Windows Password Reset

Confirmed this works on Windows 10 and Server 2008R2. Would probably work on later server versions.

Reblogged from..

http://www.techexams.net/forums/off-topic/97802-nt-pw-recovery-booting-kernel.html

The Windows password has always had a very easy workaround for anyone with a few minutes and a Windows install disc.

1. If you have any windows OS install disc, boot from that.

2. At the welcome screen, press SHIFT and F10 to bring up an administrative command prompt.

3. You are looking for two files: utilman.exe and cmd.exe. Utilman is the Ease of Access button that you see at the Windows login screen. What you want to do is create backup copies of both.

4. Now that you have backup copies of each, delete the original utilman.exe and rename the original cmd.exe to utilman.exe.

5. Reboot without the disc.

6. At the Windows login screen, click the Ease of Access button. Boom, it should open an Administrative command prompt.

7. You can use the “net user” command and all of the switches that go along with it to remove the password from your account or create a new admin account.

I had to do this at my last job a few times. I worked in a computer repair shop, and you wouldn’t believe the number of people that brought in laptops with passwords locked out. Password crackers usually work, but if it’s Windows 8 and it has a Live account tied to it, they don’t. Either way, this takes all of 5 minutes and you’re back in business, rather than dealing with all the UEFI boot nonsense.