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Recovery - Admin password problem

C

Charlie+

Flightless Bird
I am trying to do a recovery from the WINDOWS XPPro sp3 installation disk
due to a corrupted file stopping windows loading from HDisk. The problem is
that this computer has never had an Administrator password set - the request
comes for the Administrator password and if I just press return as you would
expect for a blank password it refuses to accept the blank field. Is there
a way round this or have I to do a full reinstall? I dont think I have an
image of this particular machine!
Charlie+
 
P

Pegasus [MVP]

Flightless Bird
"Charlie+" <charlie@xxx.net> wrote in message
news:env5u5ttmt1gak8e81l4j7er16g7ksth1h@4ax.com...
> I am trying to do a recovery from the WINDOWS XPPro sp3 installation disk
> due to a corrupted file stopping windows loading from HDisk. The problem
> is
> that this computer has never had an Administrator password set - the
> request
> comes for the Administrator password and if I just press return as you
> would
> expect for a blank password it refuses to accept the blank field. Is
> there
> a way round this or have I to do a full reinstall? I dont think I have an
> image of this particular machine!
> Charlie+


You write "The problem is that this computer has never had an Administrator
password set". This is incorrect. The person installing WinXP was prompted
for the Administrator's password but it seems that he/she did not make a
note of it. To reset it to a blank, type the following words into a Google
search box, then take your pick among the numerous hits:

forgot windows password
 
S

sgopus

Flightless Bird
one way is a full reinstall, however an easier way is to do a search on
forgot admin password using wither google, or yahoo search, there are loads
of helpful info on how to bypass or reset the admin password.

"Charlie+" wrote:

> I am trying to do a recovery from the WINDOWS XPPro sp3 installation disk
> due to a corrupted file stopping windows loading from HDisk. The problem is
> that this computer has never had an Administrator password set - the request
> comes for the Administrator password and if I just press return as you would
> expect for a blank password it refuses to accept the blank field. Is there
> a way round this or have I to do a full reinstall? I dont think I have an
> image of this particular machine!
> Charlie+
> .
>
 
D

Demi.nemo

Flightless Bird
If you are a system administrator, you are usually confronted with this
problem if users have laptops where you don’t have an admin account. Even if
you don’t have to reset a password now, you should get acquainted with this
issue. Rest assured that sooner or later a user will bug you with this
problem. I must admit that I managed to forget my password more than once.
So, here i would like to show you the easiest and safest way for you to reset
admin password.

What you need to do is pretty simple, follow 4 easy steps:
1. Download Windows Password Reset and run it
2. Burn the ISO to a blank CD/DVD with one of the ISO burning applications
3. Boot up your Windows 7 PC with the bootable CD/DVD.
4. Remove the lost or forgotten Windows 7 password.

Of course, you can follow this detailed tutorial – How to reset Windows
password with Windows Password Reset? I recommend you familiarize yourself
with the utility prior to using it, and review the documentation and
Technical FAQs on the official web site. Please check out the detailed steps
below:

http://www.resetwindowspassword.com/knowledge-article/fotgot-windows-password.html
 
P

Pegasus [MVP]

Flightless Bird
Writing a nice technical article cannot disguise the fact that your reply is
spam. Password resetting software is freely available - no need to buy your
$20.00 product.
 
C

Charlie+

Flightless Bird
On Thu, 06 May 2010 18:53:59 +0100, Charlie+ <charlie@xxx.net> wrote as :

>I am trying to do a recovery from the WINDOWS XPPro sp3 installation disk
>due to a corrupted file stopping windows loading from HDisk. The problem is
>that this computer has never had an Administrator password set - the request
>comes for the Administrator password and if I just press return as you would
>expect for a blank password it refuses to accept the blank field. Is there
>a way round this or have I to do a full reinstall? I dont think I have an
>image of this particular machine!
>Charlie+


Thanks to all who replied : I repeat - there is no Administrator password
set (except a blank field), I did the XP Pro original installation so I know
for certain and this is the first time I have ever had a problem (ie trying
to use the recovery console), I have password resetter software anyway and
that doesnt help because a blank password will not allow the recovery
console to get through the request for password in the recovery console with
a blank field. As I made clear in the OP this is for a Windows XP recovery
not just to break into an already running system.
Does anyone who really knows this quirk have an answer? I suppose positive
password insertion rather than resetting would do the trick but as far as I
know no such s/w exists! Thanks
Charlie+
 
P

Pegasus [MVP]

