Admin Password//Vista Home

inmypocketnottheirs

Don't really know what has happened here.

DS2 has an Acer Aspire 5315 with Vista Home. He has his own user account with parental controls set up. There is an Admin account to which only my wife and myself have the password.

For around a week now it is not possible to log in on Admin. I keep getting the message 'user name or password is incorrect'. We do not appear to have any restore discs and I did not set up a password reset on USB or disc :mad:.

Anyway around this? Have tried hitting F8 on boot up and restoring to last known config, but that just brings me back to the same password error message.

Thanks in advance! :beer:

sparky7

http://4sysops.com/archives/three-ways-to-reset-a-windows-vista-admin-password/

sparky7

My favourite method is to download and burn this image to a CD:

http://downloads.sourceforge.net/ophcrack/ophcrack-vista-livecd-2.3.1.iso

Then it will try and guess the correct password for the admin account, you can then log in again once its correctly guessed it.

inmypocketnottheirs

My only scepticism is both of these appear to require the purchase of some password guessing software. I have been caught in the past buying software that hasn't worked.

My real concern here is how will the field for the password populate on booting up and if I can not access the admin account how will I get the software to run.

System

The link that Sparky7 gives goes to a page that explains 3 different ways to reset the password. The option2 software is free and I can recommend it as I have used it quite often.

The 2nd link that Sparky7 gives is to sourceforge which is open source software and is also free.

You therefore do not have to buy anything but have been given links to 2 bits of software that will help you.

cooldude255220

Try hitting F8, and boot into safe mode.
From there, click the windows key and R (to get up run) the type in exactly: control userpasswords2.
Then just reset the password.
HTH

boxst

From Sparky7's original post, I have used this: http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/ many times to reset the Admin password that people have forgotten.

Steve

davb

Before you go too deep check the obvious:
- Is Caps Lock on by mistake
- Is Num Lock on by mistake
- Are there any other user accounts that are Computer Administrators that can log in.
- When you say you cannot log in as admin, is this the Administrator, or just an account with admin rights.

inmypocketnottheirs

computershack wrote: »

DS2 will have guessed the blindingly obvious password you would have used and has changed it. Never have a password thats a name or related to any personal information or family information. Pets names, dates of birth, memorable dates, initials, family members names, name of your house, first school, favourite colour etc are all common ones.

He doesn't have a clue, its random letters upper and lower case and numbers.

inmypocketnottheirs

cooldude255220 wrote: »

Try hitting F8, and boot into safe mode.
From there, click the windows key and R (to get up run) the type in exactly: control userpasswords2.
Then just reset the password.
HTH

Unfortunately when I do as above I can only go into safe mode on the user account and I still can not reset the admin password as when I run run control userpassword I have to enter the admin password!

Aaaaghhhhhhhhhhh:eek:

Off to try sparky7 advice now!

inmypocketnottheirs

sparky7 wrote: »

My favourite method is to download and burn this image to a CD:

http://downloads.sourceforge.net/ophcrack/ophcrack-vista-livecd-2.3.1.iso

Then it will try and guess the correct password for the admin account, you can then log in again once its correctly guessed it.

Still trying!!