Windows7How

Recover Administrator Password in Win 7 – Part I

February 23, 2010

This is a particularly interesting method of recovering your Administrator password if you should somehow change it and forget the new one. Since you may be forced to change it regularly by your employer or IT policies – in some cases people do this to keep their system secure at home – it is very possible to remember your old password but forget the new one you were asked to choose. There are many of these methods already floating around the Microsoft and other forums; people do this to help those who need it, so why not pass it along further to help those who need it. Misplacing your Administrator password on your Windows 7 system will limit you greatly as to what you can accomplish with it. There will be several more problems if you are an extensive user of User Access Control (UAC) security. Please make sure to secure a copy of your password in a safe place where you can always retrieve it if you need to do so; do this every time you have to update a password. If you have not done that, and you do remember your old Administrator password, and you are looking here to see if you are able to solve this issue, please continue.

This process will be produced in two parts, so make sure you have access to both parts before you start the recovery procedure. Otherwise, you will be stuck and will not be able to accomplish your goal. This is Part I.

The first of some serious caveats to this method involves your use of Windows System Restore. If you are not using this back-up tool to keep your data safe, you should – and you should read no further. If you have been using it, then this series can help you to recover that lost credential. And, there is the usual warning with using a System Restore point – you will go back to that point in time, and it may be before you have installed some applications or made changes to the operating system (OS). It happens to many of us when we keep working within the same login period and we only run a System Backup every so often…you know who you are. Though, remember that you will not lose any documents or e-mail in this process.

Now we get to the process. This will take some work, so make sure you have the time to go through the entire process before you start on this – it would be very hard to remember where you were if you had to stop, and it is better to do this all in one sitting. So, let’s begin.

First of all, find your Windows 7 install DVD and place it in your DVD drive. Now, restart your computer so that it boots into the Windows 7 disc. You may have to change your BIOS settings to do this, but it is likely your computer is already set up to boot from disc instead of your hard drive as it is often a default setting in many BIOS builds. However, if you need to change your boot order, please follow the instructions for your specific model of computer to make this change – they are all a little different, so they cannot be explained here.

When the Windows 7 install screen comes up after the reboot, you will need to choose the “Repair your computer” link (bottom left of install screen). A new dialog box will appear asking you which operating system you would like to repair. Simply choose your OS and click Next. You will next be presented with the System Recovery Options dialog box. Here you need to select System Restore so that you can bring up the System Restore wizard. When you first see the System Restore wizard, it will simply provide you with basic information as to what it can and what it will not do. Click Next and we can move on to the interesting parts.

This is the beginning of the process and the rest of it will need to be covered in Part II. The continuing System Restore process will be covered in the next part, so just switch to the next part and you can finish recovering your lost Administrator password from your Windows 7 install.

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Tags: bios, disc, documents, driver, dvd, fix, hard drive, recover password, repair, security, settings, system restore point, uac, update, win 7, win7, windows, wizard