Flightless Bird
"Charlie+" <charlie@xxx.net> wrote in message
news:1rd7u5tbecktqeq29m6q64jeikg0jiu8bj@4ax.com...
> On Thu, 06 May 2010 18:53:59 +0100, Charlie+ <charlie@xxx.net> wrote as :
>
>>I am trying to do a recovery from the WINDOWS XPPro sp3 installation disk
>>due to a corrupted file stopping windows loading from HDisk. The problem
>>is
>>that this computer has never had an Administrator password set - the
>>request
>>comes for the Administrator password and if I just press return as you
>>would
>>expect for a blank password it refuses to accept the blank field. Is
>>there
>>a way round this or have I to do a full reinstall? I dont think I have an
>>image of this particular machine!
>>Charlie+

>
> Thanks to all who replied : I repeat - there is no Administrator password
> set (except a blank field), I did the XP Pro original installation so I
> know
> for certain and this is the first time I have ever had a problem (ie
> trying
> to use the recovery console), I have password resetter software anyway
> and
> that doesnt help because a blank password will not allow the recovery
> console to get through the request for password in the recovery console
> with
> a blank field. As I made clear in the OP this is for a Windows XP
> recovery
> not just to break into an already running system.
> Does anyone who really knows this quirk have an answer? I suppose
> positive
> password insertion rather than resetting would do the trick but as far as
> I
> know no such s/w exists! Thanks
> Charlie+


AFAIR the Nordahl boot disk lets you specify a non-blank password for the
selected account.
 
A

Anna

Flightless Bird
"Charlie+" <charlie@xxx.net> wrote in message
news:1rd7u5tbecktqeq29m6q64jeikg0jiu8bj@4ax.com...
> On Thu, 06 May 2010 18:53:59 +0100, Charlie+ <charlie@xxx.net> wrote as :
>
>>I am trying to do a recovery from the WINDOWS XPPro sp3 installation disk
>>due to a corrupted file stopping windows loading from HDisk. The problem
>>is
>>that this computer has never had an Administrator password set - the
>>request
>>comes for the Administrator password and if I just press return as you
>>would
>>expect for a blank password it refuses to accept the blank field. Is
>>there
>>a way round this or have I to do a full reinstall? I dont think I have an
>>image of this particular machine!
>>Charlie+

>
> Thanks to all who replied : I repeat - there is no Administrator password
> set (except a blank field), I did the XP Pro original installation so I
> know
> for certain and this is the first time I have ever had a problem (ie
> trying
> to use the recovery console), I have password resetter software anyway
> and
> that doesnt help because a blank password will not allow the recovery
> console to get through the request for password in the recovery console
> with
> a blank field. As I made clear in the OP this is for a Windows XP
> recovery
> not just to break into an already running system.
> Does anyone who really knows this quirk have an answer? I suppose
> positive
> password insertion rather than resetting would do the trick but as far as
> I
> know no such s/w exists! Thanks
> Charlie+



Charlie+...
As you have heard from a number of responders to your query it would appear
that somewhere/somehow the administrator's password had been previously set
in your system. I realize that you have indicated that you "know for
certain" that no administrator password has ever been set but it is hard to
escape the conclusion that such was the case.

In any event since you cannot access the Recovery Console without entering a
password that the RC is demanding, would it not be advisable to simply use a
program and reset the password to a blank or another password and thus
determine whether that resolves your problem?

You have also indicated you have "password resetter software" available. In
view of the difficulty you're experiencing, have you actually used it to
create a blank password or some other acceptable password? And if so, did
you run into the same password problem re accessing the RC?

The program we (and an untold number of XP users) have used over the years
to reset the administrator's password to a blank is the freely-available
Nordahl program that Pegasus, and I believe other responders have mentioned.
In case you want to try it, here are the details...

Access the following website: http://pogostick.net/~pnh/ntpasswd/ and
download the freely available program that will allow you to create a
bootable CD that with which you will be able to reset your password.

Here are step-by-step instructions for using this program...

1. On the top of the webpage click on the "Bootdisk" button.
2. In the "Download" section toward the bottom of that page click on the
cd080802.zip file and download it to your Desktop. Note it's a ZIP file so
the contents of that file will have to be extracted.
3. I assume you know how to do this by merely right-clicking on the ZIP
file, click on Extract All, Next, Next, Finish.
4. A folder will be created on your Desktop titled "cd080802".
5. Inside that folder will be the cd080802.iso file. It's this .iso file
that allows you to create a bootable CD from that .iso image.
6. Hopefully, you have a CD-burning program, e.g., Nero, Roxio, etc., that
allows you to merely double-click on the .iso file and the program will open
and create a bootable CD from that .iso image. If you don't have such a
program perhaps you have a friend or acquaintance who does and he or she can
help you with creating the bootable CD. There are other programs available
on the net that allow you to do this as well - one popular program is the
freely-available ISO Recorder program - see
http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/isorecorder.htm

Now that you've created the bootable CD that's designed to reset your
password, insert the CD in your optical drive and boot to it.

