Windows XP administrator password LOST !!!

Also I only had a single account in the administrator group,
the other accounts are on "limited features"

Although not a fix for the lost password the following would allow you to get access to your documents so you can copy them off your machine.

If you have access to another Windows XP machine where you have administrator rights plug your hard drive in as a secondary drive, this will allow you to access your files and copy them off.

I haven't tested this, but in theory it should work since you can take over files on another installation if you are logged in as administrator.

There is a LINUX program at http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/ which allows you to set the Windows 2000 (or NT) password to whatever you choose.   This procedure creates a bootable LINUX diskette from which you do your magic to the Windows 2000 system.  Just follow the detailed instructions.  I have used this several times and have always had success.  Hope this helps.

if u r drive is fat32 u connect this drive as secondary in win98 or any one and go to the secondary drive choose winnt folder. There u copy logon scr and command.com in to separate folder for backup , then u copy the logon scr file and paste it in to the command.com file. now u remove that secondary drive and boot it. you will wait up to 30 or 50 min's. at last it gives the user name password screen, there u type username as administrator and give the blank passwd or give ur own passwd.

if you have winternals ERD its simple. use the locksmith to create a new password and your done.

for solving thisproblem, there is another simple way. there are SAM flies in the hard disk. you boot on your computer upto the MSDOS prompt using any of the boot disk of eithr win98,2000. then find the SAM file under C\Windows\repair and copy and paste it in the c:\windows\system32\config folder. there alredy exists a file and replace that file. then restart your pc and it would not ask for password. then go to control panel and then reactivate the user accounts.

"Krishnaraju" - Good try.  :-)

... and tattoo the password on you hand so it does not wash off.

HEY LISTEN TO BLYONS48 AND FOLLOW HIS LINK. forget the other flood of info you got here. I remove my boss's computer from the domain away from the domain and I had all kinds of problems. For some reason the local admin password no longer worked. I got back in with that Linux floppy in 30 seconds. It works every time!!!

You could simply take the hard disk to another computer, and make it as s slave and get your documents and important things all back.

CrazyOne and blyons48 are right on the money as parsec5 says!Absolutely the EASIEST PW recovery/reset I have used in the last 10 years!!! On XP Pro & W2k [pro & server]it works like a champ!!!!
thanks
pmik

If you have a Dell purchased within the last year just call tech support and they can fix you up without needing to install anything.  (Don't bother to email, BTW, or you'll be dealing with the Three Stooges.)

This Should help.

go to http://www.atstake.com and get their LC4 software. This SW will get the PW at most in a week.

Log onto any account you can.

See if you can run this program:
http://www.ntfs.com/products.htm (NTFS Reader for DOS)

You can also download a boot disk image from that site (see: http://www.ntfs.com/boot-disk.htm ), and it'll make a disk for you with it on it along with a bunch of other stuff.

Use another Xp machine .
create same user in it. Go to control panel -> user account -> click Administrator (same user) account .
on left side u will get recover forgotten password . click it . It will ask for floppy . Insert it.

Then go to that xp machine , where u forgotton your password.
Boot the system . When user Login screen appear , insert your floppy .
Click on user , whose pasword u lost .

Then u can recover your password.

I don't think that would work because I think that utility bases the recovery info on the SID.

There is new free tool for get full access to Windows 2000/XP.
DreamPackPL give access to system without reset/overwrite old passwords, therefore EFS encrypted file(s) will be still readable. It can help if You forgot the password or user name.
With this tool You can do:
- execute any program at the logon desktop with system privileges,
- load Explorer shell into new desktop and work as impersonate user with system privelges,
- display local accounts list (user names) in logon desktop,
- turn off/on logon password check (full access to every local account).

All You must do is: boot from CD, copy one file into system32 directory (in Recovery Console) and restart computer. Boot CD You can simply create in other 2000/XP system. You put Windows installation CD (2000 or XP) into CD-ROM drive and DreamPack will create ISO CD image, that You can then burn with any program.

This tool was tested up to now only on Windows in polish version.
Link: http://www.d--b.webpark.pl

If you haven't update Service Packs,type this command in DOS

netuser (username) (password)

This should reset the administrator password.

You could also access the SAM file and save it up into Floppy using DOS and used lOpht Crack to decode the password.

alokagarwal00, a comment about your idea of having to reformat if you forget the local admin password: all these solutions require physical access to the machine.  Microsoft's position on this is if someone has physical access to a machine, then it's already compromised.  I've read this comment a few times in relation to Microsoft's security concepts.

