Recipe 19.10. Creating a Password Reset Disk

Problem

You want to create a disk that will allow you to reset your Windows XP password in the event you forget it, eliminating the need to reinstall the operating system.

Solution

You can create a Password Reset disk that contains your login credentials. In the event that you forgot your password, you can use this disk to reset your password and log in again.

To create the Password Reset disk, perform the following steps:

1. Go to Start Control Panel User Accounts.

2. Prevent a forgotten password" link.

3. The Forgotten Password wizard will then be launched. Click Next.

4. You need to insert a formatted floppy disk into the A drive.

5. Enter your current password when prompted.

6. Your password information is then saved onto the disk. Click Finish.

To use the Password Reset disk, log in to Windows XP using an incorrect password. When an incorrect password is entered, Windows will display an error message asking if you would like to use the Password Reset disk. Insert the disk and you will be able to supply a new password (and password hint).

Discussion

As with any piece of data or software that relates to authentication in any way, exercise care in creating, storing, using, and distributing the Password Reset disk. Anyone with physical possession of the disk can successfully log in as you and reset your password.

If you have created a Password Reset disk and later change your password, you need to create the password disk again. Otherwise, the disk you created will be useless.

If your Windows XP machine is a member of a Windows domain, you can only reset the password for a local user account on a specific machine. Domain user account passwords cannot be reset using the password reset disk.

See Also

MS KB 308273, "You Cannot Decrypt Files After You Reset Your Password with a Password-Reset Disk," and MS KB 306214, "How to create and use a password reset disk for a computer in a domain in Windows XP"