The following are step-by-step instructions for using the program. The
example involved is a single-partitioned HDD, but the basic steps are the
same for any size HDD, except where the drive is multi-partitioned. If the
latter is the case the steps will be slightly different but they will not be
unduly complicated or substantially different under those circumstances.

As you progress through the screens the information provided and steps
involved may look more complicated than they really are. In virtually every
step during the process the user will simply be pressing the Enter key or
some other simple keystroke.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Case is important when responding to the prompts so ensure
you enter the correct lower or upper case.

1. Hopefully your PC is set up so that it will boot to a bootable CD. If
it's not, change the motherboard's BIOS boot priority setting so that the
CD-ROM is first in boot priority.

2. Boot to the password reset CD. At the first screen you will see the
"boot:" prompt.
Press Enter.

3. "Step ONE" is to select the drive on which the Windows OS is installed.
If the drive has been multi-partitioned all the partitions will be listed.
The prompt ("Step ONE") will be "Select: [1]".
Press Enter assuming "1" is the boot partition. Otherwise enter the correct
number of the partition containing boot system.

4. The next prompt ("Step TWO") will be "What is the path to the registry
directory? (relative to windows disk)
[WINDOWS/system32/config]:".
Once again, press Enter.

5. The next prompt will list a number of options of which "1" is "Password
reset...". Press Enter.

6. The next prompt at "Step THREE: Password or registry edit" will list
three options. The default prompt "[1]" will reflect the first option, "Edit
user data and passwords". Again, press Enter.

The next prompt will ask for the username listing the default
[Administrator]. Enter your username (ensuring that you enter the proper
case, e.g., CHARLIE), and press Enter.

The "User Edit Menu" will display listing various options. The first option
is to "Clear (blank) user password" so enter "1" at the prompt.
The confirmation "Password cleared!" message should appear.

7. At the next prompt enter "!" (exclamation mark) to quit the "User Edit
Menu". Press Enter.

8. At the next prompt enter "q" to quit the process.

9. At "Step FOUR" enter "y" to write changes. Press Enter.

10. At the "EDIT COMPLETE" message, press Enter to confirm ending the
process.

11. The "#" prompt will appear indicating termination of the process. Remove
the CD and reboot.

Hopefully your Administrator's password has been reset to a blank password
and you should gain access to the Recovery Console.
Anna
 
C

Charlie+

Flightless Bird
On Fri, 7 May 2010 10:55:48 -0400, "Anna" <myname@myisp.net> wrote as
underneath my scribble :

>
>"Charlie+" <charlie@xxx.net> wrote in message
>news:1rd7u5tbecktqeq29m6q64jeikg0jiu8bj@4ax.com...
>> On Thu, 06 May 2010 18:53:59 +0100, Charlie+ <charlie@xxx.net> wrote as :
>>
>>>I am trying to do a recovery from the WINDOWS XPPro sp3 installation disk
>>>due to a corrupted file stopping windows loading from HDisk. The problem
>>>is
>>>that this computer has never had an Administrator password set - the
>>>request
>>>comes for the Administrator password and if I just press return as you
>>>would
>>>expect for a blank password it refuses to accept the blank field. Is
>>>there
>>>a way round this or have I to do a full reinstall? I dont think I have an
>>>image of this particular machine!
>>>Charlie+

>>
>> Thanks to all who replied : I repeat - there is no Administrator password
>> set (except a blank field), I did the XP Pro original installation so I
>> know
>> for certain and this is the first time I have ever had a problem (ie
>> trying
>> to use the recovery console), I have password resetter software anyway
>> and
>> that doesnt help because a blank password will not allow the recovery
>> console to get through the request for password in the recovery console
>> with
>> a blank field. As I made clear in the OP this is for a Windows XP
>> recovery
>> not just to break into an already running system.
>> Does anyone who really knows this quirk have an answer? I suppose
>> positive
>> password insertion rather than resetting would do the trick but as far as
>> I
>> know no such s/w exists! Thanks
>> Charlie+