If your data is that super-sensitive, then it should be on a machine that is physically secured.

Regarding Regeneration's comment:
What does that do exactly? Once I type that in, it will change the password. For example, if the administrator account was George, I would type in 'netuser (George) is there a space here? (then the password I want)?

In cases when this happens, I use Winternals software.
ERD Commander 2003 provides all functionality you need.
If you are working as a consultant I would recommend ERD Commander 2003 from Winternals.

You find it here: http://www.winternals.com/products/repairandrecovery/erdcommander2002.asp?pid=erd

It lets you boot from a CD and have a windows looking GUI.
I have done this about 30-50 times, and have allways succeded!

Other tools might be free, but I have not experience with this tools.
Do it fast! Do it secure! Use ERD COmmander 2003

Regards,
Trond

this can also be done with another HDD that you boot the OS from and then access the files

I have need to reset passwords on about 30 systems, all the same. The company went out of business and passwords are lost. These computers, Compaq's, 17"monitor, floppy drive, slow hard drive and Windows 2000, I assume NTFS file system, are pretty slow. They are now going for use in a foster home with about 30 teenage girls who have never used computers before. I'll setup a local network so all can share a printer.

Please, someone, summerize all the above to a single simple solution.

Thanks,

Reggie
Fort Lauderdale Florida

Download NTFS DOS

http://www.sysinternals.com/ntw2k/freeware/ntfsdospro.shtml
    <bottom of page>
or
http://www.ntfs.com/boot-disk.htm

Boot to the floppy

then delete
C:\WINDOWS\system32\config\SAM
or
C:\WINNT\system32\config\SAM

This is the SAM database - Deleteing this file will blank the Administrators password on the machine

Thorkyl

HOW ABOUT THE EASIEST ONE OF THE LOT JUST REBOOT THE PC PRESS F8 REPEATIDLY AND START THE PC IN SAFE MODE THEN GOTO THE CONTROL PANEL AND HEY PRESTO CHANGE THE ADMINISTRATOR PASSWORD

NOW THAT WASNT HARD AND IT WORKED FOR ME WHEN I FORGOT THE ADMIN PASSWORD TO MY LAPTOP

MICHAEL

Thorkyl, I thought I posted a reply days ago.... Seems the systems are NT's, early versions - so - easy way is to install win98se and I'm taking it. The programs to access the SAM file did not work as the programs (could not find a freeware one) did not write and read.

My comment to MICHAEL...   I do not think NTFS allows that to be done. Please expand on what worked for you. What OS? etc.

To all, thanks!

Reggie

This worked on Windows XP Pro, I was working late one night and it was about 4am and we had serious problems with our server. I had to copy all the data on to my laptop whilst i rebuilt the server. For some strange reason i logged off and i couldnt rememner a) my own password with admin rights or (B) just for the fact that i had never used it
After i rebuilt the server i logged onto the net and had a look around and i found a website that suggested this and i tried it and it worked.
I was extremely surprised (and relieved at the same time)

Try it and report back if you can?

If you have to paperwork for your motherboard you can look up the pin seting for your CMOS.

If clearing the password, the BIOS resets the CMOS values so that no password is set, and the user can then enter Setup or start up the operating system directly.
Pins 1-2 covered: use the password in CMOS
Pins 2-3 covered: clear the password

Just lift the black jumper over 1 pole then back again in order to reset. make sure your power is off and you are grounded dont do this on carpet in case of ESD

hope this helps.

Systemworx, 7-8-04,

Maybe I am missing more than my password, but what website are you referring to?

:-E

Hello Guys,
                In my network when my windows passwords are lost i take these steps
               Suppose
               the system whose password is lost is my Pc1
               the system which will help me removing the password will be pc2

            I remove the harddisk from pc1 and put it in pc2 i make pc1 harddisk slave to pc2 then i log on to the windows of pc2 hopefully it shows me the drives of pc1 too .... i go the following path
 
pc1s system folder \WINDOWS\system32\config

Then I delete the SAM File .. from it

simple and i can then log on to it wid blank password

U Can Also Do This if u got 2 windows in ur system by log on the another windows and deleting sam file

Notice ::: This Will Delete All The Accounts From Ur System ...

