XP won't accept my password

[vhawk]

suddenly after having booted my big pc with my regular 'well-known' 'certain_sure' password, just now i rebooted it and it won't accept my password

please, what can i do?

i've checked numbers lock and capslock and it isn't that

i'm having to do this from my laptop

 

[Mark56]

Try this

Boot up in Safe Mode, and log in under the Admin account.

Click START->RUN->then type control userpasswords2
Click the ADVANCED tab, then under ADVANCED USER MANAGEMENT, click ADVANCED.

Click on the USERS folder. in the right hand pane, now right click on your profile, then click PROPERTIES.

Place a check in the box, PASSWORD NEVER EXPIRES. click APPLY, then OK. reboot and attempt to login to XP in normal mode.

Let me know if this works, if not, there is another solution to deal with a corrupt user profile which is most probably what has happened.

 

[vhawk]

bit of a problem, i don't seem to have' advanced user management' and it says something about cntrl alt delete, which is problem for me as i only have one hand.


while looking around i found something about a forgotten password disk, it's silent about what kind of disk it is as floppies are a bit thin on the ground these days

 

[Mark56]

OK, I just went into my XP machine and there is an easier method.

Start tapping the F8 key as soon as you switch on to get into safe mode.
Select Administrator to log in.
Then go to the Control Panel and User Accounts.
Select Change Password.
Click on the account you lost the password for.
Type in a new password and again to confirm it.
Click on Create Password.

Reboot the PC and sign in with the new password.

 

[vhawk]

thanks, i'll bear that in mind if it happens again

to be on the safe side i just reset my password anyway, after how long does it expire?

 

[Mark56]

after how long does it expire?

Try the earlier instruction (in normal mode) and see if you can get to the last line of the instruction to stop the password expiring.

If your XP is a "Home" edition you can use this free software to stop the expiration.

Select the "User Manager for XP/Vista home".


http://www.xphometools.com/

 

[vhawk]

yes i am using XP home, i just hope i ca figure out how to use the thing that you so kindly and helpfully suggest, thanks

best

pete

 

[Mark56]

You could always reset the password and leave the "New Password" box blank, then it cannot expire and you won't need to enter a password every time you sign in.

 

[vhawk]

thanks that sounds like a good idea

 

[vhawk]

on this XP home thing what do i need to down load? there is something about administrative tools or permissions or something, i don't know what that is, what do i need to download to stop my password which i have now, to be on the safe side, left blank , expiring?

 

[Mark56]

If you go into safe mode as instructed earlier and sign in under the Administrator account you should be able to go through the directions I gave in post 2.

The instructions I gave in post 4 will allow you to change the password or leave it blank, if you leave it blank it will not expire and you will not be asked for it every time you boot the PC.

The software to manage the password expiration is in the link I gave in post 6 and as I have instructed in that post you need to get the "User Manager for XP/Vista home" There is a big blue box on the page with "Download User Manager" written on it. I have not used this software myself so can't give much help with that, it will probably have a built in help file.

 

[vhawk]

unfortunately i've got xp home

 

[Mark56]

unfortunately i've got xp home

Why unfortunately, I have just repeated all the instructions you need with three different options, any one should work for you.

 

[vhawk]

i don't have an' advanced user management' option. i don't know why, but it's just not there