help!!

[serendipity1]

hi guys i know this is the wrong cat but i have a desperate pc problem, my son has put in a password on windows xp he knows the password and we have spelt it a hundred different ways and combinations but its not working, now when i switch on the pc it comes up with the password box and it has user name , which automatically says administrator and then the box underneath says password , this is wherew we come to a stop . is there any way to override this, i have been told that with the old xp you could go oin to safe mode and do it tthis way but it doesnt work on mine , oh dear its my work pc too! my bosses are going to go mad , i have just had to say that i dont know what is wrong. thanks in advance for all your help!!

[vehelpfulguy]

Well if it is your work PC you should have had a password on there in the first place, you cannot blame your son.

Try putting NO password. Some people install Windows but do not specify a password for Administrator.

If you think there is a password try upper case and lower case (or even mixed case).

Next time, give yourself a password for the Administrator ID, and only you log on as that. Tell no one the password.

Then set your son up with a userid with LIMITED function. An ID with limited function cannot change a Windows password.

[mikeyp]

If you have been using the administrator account to login, (you mentioned that is the username you have been using?) then i'm afraid there's not a lot you can do. The safe mode fix you mentioned used the administrator account, on the assumption that the passworded account you are trying to access is not that account.

Like vehelpfulguy said, depending on your windows version, if you haven't been using the administrator account the password may still be nothing, or simply "administrator." It may also have been set up by the company that made your pc (if they installed windows for you) so they might know the administrator password.

If you can't get in, your best option is to install a second copy of windows alongside your current one, and use this to backup all your files, before reinstalling windows completely.

[Ethel]

If you have the XP cd:

http://pubs.logicalexpressions.com/pub0009/LPM Article.asp?ID=305

(don't worry - it won't be a fresh install)

If you don't have the cd:

Windows XP Home does not let you log in with the Administrator account normally. To access it, you must restart the computer in safe mode, a special 'minimal' mode used to correct errors caused by third-party software, among other things.

To enter safe mode: Restart your system. Immediately after the POST screen, press F8 a few times to bring up the XP advanced options menu. Select the 'start Windows XP in safe mode' option.

Once safe mode has loaded, login with the username 'administrator.' The password is blank by default. You can now change user passwords by going to 'start\control panel\user accounts.' Reboot normally when you are done.

[linky1124]

I think the best way for you is to reset windows password. The Windows password Reset
can solve all your problem within a few minutes. Importantly,No need to call a technician, no need to re-install anything, and you certainly don't need to reformat. windows password recovery tool: http://www.resetwindowspassword.com/