>
>
>Charlie+...
>As you have heard from a number of responders to your query it would appear
>that somewhere/somehow the administrator's password had been previously set
>in your system. I realize that you have indicated that you "know for
>certain" that no administrator password has ever been set but it is hard to
>escape the conclusion that such was the case.
>
>In any event since you cannot access the Recovery Console without entering a
>password that the RC is demanding, would it not be advisable to simply use a
>program and reset the password to a blank or another password and thus
>determine whether that resolves your problem?
>
>You have also indicated you have "password resetter software" available. In
>view of the difficulty you're experiencing, have you actually used it to
>create a blank password or some other acceptable password? And if so, did
>you run into the same password problem re accessing the RC?
>
>The program we (and an untold number of XP users) have used over the years
>to reset the administrator's password to a blank is the freely-available
>Nordahl program that Pegasus, and I believe other responders have mentioned.
>In case you want to try it, here are the details...
>
>Access the following website: http://pogostick.net/~pnh/ntpasswd/ and
>download the freely available program that will allow you to create a
>bootable CD that with which you will be able to reset your password.
>
>Here are step-by-step instructions for using this program...
>
>1. On the top of the webpage click on the "Bootdisk" button.
>2. In the "Download" section toward the bottom of that page click on the
>cd080802.zip file and download it to your Desktop. Note it's a ZIP file so
>the contents of that file will have to be extracted.
>3. I assume you know how to do this by merely right-clicking on the ZIP
>file, click on Extract All, Next, Next, Finish.
>4. A folder will be created on your Desktop titled "cd080802".
>5. Inside that folder will be the cd080802.iso file. It's this .iso file
>that allows you to create a bootable CD from that .iso image.
>6. Hopefully, you have a CD-burning program, e.g., Nero, Roxio, etc., that
>allows you to merely double-click on the .iso file and the program will open
>and create a bootable CD from that .iso image. If you don't have such a
>program perhaps you have a friend or acquaintance who does and he or she can
>help you with creating the bootable CD. There are other programs available
>on the net that allow you to do this as well - one popular program is the
>freely-available ISO Recorder program - see
>http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/isorecorder.htm
>
>Now that you've created the bootable CD that's designed to reset your
>password, insert the CD in your optical drive and boot to it.
>
>The following are step-by-step instructions for using the program. The
>example involved is a single-partitioned HDD, but the basic steps are the
>same for any size HDD, except where the drive is multi-partitioned. If the
>latter is the case the steps will be slightly different but they will not be
>unduly complicated or substantially different under those circumstances.
>
>As you progress through the screens the information provided and steps
>involved may look more complicated than they really are. In virtually every
>step during the process the user will simply be pressing the Enter key or
>some other simple keystroke.
>
>IMPORTANT NOTE: Case is important when responding to the prompts so ensure
>you enter the correct lower or upper case.
>
>1. Hopefully your PC is set up so that it will boot to a bootable CD. If
>it's not, change the motherboard's BIOS boot priority setting so that the
>CD-ROM is first in boot priority.
>
>2. Boot to the password reset CD. At the first screen you will see the
>"boot:" prompt.
>Press Enter.
>
>3. "Step ONE" is to select the drive on which the Windows OS is installed.
>If the drive has been multi-partitioned all the partitions will be listed.
>The prompt ("Step ONE") will be "Select: [1]".
>Press Enter assuming "1" is the boot partition. Otherwise enter the correct
>number of the partition containing boot system.
>
>4. The next prompt ("Step TWO") will be "What is the path to the registry
>directory? (relative to windows disk)
>[WINDOWS/system32/config]:".
>Once again, press Enter.
>
>5. The next prompt will list a number of options of which "1" is "Password
>reset...". Press Enter.
>
>6. The next prompt at "Step THREE: Password or registry edit" will list
>three options. The default prompt "[1]" will reflect the first option, "Edit
>user data and passwords". Again, press Enter.
>
>The next prompt will ask for the username listing the default
>[Administrator]. Enter your username (ensuring that you enter the proper
>case, e.g., CHARLIE), and press Enter.
>
>The "User Edit Menu" will display listing various options. The first option
>is to "Clear (blank) user password" so enter "1" at the prompt.
>The confirmation "Password cleared!" message should appear.
>
>7. At the next prompt enter "!" (exclamation mark) to quit the "User Edit
>Menu". Press Enter.
>
>8. At the next prompt enter "q" to quit the process.
>
>9. At "Step FOUR" enter "y" to write changes. Press Enter.
>
>10. At the "EDIT COMPLETE" message, press Enter to confirm ending the
>process.
>
>11. The "#" prompt will appear indicating termination of the process. Remove
>the CD and reboot.
>
>Hopefully your Administrator's password has been reset to a blank password
>and you should gain access to the Recovery Console.
>Anna
>