 One interesting way of getting files of a protected volume is to make a GHOST image of the drive.
 Then, you can use Ghost Explorer to browse the compressed image, and get whatever files you need off of there.

http://www.ntfs.com/boot-disk.htm

Boot to the floppy

then delete
C:\WINDOWS\system32\config\SAM
or
C:\WINNT\system32\config\SAM

This is the SAM database - Deleteing this file will blank the Administrators password on the machine

how do I delete thr SAM folder?

Bobby, I am gussing that you never used The Administrator account. Try this out. When you get to the login screen for windows, hit ALT-CTRL-DELETE. For username, type Administrator, and the password is blank. Then go to START>RUN> and type "control userpasswords2" without quotes. Here you can manage all the passwords for the users on that computer.

BMK

Well if the other user name you created has Administrator Rights then put the Curosor over the Start Button and Right Click Explore All Users that will take you to a windows Explorer window with all of your files in that user If they are There My Documents they should be there

any of these make a bootable cd? i have a dell laptop with no floppy drive. also, systemworx, when i boot into safe mode, i get a ctrl+alt+delete to login just like i would normally. that doesn't help if i don't know the password...

use o&o 's bluecon bootdisk to boot computer,
type passwd administrator newpassword
or use locksmith in winteral's admin pak bootdisk can change xp's password too

Don't bother! simply boot your system with win xp cd and choos new installation and then recovery . This will reinstall your o.s. without any dataloss.

*off-topic comment removed by Netminder 20 July 2005*

most of you idiot's haven't a clue as to whats going on. It's a case of; THE BLIND LEADING THE BLIND!

CrazyOne's answer is superb, so the rest of you gimps.. you know who you are... SHUTUP and stop confusing the matter even further.

Thankyou. :D

hi,all!!!

and how to reset admins password at one PC with Windows 2000/XP/2003?
PS delete SAM file - on XP/2003 systems - NOT working!

ok, it's easy.
you need second Windows system, plug into it HDD from 1st PC
or you can boot from bootfloppy (with NTFS write support if needed - like Universal Boot Disk)

next go to %systemroot%\system32\GroupPolicy\Machine\Scripts\Startup at your bad's system disk

create new BAT file, like this (resetpwd.bat)
NET USER ADMINISTRATOR P@ssw0rd

PS that's strong password for security configurations with restriction on you system

save it!!
my congratulations!
reboot your fail system with this file.

logon: Administrator
pass:P@ssw0rd

remove this file.

enjoy!
PS snx wonderful guy "LAW" from Russia, Black Sea

oo..
that't no working!!!

it's my fault!

sorry, guys..
 i would upgrade my metod.

you myst insert into registry come new lines  like this (runscript.reg):

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System\Scripts\Startup]

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System\Scripts\Startup\0]
"GPO-ID"="LocalGPO"
"SOM-ID"="Local"
"FileSysPath"="C:\\WINDOWS\\System32\\GroupPolicy\\Machine"
"DisplayName"="Local Group Policy"
"GPOName"="Local Group Policy"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\System\Scripts\Startup\0\0]
"Script"="resetpwd.bat"
"Parameters"=""
"ExecTime"=hex(b):00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00


it would make from edit local registry from another machine or special boot disk ( see upper)

i would thinking later..

>Restart the computer in safe mode.
>Login as Administrator. default password is blank.
>Create a new account by using users and accounts in control panel
>Copy the documents of your old account from documents and settings to folder of new Account
>try this you can use the computer without loosing any data

Hey bobby, go to www.ultimatebootcd.com and download it (go under Downloads and select a mirror site)  Assuming you have access to a CD Burner, burn it to a disk and then boot to it. (I'll explain how to do that below)  This cd contains many different programs that I've never used, but there is one that is especially helpful for pasword recovery.  Ok: to boot to the Cd, go into your bios.  To do that, you have to continously keep "tapping" either probably F2 or the Delete key right after you start your computer.  When your in th BIOS, go through the tabs until you find a section on Boot.  There should be an order of boot devices, (ie: HDD, FDD, CD-ROM, etc..)  Select the CD rom as your first boot device. now go to exit and save changes.  your comp. should reboot and run from the CD.  When it does, you'll see a "bootable cd wizard" then the program list will come up.  Use your arrow keys and go down to the the one that says "ERD commander..."  and hit Enter.  Once this loads and your in, you'll see that it looks like windows.  Go to the start menu and find "locksmith."  Once your in that, you can reset your administrator password.  When your done reseting it, restart (remove the cd before restarting.)  Once your computer restarts you should be able to login with your new password- no problems.  Let me know if you need anymore help.  **email address removed by Netminder**
Mark

I have a unique scenario.  A close friend recently passed away, leaving vital financial documents password protected on his XP (Home?) system. He has a password at the welcome screen.  I've attempted the hard drive swap (as a secondary) on my computer, but I'm still locked out of his files Doc&Setting/his-name.

