In this post we will see how to reset
Windows 7 administrator password. As an example I have got a computer installed
with Windows 7 professional with SP1 operating system. This machine is a not a
part of any domain and is a part of workgroup. There are lot of tools that are available online
that will help you to recover or reset the Windows 7 password.
In this post I will show a simple
technique to reset administrator password of windows7 without
using any tools. We know that Windows comes with a built-in utility
called Utilman. Utilman, an executable file that allow users to
configure the accessibility option like Magnifier, High contrast theme, Narrator
and On-Screen Keyboard before they log onto the system. Utilman file
resides in the System32 folder which is located inside windows folder. If
you swap the Utilman file with command prompt, you have access
to the command prompt running SYSTEM privileges.
I will be summarizing the steps that
we will be performing in this post.
- Boot the OS into recovery mode.
- Choose the startup repair option.
- Make a backup of Utilman and save it with a
new name. Delete the Utilman file.
- Make a copy of command prompt and rename it as
Utilman.
- In the next boot, click the Ease of
Access icon, the command prompt is launched.
- Use the net user command to
reset the administrator password.
How to reset Windows 7 Administrator Password
Windows 7 offers some interesting
tools designed to help you fix certain system problems. To begin with, we need
to get to the screen which shows the repair options. To do so, reset the
windows 7 computer. Upon boot, it shows Launch Startup Repair (recommended) and
Start Windows Normally options. Choose the first option and hit enter.
The startup repair tries to fix
certain system problems that might prevent Windows 7 from booting successfully.
This utility is designed to fix only certain problems such as missing or
damaged system files used to load the operating system. Wait for few minutes
while the start repair tries to fix the issues.
Finally you see a windows which says
Startup Repair cannot repair this computer automatically. Click on View problem
details. In the message box click on the last link ending with txt extension.
This will open a privacy info in a
notepad. Click on File and click Open.
Locate the Utilman file which is
found in the System32 folder inside Windows folder. Right click on the file and
click Copy.
Click on Paste now. You will see a
new file called Utilman – Copy. You can rename it to your choice. I will keep
it as it is.
We now have the backup copy of the
Utilman file. So go ahead and delete the Utilman file. Next, copy the cmd file.
Use the paste option and now you will
see a new file cmd – Copy. Right click on the cmd – Copy and click Rename.
Rename the cmd – copy file to
Utilman.
Close the dialog box, close the file,
and close the Startup repair box and Click finish. The system will shutdown.
Next, boot the system and on the logon screen, click on Ease of Access icon.
This will now launch the command prompt (if you remember we replaced the
utilman file with that of command prompt).
Use the net user administrator *
command to initiate the password reset for administrator account. Type the
password twice and you will see the password has been changed successfully.
Close the command prompt and enter the new password and login to the computer.
Final steps – Delete the
Utilman file and rename Utilman – Copy file to Utilman. With this you have
restored back the original file.
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