Well Anna thanks for the large post!!!
Just to provide definitive feedback for your trouble!--
Of course I had already tried a password reset for the recovery console - -
- only takes a few seconds to do and I knew it was blank anyway as I already
said -and it was!
As result of Pegasus post where he said he thaught it possible to insert a
password with Petter Nordahl-Hagen's prog. I d/l it and gave it a try --
Result no - it also detects a blank password field for the built in
Administrator account but says it cant be edited as there is no space (ie
presumably nothing to edit) apart from warnings that it might not be
successful even if there was a password to be edited! Offers to blank the
field and we already know the results for that!
As we know a blank field will not let you into the recovery console this is
a MS error probably due to an unforseen situation - therefore I think there
is no answer to this problem and I learn not to have computers with a blank
field in the Administrator password and will immediately change the other
running systems so the field is not blank jus in case!
The original reason for having a blank password field was that passwords get
lost, and two carriage returns dont! In all the years of XP installations
this is the first time I have tried to use the recovery console!!!! A
Failure! So off to pull of user files and a reinstall. Might give a try to
installing a W7 upgrade if I can find one around just to see what happens!
Charlie+
 
P

Pegasus [MVP]

Flightless Bird
"Charlie+" <charlie@xxx.net> wrote in message
news:4ffau5la09ejjf81jih3g45cqr0ch2ire4@4ax.com...
> On Fri, 7 May 2010 10:55:48 -0400, "Anna" <myname@myisp.net> wrote as
> underneath my scribble :
>
>>
>>"Charlie+" <charlie@xxx.net> wrote in message
>>news:1rd7u5tbecktqeq29m6q64jeikg0jiu8bj@4ax.com...
>>> On Thu, 06 May 2010 18:53:59 +0100, Charlie+ <charlie@xxx.net> wrote as
>>> :
>>>
>>>>I am trying to do a recovery from the WINDOWS XPPro sp3 installation
>>>>disk
>>>>due to a corrupted file stopping windows loading from HDisk. The
>>>>problem
>>>>is
>>>>that this computer has never had an Administrator password set - the
>>>>request
>>>>comes for the Administrator password and if I just press return as you
>>>>would
>>>>expect for a blank password it refuses to accept the blank field. Is
>>>>there
>>>>a way round this or have I to do a full reinstall? I dont think I have
>>>>an
>>>>image of this particular machine!
>>>>Charlie+
>>>
>>> Thanks to all who replied : I repeat - there is no Administrator
>>> password
>>> set (except a blank field), I did the XP Pro original installation so I
>>> know
>>> for certain and this is the first time I have ever had a problem (ie
>>> trying
>>> to use the recovery console), I have password resetter software anyway
>>> and
>>> that doesnt help because a blank password will not allow the recovery
>>> console to get through the request for password in the recovery console
>>> with
>>> a blank field. As I made clear in the OP this is for a Windows XP
>>> recovery
>>> not just to break into an already running system.
>>> Does anyone who really knows this quirk have an answer? I suppose
>>> positive
>>> password insertion rather than resetting would do the trick but as far
>>> as
>>> I
>>> know no such s/w exists! Thanks
>>> Charlie+

