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I am trying to reset the password from the command line using net user admin * but it's giving me a system 5 (Access Denied) error!!!

How do I go about resetting the Windows XP admin password if I've forgotten it?

Help will be highly appreciated.

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Are you trying to break into a Windows XP machine that you don't have access to? Or are you trying to add another legitimate XP account to a the machine? – bobmagoo Aug 26 '12 at 11:12
Actually I have forgotten my personal laptop admin password that I set so need to break it up now. – Kuldeep Aug 26 '12 at 11:14

closed as off topic by SvW, EEAA, Khaled, HopelessN00b, John Gardeniers Aug 26 '12 at 11:39

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1 Answer

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You'll need to use a password recovery tool independent of the local operating system. Don't worry though, the tools are well established and relatively easy to use.

  1. Go to http://pogostick.net/~pnh/ntpasswd/ and download the CD image.
  2. Burn the ISO to a disk (instructions here)
  3. Boot your laptop from the CD that you just burned.
  4. Follow the instructions in the screen that pops up (also referenced on the link in Step #1). You'll mostly be following the default options and selecting the user whose password you want to reset.
  5. Make sure to write the changes before rebooting.
  6. Log in
  7. Do happy dance.

If you want more overall ideas, check out http://www.petri.co.il/forgot_administrator_password.htm

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