Buzz
Sometimes, you might forget your password, but don't worry, it's not the end of the world. With just a few steps on your computer, you can reset the password for any Windows 7 user account. All you need is a Windows 7 installation disc, which you can easily create without spending any money.
Steps
Find or Create a Windows 7 Installation Disc. To crack a user password, you need to boot the computer from a Windows 7 installation disc. Here are a few ways to begin:
- Any Windows 7 installation disc will work, so you can buy one or borrow it from someone.
- You can download the Windows 7 ISO file and burn it to a disc to create your own installation disc. The ISO file can be downloaded legally from Microsoft if you have a product key. Alternatively, you can find ISO files from various torrent websites. Burn the ISO image to a blank DVD by right-clicking on the file and selecting "Burn to Disc" (for Windows 7 and later). You can also search online for more detailed instructions on how to create a recovery disc for Windows 7.
Insert the Windows 7 Installation Disc and Restart the Computer. The computer will boot from the installation disc instead of loading Windows 7 as usual.
Press a key to access your computer's BIOS or boot menu. The key may vary depending on the manufacturer. The key will be displayed on the screen as the computer starts. You must press this key before Windows begins loading. Accessing the boot menu directly instead of the BIOS is quicker, though not all computers support this feature.
- Common keys include F2, F10, F11, or Del.
Select the drive from the boot menu. If you're booting directly from the boot menu, choose the drive containing the Windows 7 installation disc. If you're in the BIOS, navigate to the boot section using the keyboard and change the boot order so that the drive with the Windows 7 installation is listed first.
Boot the system from the Windows 7 installation disc and start Windows Setup. If you're in the BIOS, save the changes and exit to reboot the computer from the installation disc. Once prompted, press any key to begin Windows Setup.
Set language and input preferences. On the first screen that appears, you'll be asked to choose your language and input settings. You can usually leave the default options as they are.
Click on the "Repair your computer" link on the "Install now" screen. Instead of clicking "Install now" to start the Windows 7 installation process, click on the "Repair your computer" button in the bottom-left corner of the window.
Select "Windows 7" from the operating system list. This list includes all the operating systems installed on your computer. Most computers will show only one operating system in this list.
Click the "Command Prompt" link in the next window. The Command Prompt will appear.
Enter the following commands in order. These four commands will grant you access to Command Prompt from the Windows Login screen. This is to allow you to reset the password after Windows loads. Please enter each command in sequence and press ↵ Enter after each command:
C:\
cd windows\system32
ren utilman.exe utilman.exe.bak
copy cmd.exe utilman.exe
Remove the installation disk and restart your computer. Now you can allow Windows 7 to boot as usual.
Press .⊞ Win+U on the Windows Login screen to open Command Prompt. Normally, this command would open the Accessibility Manager program, but the previous commands you entered renamed the program so that Command Prompt opens instead.
Type net user and press Enter to see a list of all the usernames on your computer. You will see all user accounts listed here.
Change the password of the account you wish to access. Use the net user command to modify any user's password. Enter the command and press ↵ Enter, and be sure to replace username with the name of the user whose password you wish to reset. If there are spaces in the username, put it in quotation marks. You will be prompted to enter the new password twice.
- net user username *
- For example, to reset the password for the user Le Thao, you would type net user "Le Thao" * and hit ↵ Enter.
Use the newly created password to log in. After updating the password in Command Prompt, you can immediately use the new password to sign into Windows Login. Simply select the user whose password you just changed and enter the new password.
Undo the changes made in Command Prompt. Now that you've successfully changed the password and logged in, you should restore the utilman.exe file in case anyone needs to access the Accessibility Center. Open Command Prompt from the Start menu and enter the following commands one by one:
C:\
cd windows\system32
del utilman.exe
ren utilman.exe.bak utilman.exe
