I have an old pc running vista, and i have forgotten password to log on to pc.

Is there anyway i can find out what it is

Can use 0phcrack and crack the password with rainbow tables if you need to actually find out what the password is, though the easiest way (assuming you've confirmed that the normally enabled Admin account doesn't work by trying to login as Administrator through safe mode with command prompt with no passwd) is to just use a windows password reset disk from btjunkie which just resets the password to blank.

am just downloading ophcrack now and then will burn it to disk and try that, thanks

Hi M8,

The simplest way is to remove the power supply and take out the back-up battery - leave it out for bout 2-3 mins then replace it and this will delete all passwords that are stored.

BTW - this is not Nigel, it is his m8 Phil

Try it

This will not work, it is the password to get in to windows, i need

If you are just after some files then slave the drive, get the files job done.

carnt, it wont let me access files

Did you set an Administrator password? (Not a user such as 'Willow' with administrator rights. If not log on as administrator then you can change your password and have access to all filest etc....

i booted it in safe mode and no option comes up to start into admin, all so password reset disc dont work it says corrupt registry, other programme that exo mentioned finds no password, can not use recovery partion it is passworded as well

You're left with completely formatting the drive and reinstalling windows.

I'd suggest not bothering with partitions in the future and just use the 1 windows creates on install. Recovery partitions are way more trouble than they are worth as long as you have your files kept on an external.

Lol

If you want to unlock and access files unlock it using windows 7 admin account via a drivebay

Just boot as normal, then when asked for the password just pres ESC key a couple of times then you should get the administrator log in...

Whoops wrong instructions (that was for XP)- try this method...
1. You must restart your computer system to be able to boot in Safe Mode .
2. When the Windows screen appears, press the F8 key.
3. From the list, go to the option Microsoft Windows by using your keyboard arrows.
4. Instead of pressing the Enter key, press the F8 key again to display the Safe Mode boot screen.
5. Choose Safe Mode from the list and press the Enter key.
6. You will hence be taken to the log in screen that will display the Administrator account icon among your other current account/s.

He said he couldn't login as admin on like the second post he made dude.

This happened to me a while ago..Simple way to do it is to boot up in safe mode..Open the control panel...go to 'user accounts'...then delete the password from the admin account!!This defp works as we've done it on 2 laptops since..good luck.

Meant to say, you don't need to log in as admin to do this, just delete the password.

not the normal safe mode log in...this is a slightly different method using the F8 in safe mode (which he got in to in his 9.21 post)

Ignoring the fact that the list you made simply doesn't make sense (asking the user to select the operating system before they even get to the safe mode list), you're still asking him to login to the admin account in safe mode. Which he said he can't do because the default account isn't enabled.

Account restriction so I believe

just checked on an old Vista lappy - works for me exactly as listed - I never set a true administrator password at any point which very few people do....

this does not work, as it does not bring up admin account, just 2 users both passworded

admin account is turned of as default on vista.

Any way i have managed to do it now, its been set back to factory, after doing back up first

Did you do it via bios willo?

no, I used hp system restore,

the misses's mate son forgot his password, after a bit of searching i was able to use a program called spotmau, bang cd in, boot off cd and change the password on vista doesnt take that long