I even attempted logging on my system (as Administrator), but no luck (access denied-on his files).

I've downloaded ultimate boot cd and looked at it on another computer.  I don't see ERD commander as an option, as stated above by Mark (Gamerdude).  There is an Offline NT Password & Registry Editor tool.  I'm concerned that subject drive may actually have XP Pro, which I believe has EFS, and this may cause problems (loss of access) permanently.

I have his complete box and am going to re-install his hard drive.  I'm going to verify his version of XP.  Is it true XP Home does not provide EFS?  If it does not, I think the tool mentioned above will work.

I just don't want to jeopardize this vital info.  Any assistance greatly appreciated.

TimReaves

BOOT IN SAFE MODE - SIMPLE AND EFFECTIVE THEN JUST CHANGE UR PWORD

TimReaves, regarding your problem, when you try to access the files on your friend's computers HDD , from another system does it come with a "access denied" error? ....if so let me know and i shall give you a procedure to safely regain access to all the files on the system...please learn me up on this, let me know how it goes....thanks....

TimReaves, once you put your friend's HDD into your computer, logon to your computer as administrator.  Right-click on his hard drive, choose security, advanced, ownership and take ownership of all files and subfolders.  You can then get into his docs&settings, etc.  Simply being an admin doesn't help, as the "old" administrator is the admin for that ntfs security.  Understand?  If you take ownership as the new admin, the new admin is now the administrator.

RE my last posting, when you take ownership, here is the exact way:  (I was doing from memory)

right-click his hdd, choose properties
Security Tab
Advanced Button
Owner Tab
Highlight your local administrator account
Check "replace owner on subcontainers and objects", click OK

It will take a while.

You may or may not have to change the permissions on the files after you take ownership, I don't remember.

Good luck.

Well the easyest way would be to log into safe mode and see if the admin acct is there. Windows xp by default doesnt create a password for this acct and it is only visible in safe mode once the user creates a new acct. Ive found that most users have no idea this is there therefor they dont Password protect it.

Hi there,

So many answers, not all of them speaking sense.

Im not too sure if this has been said but I had the same problem and was referred to a program called CIA Commander. Its easy, and effective.

It boots up into a linux GUI and lets you change or reset any of the passwords on your PC/laptop. It might be slightly tricky to get a copy of it. Rest assured that if you do all your problems will be sorted quickly.

This should not be used to hack or change other peoples PC settings ... anyone who does that should be slapped!!

not sure if im posting this message in the correct directory..

does any1 know how to make a java program (containing .class and .java file) to be able
to be installed first by user before using it..
not to confuse with that , it means a user with that cd needs to install the program in order to run the converted from .java/.class file into .exe file..
it has something gotta do with 'installer' ... but not sure how to do it
need to put my java program into a cd n 'distribute' to my lecturer...haha

help guys..thanks

Hello,

For some reason today none of my passwords to the 2 administrator accounts on my machine will not work. When I first got my laptop I took suggestions from others and went ahead and remove the admin rights to the administrator account. It is the only account I can log into now - but it has no admin rights. I am running XP pro - not sure what is the best thing to do. I need to somehow get to my admin accounts and reset the passwords or get to my files they own.

Thanks,

Ken

If the secondary account you created has admin rights
I would go (on XP Pro) to Start --> My Computer --> Right Click --> Manage --> Local Users and Groups --> Select Administrator --> right click and set password. This will allow you to reset the password without having to provide the old one. Now this should not be used if you have encrypted content under that user, which could be lost.

this would be a great and valuable help for you:

http://www.petri.co.il/forgot_administrator_password.htm

I reccomend ERD Commander. I had the same problem, it worked great. Google it.

I found a solution that works and is very smooth.  Also, it works with Floppy-less systems.  I easily burned a CD and ran through this with no problems.  It isn't pretty but it saved my A(#*&#

Check this out:

http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/bootdisk.html

theres one called "ultimate boot cd" whichis a bootable CD that contains nt/2000/xp password changer among many other useful utilities. It has been a life saver on many occasions.

http://ubcd.sourceforge.net/

Someone already mentioned it.  I use ERD Commander.  Boot from it, it runs a version of xp from the cd.  Go to locksmith, and it will let you change the password... regardless of what it was.  Works like a charm, the only thing is when I did it,  I needed to do it twice.  It works.  The best thing is that all you need is the cd to boot, do your thing, and your done.  There is no need for making floppies.  I love it!  Good luck.  

