Password Reset

How to Reset a Windows Password in Regedit at Boot​

This is a fairly simple way to reset / change your Windows user account password if, for whatever reason you can't gain access to your account.​

   Note

A big thank you to Everlong for helping me sort the last steps of this.

This tutorial can be used to reset the password in Windows 7 or Vista.​

   Information

If you don't have a proper Windows installation disk, have a look at the link below to create a repair disk that can be used to reset your user account password in Windows 7 and Vista.

(Windows 7) System Repair Disc - Create

(Vista) Create a Recovery Disc - Vista Forums

   Warning

Making changes to the Windows Registry has the potential to disable the PC, if you have any concerns over using the information set forth here please feel free to post a question in this same tutorial and we will be glad to help.

Be Advised: if you use this method to reset you're user account password ANY / All access to encrypted files stored in the account will be lost.

Let's get Started!

1) The Boot Priority in the BIOS needs to be set to boot first from the optical drive; insert your Windows disk and re-start the PC.
At the first screen select your language then Repair your computer then it'll do some searching, at System Recovery Options dot Use recovery tools then select the OS and click next; while there make note of the OS drive letter, it may not be C: like mine is D:.

2) At the next screen select "Command Prompt" then in the Command window type "regedit" (without the quotes) and hit enter.

3) In the Registry Editor window that opens click to select "HKey_Local_Machine" then at the "File" menu select "Load Hive".


4) In the "Look In" in the "Load Hive" window that opens navigate to (in my case) LocalDiskD:\Windows\System32\config\SYSTEM and click "Open".


5) In the "Load Hive", "Key Name" box give the new key a name e.g. " 123 " (it can be whatever you like) and click OK.

6) In the left pane of the registry Editor window click the " + " sign to expand the "HKey_Local_Machine" key then click the " + " sign to expand the "123" key then click to select the "Setup" key.

7) Now in the right pane right click "SetupType" and select "Modify", set the "Value data" to " 2 " and click OK.


8) Again in the right pane right click "CmdLine" and select "Modify" and set the "Value data" to "cmd.exe" and click OK.

9) Now just as a precaution, close the Registry Editor at the "File" menu click "Exit"; then in the Command window that's still open type "regedit" and hit enter to open the Registry Editor again.

10) In the Registry Editor click the " + " sign to expand HKey_Local_Machine and click to select the new "123" key, at the "File" menu select "Unload Hive" and click "Yes" for the "Are you sure ..." question.



11) Now close the Registry Editor at the "File" menu click "Exit" then in the Command window type "exit" and hit enter to close the Command window, then remove the Windows disk and restart the PC.

12) When the PC restarts a Command window will open, in that window type "net user <username> <new password>" mine is (net user "Bare Foot Kid" Test6) be advised: if you have a username like mine, with spaces, you must use " " quotes around the user name; when you get the "Command Completed Successfully" type "exit" in the Command window and hit enter; at the logon screen use the new password you chose.

   Tip

If you like, you could type net user in the command prompt and press Enter to see a list of all names for each user account on the PC to help use with step 12.

Enjoy!

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Reset the Password of a User Account in Windows 7
• How to Change the User Account Password if Unable to Login to Windows
• How to Change the Password for Your or Another User Account in Windows 7
• How to Create a Windows 7 Password Reset Disk
• How to Create a "Forgotten Password Wizard" Shortcut in Windows 7 and Vista
• How to Create a "Password Reset Wizard" Shortcut in Windows 7 and Vista
• How to Use System Restore to Change User Account Password
• How to Prevent or Allow a User to Change their Password in Vista and Windows 7
• How to Remove the Password for Your or Another User Account in Windows 7
• How to Create, Change, and Use a Password Hint in Windows 7

 

[mmcannally]

Does this method still work?

Hello, this is my first post and I thank you in advance for your help. I have an HP laptop running Windows 7 Home Premium that I have forgotten the password for. I have followed these instructions three times now with the same results. My failure comes at the last step, where the computer restarts and the command prompt should appear. Mine does not it goes straight to the Windows log in screen. What am I doing wrong?

