That was irresponsible of you.

try this software:


it isn't free, but i think the demo will let you use it for 30 days. It got included as part of my IT software package when i started my job, so i don't know for sure on that. but the software itself is easy to use, and will let you change even the admin password easily.

Have you tried to reset the password. If not try this, restart the PC and keep pressing F8 until you get the OS Choices menu, select "Safe Mode". when safe mode is loaded click on Administrator and It should go to the desktop but this depends if the Administrator account is enabled or it will not work and there are no known programs that can bypass userinit.exe in vista

I am currently in the process of testing it, but you can also build your own BartPE, with this as a plugin: http://www.kood.org/windows-password-renew/

it will reset passwords, and create new accounts that can have admin priviledges. I have an unconfirmed source that says it works with vista as well, but i have yet to try it myself.

Update:
The link i posted earlier for the password resetting program works like a charm on the two PC's I was able to test it on. I tested it on both machines with the admin accounts locked, and was able to get access to blank the passwords.

*note* DO NOT try and SET a password with this software, just leave the 'new password' entry blank. I'm not positive, but I can guess the program does not re-write the hash. It is much safer to leave it blank and change it the next time you logon.

hi i have this comp, and my dad is the admin and wont let me install anything or change anything, i want to have admin authority on it... but i cant do anyhting by installing

please help

its vista, and i have like no priveleges on it, my dad has to enter in his password for everything to isntall it so i cant ask him to install a password recovery thing

PLEASE HELP

I'd first recommend you do some quick research. find out what version of vista you have on your computer. my guess is home basic, so I'll assume that bitlocker hasn't been enabled. If it has, you won't be able to get very far, and you'd have to resort to other methods of getting the password. (ex: watching him input the password, trying to find it written down somewhere, asking him very very nicely.)

The method I use is to use a PE disk with vista user manipulation plugins and make a new user with admin priviledges. I like BartPE, it has a pretty easy plugin interface, and there are plenty out there for it.
Once you have the secondary login, login regularly, and up your own accounts priviledges, login to your account, and delete the secondary one.

Make sure you research and follow the instructions closely, and you do need to install some software for BartPE, so you'll need to use a friends computer.

Hi,

I'm afraid I have the same problem as GekkoAB, how irresponsible of me.

I created a password for my Vista admin account (which is the only user account on my laptop) just yesterday... and when I tried to sign in with it today, it turned out to be incorrect. I'm pretty sure I didn't forget the password overnight, but who knows.

Not sure if this is relevant or not, but after I created the password I also changed my username. Considering that it is still the same account, could that have affected anything?

The solutions and password reset softwares you posted are interesting, but will I be able to run the programs since I cannot log on to the computer at all?

Please help...

yes! the thing with BartPE, is that it is a pre-installed total enviornment. you burn it to a disk, and you hit f8, f2, (or whatever the first screen tells you to to access boot options, boot sequence, whatever it calls it. different versions call it different things) but there will be an option to boot from the cdrom. If burned properly, BartPE will load without a problem.

There are actually other options out there, but there is a problem. Basically, in XP, if you wanted your password back, and didn't know the administrator password, you'd load a special version of a pre-installed environment that had all of what are called 'rainbow tables'.

rainbow tables are quite possibly the most useful windows password cracking tools available. doesn't require you to change it at all, and you can easily access a users privatized files without them knowing about it.

The problem when it comes to vista though, they changed the default hash tables for system cracking. it used to be based off of an LM, or LAN Manager hashes. LM hashes are relatively weak compared to the new version: NTLM (New Technology LAN Manager. i know, not very inventive.) hashes, which is the usual method for storing passwords in vista, where LM hashes are disabled by default.

The thing that makes LM hashes easier to crack, is thier size. LM hashes are limited in size to 16 bytes, which lets us use rainbow tables that aren't that big. NTLM hashes are much more complex, with hashes of 64 bytes in size!

some quick math:
1 bit, two options
1 byte, 8 options of two options
16 bytes is 128 bits.
that's 2^128 total options.
64 bytes is 512 bits.
that's 2^512 total options.
16 bytes has an order of magnitude of 38.
64 bytes has an order of magnitude of 154!
that's ORDER OF MAGNITUDE. like 10^38 options.

basically, this means that 64 byte length hashes are a little out of the league of traditional rainbow tables. Possibly if you had a server farm at your disposal, or with distributed computing.

very long story short, your clearest option is using a preinstalled enviornment to wipe the password, or change it from another account. And be very glad that vista passwords are a lot harder to crack than XP ones.

find a password cracking software on the internet and use it to crack your password, then change your password and save it on the side so you don't forget it again.