Resetting Your Forgotten Windows Password

Boot off the Windows disk and select the “Repair your computer” option from the lower left-hand corner

Follow through until you get to the option to open the Command Prompt, which you’ll want to select.

First you’ll want to type in the following command to backup the original sticky keys file:

copy c:\windows\system32\sethc.exe c:\

Then you’ll copy the command prompt executable (cmd.exe) over top of the sticky keys executable:

copy c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe c:\windows\system32\sethc.exe

Now you can reboot the PC.

Resetting the Password

Once you get to the login screen, hit the Shift key 5 times, and you’ll see an administrator mode command prompt.

Now to reset the password—just type the following command, replacing the username and password with the combination you want:

net user geek MyNewPassword

That’s all there is to it. Now you can login.

Of course, you’ll probably want to put the original sethc.exe file back, which you can do by rebooting into the installation CD, opening the command prompt, and copying the c:\sethc.exe file back to c:\windows\system32\sethc.exe.

 Reset Password with Command Prompt in Safe Mode

Windows 7 and earlier versions have a built-in hidden Administrator account which has no password by default. After forgetting the password to your regular account, you can access the built-in Administrator account in Safe Mode, and then reset your forgotten password with Command Prompt.

1. While starting the computer, hold down the F8 key until the Advanced Boot Options screen appears. Using the arrow keys to select "Safe Mode with Command Prompt" and press Enter.
   
2. You will see the hidden Administrator account available on the login screen. Once logging in, the system will automatically launch the Command Prompt with admin rights.
3. Run the following command and you can reset forgotten Windows 7 password in no time.

   net user username new_password

   

Note that this method doesn't work if the hidden Administrator account is disabled.

Reset Windows 7 Password Using the Utilman.exe Trick

This trick based on the substitution of the Utility Manager (Utilman.exe) program that can be used during logon screen with Command Prompt (cmd.exe), so you can access Command Prompt from the login screen and reset your Windows 7 password quickly. Follow these steps:

1. Boot your computer from Windows 7 installation disk. When the Install Windows screen appears, press SHIFT + F10 keys to open the Command Prompt.
2. Type in the following commands. Replace C: with the drive where your Windows 7 system was installed.

   C:
   cd windows\system32
   ren Utilman.exe Utilman.exe.bak
   copy cmd.exe Utilman.exe

   
3. That's all we need to do here. Close the Command Prompt and the Install Windows dialog to restart you computer.
   
4. Let the Windows 7 boots normally this time. At login screen click the Ease of Access icon, it will launch the Command Prompt window. You can then run the following command to reset your forgotten password.

   net user username new_password

   
5. Close the Command Prompt and you can use the new password to log in. Don't forget to restore the original Utilman.exe file back.