 

[Brink]

Hello mmcannally, and welcome to Seven Forums.

If you like, you might see if you may be able to use one of the options in the tutorial below to reset your password instead. In your case, you may need to use option 5.

:ar: User Account - Reset Password in Windows 7 - Windows 7 Help Forums

 

[mmcannally]

Thank you. I actually found a method that worked this morning. It was on the Microsoft community. Here is a link to it, maybe it will help someone else. It worked for me.

Forgot my windows 7 home premium login password - Microsoft Community

 

[Brink]

 

[looked]

Thank you. I actually found a method that worked this morning. It was on the Microsoft community. Here is a link to it, maybe it will help someone else. It worked for me.

Forgot my windows 7 home premium login password - Microsoft Community

There are already too many suggestions like that one so we don't need another copy & paste link from M$crosoft community.

By the way, the tutorial of this thread on Sevenforums doesn't work on my Sony laptop because the BIOS won't let me change the boot drive.
It seems like a protection when the administrator is password locked so the system doesn't allow doing some stuff in the BIOS.

 

[idahjo]

GREAT JOB- THANK YOU

 

[Gawskert]

There are already too many suggestions like that one so we don't need another copy & paste link from M$crosoft community.

By the way, the tutorial of this thread on Sevenforums doesn't work on my Sony laptop because the BIOS won't let me change the boot drive.
It seems like a protection when the administrator is password locked so the system doesn't allow doing some stuff in the BIOS.

The BIOS won't let you change the boot drive, if so that , the laptop can not booted from bootable disk,it gets more complicated.
Reading them for help : 3 Ways to Bypass Windows 7/8/10 Login Password without Disk
7 Free Windows Password Recovery Tools (September 2018)
Please noter that some of them involve Bios Settings .

 

[file3456]

In that case you can just remove the HDD and attach it to another computer and load the hive that way.

Vantec makes a good SATA/PATA USB adapter. I own one.

 

[Pamkser]

I am used to using password reset disk to do that, but you did make one ,and for Windows 7 computer ,it's clearly getting tricky , as a last resort ,reinstalling a clean OS .

 

[Gasery]

Yeah,i did (Reinstalling a clean Windows 7),everything is gone,so,,,,,That is a loss for people who don't have a backup.I won't do it again.Now we know that reseting password is not a difficult task.
Reseting the Windows password is not too difficult.
Kon Boot Download 2.7 [Full] - Karan PC
How to Reset Windows 7 Admin Password | WinPWD Password Reset Tips

 

[DealerMan]

It worked for me thankfully. Ancient W7 laptop that I knew the password for would not work. This took care of my problem in short order. I'm glad I'm not scared of navigating the registry, especially when a spectacular tutorial like this is on hand!


Many thanks Brink, how much do I owe you??


Cheers!

 

[Brink]

It worked for me thankfully. Ancient W7 laptop that I knew the password for would not work. This took care of my problem in short order. I'm glad I'm not scared of navigating the registry, especially when a spectacular tutorial like this is on hand!


Many thanks Brink, how much do I owe you??


Cheers!

It being able to help and make you happy is payment in full.

 

[AsokAsus]

Works Great without a System Repair Disc as well as follows:

This can be done without making a System Repair Disc by removing the problematic system drive from th problematic PC and attaching the problematic system drive to another, working, Windows PC via a USB adapter cable, and then Loading (and modifying) the SYSTEM hive on the USB-connected (problematic) system drive via regedit on the working Windows PC, and finally replacing the modified problematic system drive back into the problematic PC and rebooting the problematic Windows PC and using the resulting cmd.exe to execute the net command on the problematic PC ... works like a charm ...

 

[looked]

The BIOS won't let you change the boot drive, if so that , the laptop can not booted from bootable disk,it gets more complicated.
Reading them for help : 3 Ways to Bypass Windows 7/8/10 Login Password without Disk
7 Free Windows Password Recovery Tools (September 2018)
Please noter that some of them involve Bios Settings .