>>
>>
>>Charlie+...
>>As you have heard from a number of responders to your query it would
>>appear
>>that somewhere/somehow the administrator's password had been previously
>>set
>>in your system. I realize that you have indicated that you "know for
>>certain" that no administrator password has ever been set but it is hard
>>to
>>escape the conclusion that such was the case.
>>
>>In any event since you cannot access the Recovery Console without entering
>>a
>>password that the RC is demanding, would it not be advisable to simply use
>>a
>>program and reset the password to a blank or another password and thus
>>determine whether that resolves your problem?
>>
>>You have also indicated you have "password resetter software" available.
>>In
>>view of the difficulty you're experiencing, have you actually used it to
>>create a blank password or some other acceptable password? And if so, did
>>you run into the same password problem re accessing the RC?
>>
>>The program we (and an untold number of XP users) have used over the years
>>to reset the administrator's password to a blank is the freely-available
>>Nordahl program that Pegasus, and I believe other responders have
>>mentioned.
>>In case you want to try it, here are the details...
>>
>>Access the following website: http://pogostick.net/~pnh/ntpasswd/ and
>>download the freely available program that will allow you to create a
>>bootable CD that with which you will be able to reset your password.
>>
>>Here are step-by-step instructions for using this program...
>>
>>1. On the top of the webpage click on the "Bootdisk" button.
>>2. In the "Download" section toward the bottom of that page click on the
>>cd080802.zip file and download it to your Desktop. Note it's a ZIP file so
>>the contents of that file will have to be extracted.
>>3. I assume you know how to do this by merely right-clicking on the ZIP
>>file, click on Extract All, Next, Next, Finish.
>>4. A folder will be created on your Desktop titled "cd080802".
>>5. Inside that folder will be the cd080802.iso file. It's this .iso file
>>that allows you to create a bootable CD from that .iso image.
>>6. Hopefully, you have a CD-burning program, e.g., Nero, Roxio, etc., that
>>allows you to merely double-click on the .iso file and the program will
>>open
>>and create a bootable CD from that .iso image. If you don't have such a
>>program perhaps you have a friend or acquaintance who does and he or she
>>can
>>help you with creating the bootable CD. There are other programs available
>>on the net that allow you to do this as well - one popular program is the
>>freely-available ISO Recorder program - see
>>http://isorecorder.alexfeinman.com/isorecorder.htm
>>
>>Now that you've created the bootable CD that's designed to reset your
>>password, insert the CD in your optical drive and boot to it.
>>
>>The following are step-by-step instructions for using the program. The
>>example involved is a single-partitioned HDD, but the basic steps are the
>>same for any size HDD, except where the drive is multi-partitioned. If the
>>latter is the case the steps will be slightly different but they will not
>>be
>>unduly complicated or substantially different under those circumstances.
>>
>>As you progress through the screens the information provided and steps
>>involved may look more complicated than they really are. In virtually
>>every
>>step during the process the user will simply be pressing the Enter key or
>>some other simple keystroke.
>>
>>IMPORTANT NOTE: Case is important when responding to the prompts so ensure
>>you enter the correct lower or upper case.
>>
>>1. Hopefully your PC is set up so that it will boot to a bootable CD. If
>>it's not, change the motherboard's BIOS boot priority setting so that the
>>CD-ROM is first in boot priority.
>>
>>2. Boot to the password reset CD. At the first screen you will see the
>>"boot:" prompt.
>>Press Enter.
>>
>>3. "Step ONE" is to select the drive on which the Windows OS is installed.
>>If the drive has been multi-partitioned all the partitions will be listed.
>>The prompt ("Step ONE") will be "Select: [1]".
>>Press Enter assuming "1" is the boot partition. Otherwise enter the
>>correct
>>number of the partition containing boot system.
>>
>>4. The next prompt ("Step TWO") will be "What is the path to the registry
>>directory? (relative to windows disk)
>>[WINDOWS/system32/config]:".
>>Once again, press Enter.
>>
>>5. The next prompt will list a number of options of which "1" is "Password
>>reset...". Press Enter.
>>
>>6. The next prompt at "Step THREE: Password or registry edit" will list
>>three options. The default prompt "[1]" will reflect the first option,
>>"Edit
>>user data and passwords". Again, press Enter.
>>
>>The next prompt will ask for the username listing the default
>>[Administrator]. Enter your username (ensuring that you enter the proper
>>case, e.g., CHARLIE), and press Enter.
>>
>>The "User Edit Menu" will display listing various options. The first
>>option
>>is to "Clear (blank) user password" so enter "1" at the prompt.
>>The confirmation "Password cleared!" message should appear.
>>
>>7. At the next prompt enter "!" (exclamation mark) to quit the "User Edit
>>Menu". Press Enter.
>>
>>8. At the next prompt enter "q" to quit the process.
>>
>>9. At "Step FOUR" enter "y" to write changes. Press Enter.
>>
>>10. At the "EDIT COMPLETE" message, press Enter to confirm ending the
>>process.
>>
>>11. The "#" prompt will appear indicating termination of the process.
>>Remove
>>the CD and reboot.
>>
>>Hopefully your Administrator's password has been reset to a blank password
>>and you should gain access to the Recovery Console.
>>Anna
>>

> Well Anna thanks for the large post!!!
> Just to provide definitive feedback for your trouble!--
> Of course I had already tried a password reset for the recovery
> console - -
> - only takes a few seconds to do and I knew it was blank anyway as I
> already
> said -and it was!
> As result of Pegasus post where he said he thaught it possible to insert a
> password with Petter Nordahl-Hagen's prog. I d/l it and gave it a try --
> Result no - it also detects a blank password field for the built in
> Administrator account but says it cant be edited as there is no space (ie
> presumably nothing to edit) apart from warnings that it might not be
> successful even if there was a password to be edited! Offers to blank the
> field and we already know the results for that!
> As we know a blank field will not let you into the recovery console this
> is
> a MS error probably due to an unforseen situation - therefore I think
> there
> is no answer to this problem and I learn not to have computers with a
> blank
> field in the Administrator password and will immediately change the other
> running systems so the field is not blank jus in case!
> The original reason for having a blank password field was that passwords
> get
> lost, and two carriage returns dont! In all the years of XP installations
> this is the first time I have tried to use the recovery console!!!! A
> Failure! So off to pull of user files and a reinstall. Might give a try
> to
> installing a W7 upgrade if I can find one around just to see what happens!
> Charlie+


I would use this opportunity to implement a strategy which I have enforced
in our company for many years, with excellent results:
1. Each and every PC has two admin accounts which are not disclosed to end
users.
2. Every admin account has a non-blank password.
3. These passwords do not expire.
We have in excess of 1000 PCs but we never have a password problem.
 
