Change Account Password without Old Password

With Windows XP, you can change an account password without knowing the original password. I should mention that this information could be used to get yourself out of a jam, but also for bad by those shady enough to do it. In Windows XP, go to yoru command prompt and type the following command:

net users Administrator *

or for a username with spaces:

net users “Bob Smith” *

From there, it should ask you for a new password. You can enter it, but pay attention to what you type because the letters will not output to the screen. Confirm your password choice. When done, it will tell you that you were successful.

Free eBook!

Like what you read?

If so, please join over 28,000 people who receive our exclusive weekly newsletter and computer tips, and get FREE COPIES of 5 eBooks we created, as our gift to you for subscribing. Just enter your name and email below:

Post A Comment Using Facebook

Discuss This Article (Without Facebook)

One comment

  1. hello sir,

    I want to a bootable password recovery software only for windows xp please send me software and more other relatives details

Leave a Reply

PCMech Insider Cover Images - Subscribe To Get Your Copies!
Learn More
Every week, hundreds of tech enthusiasts, computer owners
and geeks read The Insider, the digital magazine of PCMech.

What’s Your Preference?

Daily Alerts

Each day we send out a quick email to thousands of PCMECH readers to notify them of new posts. This email is just a short, plain email with titles and links to our latest posts. You can unsubscribe from this service at any time.

You can subscribe to it by leaving your email address in the following field and confirming your subscription when you get an email asking you to do so.

Enter your email address for
Daily Updates:

Weekly Newsletter

Running for over 6 years, the PCMECH weekly newsletter helps you keep tabs on the world of tech. Each issue includes news bits, an article, an exclusive rant as well as a download of the week. This newsletter is subscribed to by over 28,000 readers (many who also subscribe to the other option) - come join the community!

To subscribe to this weekly newsletter simply add your email address to the following field and then follow the confirmation prompts. You will be able to unsubscribe at any time.

Enter your email address for
Free Weekly Newsletter: