This article shows 4 options to help you recover or reset windows password and regain access to your locked computer when you forgot Windows password.
Forgot Windows password? Don't feel frustrated or annoyed. Windows has some handy features that allow you to recover or reset Windows password on your own,
for whatever reason you cannot gain access to your user account. Below are listed 4 of them. These Windows password reset methods will work in all versions of Windows like Windows 7, Vista and XP.
Option 1: Windows Password Hint
Whenever you create or change Windows password, there will be an opportunity to type a password hint to help you remember the password. When you enter a wrong password in the Windows logon screen, the password hint will be displayed to remind you of how you made up your password (if you have created one). This is the easiest method to recover a lost password in Windows as far as I know. To in case that others will take advantage of the password hint, please note it should be vague enough so that nobody else can guess your password, but clear enough that it will remind you of your password.
Option 2: Windows Password Reset Disk
This is an easy and effective method but you must have created a Windows password reset disk first, before you lost Windows password. But please note that the password reset disk will only work for the account it was created for and cannot be used to reset the password of another account.
To create a password reset disk, you firstly need to log on Windows and enter User Accounts by clicking Start button, Control Panel, User and Family Safety, and User Accounts. Then you can click Create a password reset disk on the left pane (Just as shown on the below picture). A password reset disk wizard will come up, and then you can follow it to create a password reset disk.
If you forgot Windows password, boot your computer to enter Windows logon screen. You'll get the reset password option when you type an incorrect password at the logon screen and press Enter. Click on the option and the password reset wizard will pop up to guide you to reset Windows password.
Option 3: System Recovery Options
Apart from Create a password reset disk, the System Recovery Options can also help you when you need to reset Windows password. You can either use a Windows installation disc or the recovery options provided by your computer manufacturer to access the System Recovery Options. Of course, you can also create a system repair disc by yourself.
1. Type system repair disc into the search box in the Start menu and press Enter.
2. Insert a CD/DVD into the optical drive and hit Create disc.
This creates the system repair disc. To start the System Recovery Options, insert the system repair disc into the optical drive and reboot the PC via the disc. Select your Windows installation from the list when prompted. The System Recovery Options are now displayed.
Option 4: Windows Password Reset Software
Considering that many users never create a password reset disk or system repair disc, here we list option 4 - Windows Password Reset Software. The big advantage of this option is that you can reset the password easily in 5 minutes, without doing anything to in case of a lost password, like creating a disk. And it can help you reset Windows password whether you can log on your PC or not. There is plenty of such software on the Internet. Here we suggest Windows Login Recovery.
1. Download and Install Windows Login Recovery in any accessible computer.
2. Create a bootable CD/DVD or USB flash drive with the software.
3. Set CD-ROM or USB device as the first boot device in BIOS for your PC.
4. Boot your PC from the created CD/DVD or USB flash drive and reset Windows password.