Thanks for trying to help, unfortunately these tricks were only good for earlier versions of Windows7 on laptops and some PCs, It's a pity that these misleading informations are available on internet by hawkers trying to lure some money.
I'm specifically talking about laptops, there are many issues like not being able to login in the admin account, there is no any guess account, there is no optical drive, you can't change the boot order, you can't make changes in the BIOS so all these tricks like cd disks utilities, command prompt instructions etc. etc. DO NOT WORK, don't waste your time!

In that case you can just remove the HDD and attach it to another computer and load the hive that way.

Easy to say but you need to show it done with instructions, you need to think that the new hive is set for a different computer installation so I don't know if this will work but if it does, you'll need to reinstall all software and who knows what else.

This can be done without making a System Repair Disc by removing the problematic system drive from th problematic PC and attaching the problematic system drive to another, working, Windows PC via a USB adapter cable, and then Loading (and modifying) the SYSTEM hive on the USB-connected (problematic) system drive via regedit on the working Windows PC, and finally replacing the modified problematic system drive back into the problematic PC and rebooting the problematic Windows PC and using the resulting cmd.exe to execute the net command on the problematic PC ... works like a charm ...

And what are these modifications? I see too many people on internet saying this is easy to do but they never give instructions.

 

[AsokAsus]

you're wrong about everything you posted!

unfortunately these tricks were only good for earlier versions of Windows7 on laptops and some PCs, It's a pity that these misleading informations are available on internet by hawkers trying to lure some money.

i really don't know what you're talking about:

1. nobody on this thread has tried to sell anybody anything. In fact, the opposite is true: Bare Foot Kid gave everyone brilliant, easy to follow, bullet-proof instructions on how to do password reset without having to spend a penny.

2. you're totally wrong about: "only good for earlier versions of Windows 7. I just did this on W7 SP1 that was fully up to date and it worked perfectly.

I'm specifically talking about laptops, there are many issues like not being able to login in the admin account, there is no any guess account, there is no optical drive, you can't change the boot order, you can't make changes in the BIOS so all these tricks like cd disks utilities, command prompt instructions etc. etc. DO NOT WORK, don't waste your time!

again, pretty much all nonsense:

1. i've worked on 100's of laptops and have never seen one where the boot order couldn't be changed temporarily

2. it's true that many newer laptops don't come with CD drives, but there are instructions available on how to make bootable recovery media on a USB drive, and i did post basic instructions on how to utilize Bare Foot Kid's brilliant recovery method without recovery media via connecting the problematic system drive from one system to a different system via a simple USB adapter cable.

you need to think that the new hive is set for a different computer installation so I don't know if this will work but if it does, you'll need to reinstall all software and who knows what else.

again, you're 100% wrong about everything you said.

1. "you need to think that the new hive is set for a different computer installation". the part that is modified is the same for all systems.

2. "so I don't know if this will work". you're correct, you don't know

3. but if it does, you'll need to reinstall all software and who knows what else wrong". wrong again. it worked perfectly for me, and there's no reason at all that it shouldn't for everyone else.

Easy to say but you need to show it done with instructions

I don't NEED to do anything: if my instructions are insufficient for you to follow, then you clearly know almost nothing about Windows operating systems and hardware, though i suppose it's possible you could always lookup the parts you don't understand. Certainly you shouldn't be making ignorant posts where everything you posted is wrong!

And what are these modifications? I see too many people on internet saying this is easy to do but they never give instructions.

Apparently you're really terrible at searching the internet because it's chock full of amazing instructions for just about anything anyone could want.

 

[looked]

i really don't know what you're talking about

I've counted your words, 531 of non sense words and NOT EVEN ONE SINGLE INSTRUCTION!
You done this and that, other people done this and that, you can search on internet this and that, so why are you posting here if I can search everything on internet?
Are you 10 years old, most probably yes!
You successfully fixed a Windows SP1 but you don't even mention if it was PC or laptop and what laptop!
My Sony laptop didn't let me chance the boot order and you argue with that?
Dude you got serious problems!
Stop replaying if you can't give any useful information other that just arguing!