How to Get Past the Windows Login Password

Windows password protected accounts are a useful security feature that limits account access to authorized individuals who can remember their passwords. Password protected accounts are less useful for authorized individuals who have forgotten their passwords. If you are one of these people, don't lose hope. A registry editing program, NTpasswd, will allow you to reset user passwords to blank, allowing you to bypass the password on any system running Windows 2000 through Windows 7. Alternatively, you can attempt to log in to an administrator account on Windows XP to reset your account's password. Windows 2000 or XP users can also use DreamPack PL to log in to Windows without changing any passwords.

NTpasswd

• 1

  Download a bootable CD image of NTpasswd from the page in the resources section. Extract the image to your desktop and burn it to a blank CD using your image burning software.

• 2

  Insert the CD into the computer on which you need to bypass the Windows password. Restart the computer and boot into BIOS.

• 3

  Reconfigure the boot order so that your computer attempts to boot from a CD before booting from the hard drive. Save changes and exit BIOS. Your computer should reboot and load the password editor.

• 4

  Press "Enter" to start the program. It will display a lot of output while it initializes and installs the drivers for your hardware. When it is done, it will display a list of the hard drives on your computer and a short menu.

• 5

  Type the number of the hard drive that contains the Windows installation in which you want to log in. You can identify the proper drive by size or location. Press "Enter."

• 6

  Type the path to the Windows registry directory if it is different from the displayed directory. Unless you changed a setting during Windows installation, you can just press "Enter."

• 7

  Press "Enter" when asked what part of registry to load. Press "Enter" again to select "Edit user data and passwords."

• 8

  Type the name of the user account for which you want to reset the password. Press "Enter." Press "Enter" again to reset the user's password.

• 9

  Type "!" then press "Enter" to go back to the previous screen. Type "q" and press "Enter" to quit the program. Type "y" and press "Enter" to save changes. Once changes are saved press "Ctrl" + "Alt" + "Del" to reboot.

• 10

  Remove the CD from the drive before the computer boots. You will now be able to log in without a password.

Administrator Login

• 1

  Restart your computer. Repeatedly press "F8" as your computer loads to access the Windows Boot Menu. If Windows starts to load without displaying the menu, restart your computer and try again.

• 2

  Select "Safe Mode" from the boot menu and press "Enter" to boot into Safe Mode.

• 3

  Log in to the computer's default administrator account. If no administrator account is visible press "CTRL" + "ALT" + "DEL" at the same time, twice.

• 4

  Select "Administrative Tools" from the control panel. Open "Computer Management." Select "Local Users and Groups" then the "Users" folder.

• 5

  Right-click on your account and select "Set Password." Enter a new password. Save changes, restart your computer, and log in to your account.

DreamPack PL

• 1

  Download a bootable CD image of DreamPack PL from the page in the resources section. Extract the image to your desktop and burn it to a blank CD using your image burning software.

• 2

  Insert the CD into the computer on which you need to bypass the Windows password. Restart the computer and boot into BIOS.

• 3

  Reconfigure the boot order so that your computer attempts to boot from a CD before booting from the hard drive. Save changes and exit BIOS. Your computer should reboot and load the password editor.

• 4

  Press "R" then "C" once Windows setup loads. Select the Windows installation to which you want to log in. Typically this will be the first installation.

• 5

  Type "ren C:\Windows\System32\sfcfiles.dll sfcfiles.lld" and press "Enter." Then type "copy D:\i386\pinball.ex_ C:\Windows\System32\sfcfiles.dll" and press "Enter." If these commands return errors, replace the first letter of the second command with the letter representing your disc drive.

• 6

  Type "exit" and press "Enter." Remove the disc and restart your computer.

• 7

  When Windows prompts you for a password enter "dreamon" and press "OK" to log in. The computer will automatically display the DreamPack program.

• 8

  Click on the image at the top of the DreamPack program to bring up the menu. Go to "Commands" and enable the "god" command. Click "OK." You can now use "god" as a password to log in to Windows.