in the Administrator section.
Here is what to do: When you first start your computer start tapping the F8 key. This should take you to a menu screen. Select “Safe Mode”. It will take fairly long but be sure to wait. Go get a coffee if need be. Do not keep rebooting the computer. This may corrupt the registry and you would need to reload the operating system.
Once you are on the Safe Mode screen click the Start button. Then click “Control Panel”. If you are in classic view double click User Accounts. If you are in category view left click user accounts. You should see a screen that allows you to change an account. Click on “Change an Account”. Left click the account you want to change. You will see three long blank rectangular blocks. Leave them blank. It is very important that you do not put anything in these blocks. In the lower right corner of the screen click the block that says “change Password”. You are done. Now reboot the computer and you should be able to log in.
What if this doesn’t work?
Periodically somebody puts a password for the administrator. If this happens you could have big problems. For one thing you need to back up data that may be on the computer. If you don’t know how to do that take it to somebody that does. Then reload the operating system. I realize this seems desperate but it is the only way you can override the password fields. In Widows 98 and below you could have easily bypassed these fields but not any more. WARNING! If you do reload the operating system it will remove any data or programs you used to have. That is why you must back up any information your ever want to see again. Look for a restore capability. Some computers come with the ability to restore them very easily. This method will bring the computer to the condition it was when you bought it.
Are there other ways?
Yes and no! If you take it to a technician it may cost you quite a bit of money. I have seen people actually buy new computers just because they couldn’t get logged in. This is absolutely dumb. At least take it to somebody and have them give you an estimate and opinion. This is no time to act ignorant, If you do some companies will take advantage of you and charge you an arm and a leg.
How can I keep my password safe and still keep track of it. A password should be at least 8 characters long and should contain at least one number and capital letter. DO NOT use your cat or dog’s name or your birthday or any family name. Make up something that nobody can guess and memorize it. DO NOT put it on a sticky note on your monitor. Write it down but put it in a safe place. I keep it in a binder. Roboform is a great program if you have a lot of passwords to remember. This program has one master password.
Please remember that passwords are there to protect you. Certain people hate passwords. I have had people take there password off only to have their personal information stolen or destroyed be somebody that hates them.
Dennis is a Microsoft A+ Certified Technician with over 15 years of experience. He has a very informative computer blog and website that goes into how to solve numerous computer related problems as well as providing general computer tips, reviews and advice. See: http://www.pcinfospace.com Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/security-articles/what-if-i-forget-my-login-password-in-windows-xp-965138.html
If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
If you enjoyed this post, make sure you subscribe to my RSS feed!
Related Posts - Spyware Stop - How Do I Get Rid Of Spyware Ever wondered what it's like when your accounts have been hacked? Have you ever wondered how it feels when your money from your bank account was stolen? I'm sure you don't want to experience this misfortune. But this can happen if your computer will be infiltrated by a spyware. A......
- Turn Your Slow Computer Into a Fast Computer with Ease A slow computer can be very annoying. I have never met a person who actually enjoyed having a computer work slowly. The problem that most people have is that they don’t know how to get their computer working quickly again. Most people just put up with it and figure that......
- The Top Five Ways To Protect Yourself From Online Fraud Susan Littlegate has been a victim of online fraud not once but twice. In September last year her debit card was used in bank fraud transactions in Brazil, on the over side of the world. Luckily her bank spotted the irregularity of the transaction and cancelled it. The second time......
- Removing RegistryDefender Might Take a Reliable Malware Removal Program Lately there have been more and more programs like RegistryDefender that are not technically dangerous to have on your computer, but are definitely rogue programs that are simply just scams. Some of these rogue programs are very dangerous, though RegistryDefender is sometimes reported as not being seriously malicious. These new......
- Why do you need computer security? Computers are an inseparable part of our lives today, life that has increasingly become technology driven. Besides work, we use computers for communicating, banking, entertainment, research – just to name a few. Besides hardware, security of the new-age machines is threatened by malicious software, viruses, Trojans etc. all designed to......
Related Websites - Best Free VOIP Setup Using SIP (the most standard open-source protocol), this guide will show you how to get FREE incoming(with your own call-in number!) & outgoing calls through your softphone with multiple voip providers, along with setting up your sip address.As you can saw in my previous post about softphones, I did......
-
Turning Blog Visitors into Blog Readers One of the most important things that you can understand when it comes to your blog and attracting readers is that there is a difference between people who are blog visitors and people who are blog readers. Blog visitors are people that are attracted to your blog for one reason...... - Tech Trend: Cloud Computing All internet users should be familiar with cloud computing. Anyone that uses a web-based e-mail service (think Gmail or Hotmail or Yahoo!), or manages a social networking profile (such as Facebook or Twitter) should be familiar with the cloud computing concept. We are moving our lives progressively to the web.......
-
Quicken 2010 Review - Home & Business Review I won’t lie, I am a Mint user. I love Mint’s simplicity, functionality, and, well, prettiness. There, I said it. However, I wanted to see what all of the Quicken hype is about. And not to mention, I got it for free from work as part of a drive towards...... -
Driving The Success Of Your MLM Business So the other day I was driving home is heavy traffic and a thought crossed my mind. Building your Network Marketing business is very similar to the afternoon commute, follow me on this one. Can you picture the people who zip from lane to lane trying to get those few......
« HomeAntivirus2009 – Don’t Waste Your Money | Home | Difference between Virus and Worm »
Comments
Trackbacks
Leave a Comment