Password recovery W2K

[kelly]

I have a W2K machine in here that needs a user password to log in. It belongs to my niece's company. The owner is no longer employed and she wants to get into the machine.

Any ideas on how to get past the password entry?

[Seth]

You might be able to by logging in as the admin from Safe Mode.

Otherwise, EBCD (http://ebcd.pcministry.com/) can remove the password.

[Seth]

A repair install will do it too:D

[Seth]

Yet another way. (http://www.petri.co.il/change_user_password_from_the_command_prompt.htm)

I think there are some third party utilities that will show the password. They're not freeware though.

[kelly]

Thanks for the memory jog. I remembered that I have UBCD which I've never used. Reset pwd with it. We're good. Thanks.

[casey]

Is the password in the bios or OS?

[kelly]

It's the Windows password.

[Seth]

Thanks for the memory jog. I remembered that I have UBCD which I've never used. Reset pwd with it. We're good. Thanks.

No prob.

So that was the first time you used the password editor? It's a little tricky the first time. You seemed to have nailed it very quickly though.

[kelly]

Yeah - the first time thru, it didn't work. Then I read the instructions and realized that you had to keep going to actually save the changes.

[Seth]

I love this line:

"About to commit changes to the registry. Do it?"

[kelly]

yup = that made it all happen. Do it - you bet.