reset windows 11 administrator password
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Slug: reset-windows-11-administrator-password

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#Method 1: Reset Password Using Windows 11 Installation Media

This method uses the Windows Recovery Environment to reset your password via the Command Prompt.

What You’ll Need:

  • A USB flash drive with at least 8 GB of space.
  • Access to another Windows computer to create the installation media.

Steps:

  1. Create Windows 11 Installation Media:

    • On the other computer, visit the Microsoft Windows 11 Download Page.
    • Download the Windows 11 Installation Media Creation Tool.
    • Run the tool and select “Create installation media (USB flash drive, DVD, or ISO file) for another PC”.
    • Choose your preferred language, edition, and architecture (64-bit).
    • Select USB flash drive when prompted and choose your USB drive from the list.
    • Allow the tool to download and create the installation media.

  2. Boot from the USB Drive:

    • Insert the USB drive into your locked Windows 11 PC.
    • Restart the PC and enter the BIOS/UEFI settings. This is usually done by pressing a key during startup, such as F2, F10, F12, Del, or Esc (check your PC’s documentation).
    • In the BIOS/UEFI settings, locate the Boot menu and set the USB drive as the first boot device.
    • Save changes and exit the BIOS/UEFI settings. The PC should now boot from the USB drive.

  3. Access the Command Prompt:

    • When the Windows Setup screen appears, select your language and preferences, then click Next.
    • Click on “Repair your computer” at the bottom-left corner.
    • Choose “Troubleshoot” > “Advanced options” > “Command Prompt”.

  4. Identify the Windows Installation Drive:

    • In the Command Prompt, type diskpart and press Enter.
    • Then type list volume and press Enter.
    • Identify the drive letter of your Windows installation (it might not be C: in this environment).
    • Type exit and press Enter to leave DiskPart.

  5. Backup and Replace Utility Manager:

    • Assuming your Windows installation is on D:, adjust accordingly if different.

    • Type the following commands, pressing Enter after each:

      D: cd \Windows\System32 ren utilman.exe utilman.exe.bak copy cmd.exe utilman.exe
    • This backs up the Utility Manager executable and replaces it with Command Prompt.

  6. Restart Your Computer:

    • Type wpeutil reboot and press Enter, or close the Command Prompt and select “Continue” to restart.

  7. Reset Your Password at the Login Screen:

    • At the login screen, click the Ease of Access icon (usually at the bottom-right corner). This will open a Command Prompt window.

    • To list all user accounts, type:

      net user
    • Identify your account name from the list.

    • To reset your password, type:

      net user [YourUsername] [NewPassword]

      Replace [YourUsername] with your actual username and [NewPassword] with the password you wish to set.

      For example:

      net user JohnDoe MyNewPassword123
    • Close the Command Prompt window.

  8. Log In to Your Account:

    • Use your new password to log in.

  9. Restore the Original Utility Manager:

    • After logging in, open Command Prompt as an administrator:

      • Click on Start, type cmd, right-click Command Prompt, and select “Run as administrator”.

    • Navigate to the System32 directory:

      cd \Windows\System32

    • Restore the original Utility Manager:

      del utilman.exe ren utilman.exe.bak utilman.exe

#Method 2: Use a Reputable Password Reset Tool (e.g., Hiren’s BootCD PE)

What You’ll Need:

  • A USB flash drive with at least 2 GB of space.
  • Access to another computer.

Steps:

  1. Download Hiren’s BootCD PE:

  2. Create a Bootable USB Drive:

    • Download Rufus from rufus.ie and run it.
    • Insert your USB flash drive into the computer.

    • In Rufus:

      • Select your USB drive under “Device”.
      • Click “SELECT” and choose the Hiren’s BootCD PE ISO file.
      • Keep the default settings and click “START”.
      • Confirm any prompts to write in ISO mode.

  3. Boot from the USB Drive:

    • Insert the USB drive into your locked PC.
    • Restart and boot from the USB drive (refer to Method 1, Step 2 for guidance).

  4. Reset the Password Using Hiren’s BootCD PE:

    • Once booted, the Hiren’s BootCD PE desktop will appear.
    • Navigate to Start Menu > Security > Passwords > NT Password Edit.

    • In NT Password Edit:

      • Click (Re)open to load the SAM file.
      • Select your user account from the list.
      • Click “Change Password”, enter a new password, and confirm it.
      • Click “Save Changes”.
      • Close the program.

  5. Restart Your Computer:

    • Remove the USB drive.
    • Click Start > Power > Restart.
    • Boot into Windows and log in using your new password.

#Method 3: Reset Password Using a Linux Live USB and chntpw

What You’ll Need:

  • A USB flash drive with at least 4 GB of space.
  • Access to another computer.

Steps:

  1. Download a Linux Distribution (e.g., Ubuntu):

  2. Create a Bootable Linux USB Drive:

    • Use Rufus to create a bootable USB drive with the Ubuntu ISO (similar to Method 2, Step 2).

  3. Boot into Linux Live Environment:

    • Insert the USB drive into your locked PC.
    • Restart and boot from the USB drive.

  4. Run Ubuntu Without Installing:

    • Select “Try Ubuntu” when prompted.

  5. Install chntpw Utility:

    • Ensure your PC is connected to the internet.
    • Open the Terminal application.

    • Update package lists:

      sudo apt update

    • Install chntpw:

      sudo apt install chntpw

  6. Identify and Mount Your Windows Partition:

    • In Terminal, list the disk partitions:

      sudo fdisk -l

    • Identify the partition where Windows is installed (look for a partition of type NTFS).

    • Create a mount point:

      sudo mkdir /mnt/windows

    • Mount the partition (replace /dev/sda3 with your Windows partition identifier):

      sudo mount /dev/sda3 /mnt/windows

  7. Reset the Password:

    • Navigate to the Windows System32 config directory:

      cd /mnt/windows/Windows/System32/config

    • List user accounts:

      sudo chntpw -l SAM

    • Reset your password (replace YourUsername with your actual username):

      sudo chntpw -u YourUsername SAM

    • Follow the prompts to clear the password or set a new one.

      • Type 1 to Clear (blank) user password or 2 to Edit (set new) user password.
      • If setting a new password, enter the new password when prompted.

    • Save changes by typing y when prompted.

  8. Unmount the Partition and Restart:

    • Unmount the Windows partition:

      sudo umount /mnt/windows

    • Restart your computer:

      sudo reboot

    • Remove the USB drive during the reboot.

  9. Log In to Windows:

    • Use the new or cleared password to log into your account.
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