A

Anna

Flightless Bird
"Charlie+" <charlie@xxx.net> wrote in message
news:4ffau5la09ejjf81jih3g45cqr0ch2ire4@4ax.com...
> Well Anna thanks for the large post!!!
> Just to provide definitive feedback for your trouble!--
> Of course I had already tried a password reset for the recovery
> console - -
> - only takes a few seconds to do and I knew it was blank anyway as I
> already
> said -and it was!
> As result of Pegasus post where he said he thaught it possible to insert a
> password with Petter Nordahl-Hagen's prog. I d/l it and gave it a try --
> Result no - it also detects a blank password field for the built in
> Administrator account but says it cant be edited as there is no space (ie
> presumably nothing to edit) apart from warnings that it might not be
> successful even if there was a password to be edited! Offers to blank the
> field and we already know the results for that!
> As we know a blank field will not let you into the recovery console this
> is
> a MS error probably due to an unforseen situation - therefore I think
> there
> is no answer to this problem and I learn not to have computers with a
> blank
> field in the Administrator password and will immediately change the other
> running systems so the field is not blank jus in case!
> The original reason for having a blank password field was that passwords
> get
> lost, and two carriage returns dont! In all the years of XP installations
> this is the first time I have tried to use the recovery console!!!! A
> Failure! So off to pull of user files and a reinstall. Might give a try
> to
> installing a W7 upgrade if I can find one around just to see what happens!
> Charlie+



Charlie+...
Sorry to hear one or the other password reset programs you used did not
resolve the problem.

I'm puzzled re your comment that "As we know a blank field will not let you
into the recovery console this is a MS error probably due to an unforseen
situation...".

Assuming the Administrator's password is "blank", merely pressing the Enter
key when the RC requests the password should allow the user to access the
RC. There is no requirement that I'm aware of that demands an "actual"
password to access the RC. I'm assuming in all this that you're going
through the normal procedure of booting to your XP OS installation CD in
order to access the RC.
Anna
 
C

Cymbal Man Freq.

Flightless Bird
"Charlie+" <charlie@xxx.net> wrote in message
news:1rd7u5tbecktqeq29m6q64jeikg0jiu8bj@4ax.com...
> On Thu, 06 May 2010 18:53:59 +0100, Charlie+ <charlie@xxx.net> wrote as :
>
>>I am trying to do a recovery from the WINDOWS XPPro sp3 installation disk
>>due to a corrupted file stopping windows loading from HDisk. The problem
>>is
>>that this computer has never had an Administrator password set - the
>>request
>>comes for the Administrator password and if I just press return as you
>>would
>>expect for a blank password it refuses to accept the blank field. Is
>>there
>>a way round this or have I to do a full reinstall? I dont think I have an
>>image of this particular machine!
>>Charlie+

>
> Thanks to all who replied : I repeat - there is no Administrator password
> set (except a blank field), I did the XP Pro original installation so I
> know
> for certain and this is the first time I have ever had a problem (ie
> trying
> to use the recovery console), I have password resetter software anyway
> and
> that doesnt help because a blank password will not allow the recovery
> console to get through the request for password in the recovery console
> with
> a blank field. As I made clear in the OP this is for a Windows XP
> recovery
> not just to break into an already running system.
> Does anyone who really knows this quirk have an answer? I suppose
> positive
> password insertion rather than resetting would do the trick but as far as
> I
> know no such s/w exists! Thanks
> Charlie+


I ran across a registry change on the internet yesterday but I don't know
where it is now. I had to change a D Word from a 0 to a 1 then Recovery
Console was accessible.

Here it is.

http://www.theeldergeek.com/recovery_console.htm

Recovery Console Password

On many XP installations you can't start the Recovery Console because it
won't recognize your password. This registry edit causes the Recovery
Console not to ask for a password. This works for both XP Home and XP
Professional.

Start | Run | Regedit
Navigate to
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Setup\RecoveryConsole
Set the DWORD SecurityLevel value to 1
Exit Registry and Reboot

************************************


Now I have to find the CD labeled: Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3 CD

I thought CD labels only had 11 characters maximum. I have a slipstream CD
but the computer chokes on NTLDR missing. I even replaced that file in the
i386 folder on the computer with the one from the cd but it didn't help. I'm
trying to do a repair install.
 
C

Cymbal Man Freq.

