How to reset Windows 7 Password

You click enter and then that dreaded error message appears in the login screen. So what would you do now? You could go and check if you wrote your password somewhere, your planner or a scratch paper maybe? But when there is no other option, there is only one way to go: reset. But isn’t it only applicable on online login where you register an email address? Well, thankfully, there’s a way to do just that with the help of great old DOS.

How’s it done?

In a nutshell: You need to boot off using the Windows installation disk. Then using the command prompt, overwrite the sticky keys command with cmd.exe, reboot and then use the sticky keys so that a command prompt will appear and then reset the password using a string of command. Ta da! Done!

Step by Step Process:

1.) Boot off using the installation disk. In the lower left corner, you can see some options. Click the “Repair your computer” option.

2.) A dialog box will then appear and select the option Command Prompt.

3.) Once in the Command Prompt, type in the command:

           copy c:\windows\system32\sethc.exe c:\

This is so that you will have a backup of the original sticky keys file in case you want to recover it later on.

4.) Next, copy the command prompt executable (cmd.exe) over the sticky keys executable command.

          copy c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe c:\windows\system32\sethc.exe

This is so that every time the sticky keys command is executed, the command prompt would immediately pop-up.

5.) Once done with the copying, reboot your computer. The next step will be the actual resetting of the password.

6.) When you are once again in the login screen, execute the sticky keys command by hitting the shift key 5 times. An administrator mode command prompt would immediately pop up.

7.) Then type the command:

           net user

Add the new username and password of your choosing.

           net user username newpassword

Now you can login using your new username and password.