In this Computer Tip I will tell you about a little feature inside Windows XP and Vista that will help you the next time you have forgotten your user account password.

Both Windows XP and Windows Vista have built in features that allow you to create a floppy disk in the event that you lose access to your user account. If you do not know your password to enter your user account and have not created this diskette please see Tips on Recovering Windows XP User Account Password for information about how to access your account when a password is forgotten.

But if you were smart and thought ahead or read this article and took my advice then you are ready to start recovering your account. If you haven’t created that disk yet, do not wait because this method will not work if you don’t have these floppy disk when you need them. Remember when you created this disk to not leave it to fall in the hands of anyone other than yourself. Lets get started:

Creating the Account Recovery Disk

  1. Open the Control Panel from the Start menu.
  2. In Control Panel open User Accounts by double-clicking the User Accounts icon.
  3. In User Accounts’ top left Related Tasks section click Prevent a forgotten password.
  4. Insert a blank floppy diskette into the computer and click Next.
  5. Type the password for the user you are creating the diskette for and click Next.
  6. Wait until the diskette has completed the process and store the diskette in a place you will remember and safe from anyone else.

Using the Account Recovery Disk

If you were smart and create the Account Recovery Disk then I will show you how to use the disk incase you ever need them. If you have not made this disk and still need to recover you account, you will need to read link here.

  1. At the Windows XP login prompt when the password is entered incorrectly or no password entered at all click the reset button in the login failed window.
  2. Insert the password reset diskette into the computer and click Next.
  3. Windows XP will open a window prompting for the new password you wish to use.

If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Also if you like the content I post then you can help keep it coming by donating. And like always thank you for stopping by Tip Central.


This entry was posted on Thursday, June 5th, 2008 at 7:27 pm and is filed under Computer Tips. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.