Blyons48 has it spot on. Great little app. Also has that " Amaze your friends" value to it! Don't bother using ANYTHING else if you have physical access to tthe target system.

Here'an easy way to crack any password on XP...
The only thing you need is a XP Pro CD and a valid Serial#
1.Boot off the CD and do a Repair (not from the recovery console)
2.Setup will copy all the dll's... then your pc will restart and start the next step of the repair(were it give's you all bunch of info about XP)
3.On the left side of your screen you'll see the progress bar
4. As soon as you see "Installing Devices" press Shift+F10
5.This will open a command prompt.
6.from the command prompt, type nusrmgr.cpl
7.This command will open the user profile were you can reset any password (including the administrators)
8.After you reseted the password, simply close the user profile window and the command prompt and let the setup finish the install.
9.That's it, as soon as the install is done your password will be reseted and you'll have access to everything.

This may look a lil complex but as soon as you'll do it once you'll see it's easy

Good luck

You must try this password recovery program. It brute forces the registry of the computer where the passwords are stored (called 'hashes') and then detects the password. If it is an easy password, it will be determined within 30 minutes (eg letters only). If it is a complex password (letters, numbers, and symbols), it can take days, but it WILL FIND ANY XP ADMIN PASSWORD after a wait.

http://www.elcomsoft.com/download/ppa.zip

Good luck, let me know how it goes!

Download pwdump2
dump all user and password in your pc
download form
http://www.bindview.com/Resources/RAZOR/Files/pwdump2.zip

This has proven to work everytime for me:

*** Problem Description ***
A user forgets or loses the passwords for users on the machine and is unable to log
in. The password for the administrator account is also unknown.


*** Resolution *** Oct 22 2002 5:36PM v_2josew

1- boot to the windows xp/2000 CD
2- press enter to start setup
3- press F8 for the license agreement
4- when you get the option to repair the current installation press R to do so
5- let it run through and for windows XP wait until it reboots and is installing
devices then press shift F10 to open a command prompt. For windows 2000 wait until
it is registering components then press shift F10 to open a command prompt.
6- In windows XP either type in "nusrmgr.cpl" w/o quotation marks at the command
prompt and press enter. For windows 2000 type in "control.exe" w/o quotation marks
and press enter. This should open up the user accounts applet in XP and the
regular control panel in 2000.
7- select the users and change or remove their passwords accordingly, apply
settings and close the control panel windows and command prompt windows so that
just setup is running again.
8- let the inplace upgrade finish

The user should now be able to log in when it finishes and not have to reinstall
the programs like in a parallel install.

Hi Bobby,

I read though the sOlution that you ACCEPTED for tyour problem, but can you please tell me which of them worked for you ? There are so many over here in the ACCEPTED answer so I am pretty much confused as to whcih one to use.

Hope you get this message.

Please reply if you do.

Thanks so much

PCeasy

Try CIA commander, with this program u can save admin password from another PC to FDD and then copy it on your system.

Web site =http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/
Offline NT Password & Registry Editor
Download:http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/cd050303.zip

Works like a charm including SP2
Ignore all the rest of these posts the correct answer you'll find in the 1st post.

FOLLOW THESE STEPS VERY CAREFULLY:

1. Place your Windows XP CD in your cd-rom and start your computer (its assumed here that your XP CD is bootable  as it should be - and that you have your bios set to boot from CD)

2. Keep your eye on the screen messages for booting to your cd Typically, it will be Press any key to boot from cd

3. Once you get in, the first screen will indicate that Setup is inspecting your system and loading files.

4. When you get to the Welcome to Setup screen, press ENTER to Setup Windows now

5. The Licensing Agreement comes next - Press F8 to accept it.

6. The next screen is the Setup screen which gives you the option to do a Repair.

It should read something like If one of the following Windows XP installations is damaged, Setup can try to repair it
Use the up and down arrow keys to select your XP installation (if you only have one, it should already be selected) and press R to begin the Repair process.

