Windows 2000 Administrator Password » Windows Password Recovery Software

How to Recover Windows 2000 Password

Windows 2000 No Responses »

Mar 122010

Forgot administrator password on a system running Windows 2000 can be problematic when the administrator to perform maintenance. There is a trick that allows a computer user to reset his password, if you forgot. The process to recover a password in Windows 2003 and XP is different from the process used for Windows NT and Windows 2000.

Step 1. Insert the installation CD of Windows 2000 / DVD into the drive of the computer and then restart the computer.

Step 2. Select the destination directory for the alternative Windows operating system when the program asks you to do. This directory is not the same as the default installation of Windows. This is the computer is a dual-boot system.

Step 3. When the computer restarts, select the alternate Windows installation from the dual-boot menu.

Step 4. Find the logon.scr file. It should be located in the %systemroot%\System32 folder of the Windows folder.

Step 5. Rename logon.scr and move it into the C: folder of the hard drive. You can choose to move it to a different directory. The important thing is to remember where the file gets copied.

Step 6. Find cmd.exe and make a copy of it in the %systemroot%\System32 folder. Move this file to the C: folder of your hard drive.

Step 7. Right-click on the original cmd.exe file and select "Rename." Delete the cmd.exe text and replace it with logon.scr.

Step 8. Restart the computer and start Windows installation. Do not touch the computer until the start of the screensaver. Since the screen saver file, get the default is replaced with the file cmd.exe, then a command prompt instead of the screen saver.

Step 9. At this prompt type: net user administrator <password>

Step 10. Delete logon.scr from the %systemroot%\system32 folder.

Step 11. Issue the following commands from the command prompt:
copy c:\logon.scr c:\windows\%systemroot\system32
copy c:\cmd.exe c:\windows\%systemroot\system 32

Step 12. Restart the computer in the original. From here you can remove the additional installation if desired. If the administrator installation alternatives are on a different drive or partition to reformat the hard disk or partition is the easiest way to achieve this goal.

Recovering from a forgotten Administrator password in Windows 2000 Pro

Windows 2000, Windows Password 2 Responses »

Mar 042010

Takeaway: Memory failing? If it’s not your computer memory, it might be that you’ve mentally mislaid your Administrator password for your Windows 2000 Professional system. It may be lost forever, but here are a few methods for resetting the password.

It’s the one of the worst things you can do, and it makes you feel like a complete idiot. You forgot the password for the Administrator account of your Windows 2000 Pro system. If you’ve just finished the install, check for an innocent mistake before you jump out the window or reinstall—enter the password in uppercase in case the Caps Lock key was on when you created the Administrator account.

Didn’t do it? Hopefully you have another account that is a member of the Administrator’s group. If so, just log on with that account and change the Administrator password. If that doesn’t do the trick and you can afford to lose any other accounts contained on the system (likely with a workstation but unlikely on most servers), delete the SAM hive. On a FAT system, boot the computer with an old DOS or Windows 9x boot disk and delete the %systemroot%\System32\Config\SAM file (or rename it). On an NTFS system, you can use the Recovery Console to access and delete the file, but only if you have configured the Recovery Console for automatic administrative logon through the local security policy or through the inherited domain security policy.

Another option is to back up the system, reinstall Windows 2000, and then restore the system. As when deleting the SAM, you’ll lose your accounts, but at least you’ll have the system back with all your other settings intact. And if you absolutely don’t want to lose your accounts, check out windows password reset for utilities that will enable you to reset the administrator password.