Flightless Bird
"Cymbal Man Freq." <disasterpastor45@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:uwQPBLz7KHA.5808@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl...
>
> "Charlie+" <charlie@xxx.net> wrote in message
> news:1rd7u5tbecktqeq29m6q64jeikg0jiu8bj@4ax.com...
>> On Thu, 06 May 2010 18:53:59 +0100, Charlie+ <charlie@xxx.net> wrote as
>> :
>>
>>>I am trying to do a recovery from the WINDOWS XPPro sp3 installation disk
>>>due to a corrupted file stopping windows loading from HDisk. The problem
>>>is
>>>that this computer has never had an Administrator password set - the
>>>request
>>>comes for the Administrator password and if I just press return as you
>>>would
>>>expect for a blank password it refuses to accept the blank field. Is
>>>there
>>>a way round this or have I to do a full reinstall? I dont think I have
>>>an
>>>image of this particular machine!
>>>Charlie+

>>
>> Thanks to all who replied : I repeat - there is no Administrator password
>> set (except a blank field), I did the XP Pro original installation so I
>> know
>> for certain and this is the first time I have ever had a problem (ie
>> trying
>> to use the recovery console), I have password resetter software anyway
>> and
>> that doesnt help because a blank password will not allow the recovery
>> console to get through the request for password in the recovery console
>> with
>> a blank field. As I made clear in the OP this is for a Windows XP
>> recovery
>> not just to break into an already running system.
>> Does anyone who really knows this quirk have an answer? I suppose
>> positive
>> password insertion rather than resetting would do the trick but as far as
>> I
>> know no such s/w exists! Thanks
>> Charlie+

>
> I ran across a registry change on the internet yesterday but I don't know
> where it is now. I had to change a D Word from a 0 to a 1 then Recovery
> Console was accessible.
>
> Here it is.
>
> http://www.theeldergeek.com/recovery_console.htm
>
> Recovery Console Password
>
> On many XP installations you can't start the Recovery Console because it
> won't recognize your password. This registry edit causes the Recovery
> Console not to ask for a password. This works for both XP Home and XP
> Professional.
>
> Start | Run | Regedit
> Navigate to
> HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Setup\RecoveryConsole
> Set the DWORD SecurityLevel value to 1
> Exit Registry and Reboot
>
> ************************************
>
>
> Now I have to find the CD labeled: Windows XP Professional Service Pack 3
> CD
>
> I thought CD labels only had 11 characters maximum. I have a slipstream CD
> but the computer chokes on NTLDR missing. I even replaced that file in the
> i386 folder on the computer with the one from the cd but it didn't help.
> I'm trying to do a repair install.


I can't reinstall from the cd because computer won't boot from cd because of
NTLDR error. Computer boots fine from hard drive but 3 of 4 users are
FUBARed by a Windows Explorer error.
Recovery Console won't recognize the slipstream CD ("XPSP3") because the
label is wrong.
 
C

Charlie+

Flightless Bird
Read the OP perhaps!
C+

>I'm puzzled re your comment that "As we know a blank field will not let you
>into the recovery console this is a MS error probably due to an unforseen
>situation...".
 
C

Charlie+

Flightless Bird
On Sun, 9 May 2010 00:47:29 -0400, "Cymbal Man Freq."
<disasterpastor45@gmail.com> wrote as
>


>I ran across a registry change on the internet yesterday but I don't know
>where it is now. I had to change a D Word from a 0 to a 1 then Recovery
>Console was accessible.
>
>Here it is.
>
>http://www.theeldergeek.com/recovery_console.htm
>
>Recovery Console Password
>
>On many XP installations you can't start the Recovery Console because it
>won't recognize your password. This registry edit causes the Recovery
>Console not to ask for a password. This works for both XP Home and XP
>Professional.
>
>Start | Run | Regedit
>Navigate to
>HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Setup\RecoveryConsole
>Set the DWORD SecurityLevel value to 1
>Exit Registry and Reboot
>

Now that is interesting - is it possible to edit the registry of an
unbootable sustem from another disk?
Charlie+
 
D

Doum

Flightless Bird
"Cymbal Man Freq." <disasterpastor45@gmail.com> écrivait
news:uwQPBLz7KHA.5808@TK2MSFTNGP02.phx.gbl:

<snip>
>
> I thought CD labels only had 11 characters maximum. I have a
> slipstream CD but the computer chokes on NTLDR missing. I even
> replaced that file in the i386 folder on the computer with the one
> from the cd but it didn't help. I'm trying to do a repair install.
>
>

On my systems, NTLDR is in the ROOT directory of the boot drive, not in the
i386 folder. FWIW, there is no i386 folder on my custom built PCs with XP
installed from a generic OEM cd. OTOH there is such folder on my laptop
with pre-installed XP.
 
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