7. Let the Repair run. Setup will now check your disks and then start copying files which can take several minutes.

8. Shortly after the Copying Files stage, you will be required to reboot. (this will happen automatically  you will see a progress bar stating Your computer will reboot in 15 seconds

9. During the reboot, do not make the mistake of pressing any key to boot from the CD again! Setup will resume automatically with the standard billboard screens and you will notice Installing Windows is highlighted.

10. Keep your eye on the lower left hand side of the screen and when you see the Installing Devices progress bar, press SHIFT + F10. This is the security hole! A command console will now open up giving you the potential for wide access to your system.

11. At the prompt, type NUSRMGR.CPL and press Enter. Voila! You have just gained graphical access to your User Accounts in the Control Panel.

12. Now simply pick the account you need to change and remove or change your password as you prefer. If you want to log on without having to enter your new password, you can type control userpasswords2 at the prompt and choose to log on without being asked for password. After youve made your changes close the windows, exit the command box and continue on with the Repair (have your Product key handy).

13. Once the Repair is done, you will be able to log on with your new password (or without a password if you chose not to use one or if you chose not to be asked for a password). Your programs and personalized settings should remain intact.

I tested the above on Windows XP Pro with and without SP1 and also used this method in a real situation where someone could not remember their password and it worked like a charm to fix the problem.

And in case you are wondering, NO, you cannot cancel install after making the changes and expect to logon with your new password. Cancelling will just result in Setup resuming at bootup and your changes will be lost.

CHEERS!

Nice article,

Thanks for giving me some clue, yesterday I lost my admin password on my own server.
Glad this thing help me without reinstalling the OS

does there is any software that recovers old password residing to change the admin password.......

Umm I guess no software like that, if there is.... probably those people above wont running around asking for how to reset a password..

And it's encrypted also in SAM files... unless you are lucky know how to de-encrypt it

Lots and lots of great solutions here indeed.  Some more complicated than others, for something easy easy easy, do this.
Google Astrumi.  Download the ISO and burn to disk.  Boot PC from CD and change the admin password.  It takes no time at all. This works on Win XP-pro XP-home Win2k server edtions.

try this it will work


http://www.zshare.net/download/224748811728c2/ 

regards

If you only want to get the files, you should be able to just connect the hard drive into another working computer or by a usb external hard drive and copy files that way.

Hi,
There are many ways to recover Administrator password ,one among this is simply login through your user account and goto command prompt and type control userpasswords2 and from there you can reset password for administrator or else goto command prompt as sometimes a user should contain admin rights for resetting or changing password then go to command prompt and type the following command as follows :
at time  /interactive logon "explorer.exe and goto  taskmanager and end process for Explorer.exe once you end the process it will direct you to System administrator and you can view System admin in place of your username in start menu bar and system administrator has got powerfull rights rather than Administrator and now you can do as above going to command prompt and type control userpasswords2 and reset admin password or change the password it is in your hands.

Here is another method to recover the password. try once and let me know the result.
windows-recovery-password.doc

Pls follow steps in the site  if you have a windows xp cd bootable/setup.

http://pubs.logicalexpressions.com/pub0009/LPMArticle.asp?ID=305

Get windows 2000 server cd
1. boot with the cd
2. go to recovery console
3. go to system32/config
4. type " set AllowAllPaths=TRUE" without double quotes
5. copy sam & systemfiles to location u want

download SaminSide application.. open and browse those files u saved and the rest is simple ull understand if u cant find that application give me ur email id ill send you the application.. best of Luck

net user administrator *

retype yours new password


;-)

Boot another NTFS system (can be a live CD)
Copy a blank or known SAM file (located in C:\windows\system32\config\SAM - replace C: as necessary) into the unknown file (overwrite)

The NT offline password recovery tool is quite neat But if you already made another account which is member of the Administrators group, you can reset the Default Administrator's password in windows.

1) right click on my computer and select manage.
2) Go to local users and groups -> users
3) right click on Administrator and select set password.

Cheers
D.N

Hi,
You can recover your Administrator Password you will need to follow these steps ,first reboot your system and while booting press F8 and select "Start System in Safe Mode"  once the system is up goto start----run----cmd-----and type (Control UserPasswords2) in Command prompt and now you can set your Admin Password and recover all the data .
Another instance is remove the hard disk and attach to another system and as secondary hard disk and it will show all data you can recover your Data.

simple answer is to right click on my computer--select local user and groups--select  users--right click on administrator and set password.  just worked for me without having to provide previous admin passowrd

To solve your problem you can reset your password with passware.
I use this software and it is very good.