Need a way around password on administrator account in Windows 7 and during setup password was entered accidentally and don’t know it. I do not want to do a complete re-install of operating system or I will loose data. How to regain access to the administrator account?

There are a number of ways to gain access to a password-protected administrator account without a password. I’ll offer two options. The first one is quick and easy, but only works in Windows XP. If the used PC runs Windows 8/7/Vista, please refer to option 2.

Option 1: Boot into Safe Mode

Windows XP contains a backdoor entrance to administrator control. The trick will only work if the backdoor is not closed.

First, boot into Safe Mode: Start your PC, and press F8 before the Windows logo appears. (It may take a few tries to get the timing right.) From the resulting Boot menu, select Safe Mode. When the logon screen appears, it will probably contain a user you’ve never seen before, Administrator, that does not have a password by default. Thus, you can enter Windows as an administrator-level user.

Once inside Windows, you can use Control Panel’s User Accounts applet to change the password on the other administrator account or create a new one for yourself.

Option 2: Using Password Reset Boot CD

If you’re using Windows 8/7/Vista, or if someone closed that backdoor already, you can remove the administrator password with a password reset boot CD. This gets a little complicated, so follow it closely.

First you need to prepare a password reset boot CD. Just download the Reset Windows Password software onto an alternative computer. Once the download is complete, unzip the download file and you’ll get the ResetWindowsPwd.iso file. Burn this ISO image to a blank CD using any CD recording program such as BurnCDCC.

Once you’ve created the disc, boot your locked computer from the CD. The computer will load the mini operating system inside the boot CD and finally open up Reset Windows Password program.

Choose your Windows SAM registry hive, and then select the administrator account and click on Reset Password button. The program will remove the forgotten administrator password instantly.

Take out the boot CD and reboot into Windows. The administrator account will no longer require a password.