How to reset the account password in Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 without using third party tools

If you forgot the password for your Windows account and are unable to log in using any other account, then this article will definitely be useful for you. Today, we will see how to reset the account password in Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows 7 without using third party tools. All we need is bootable media with Windows Setup. The instructions are applicable to all mentioned versions of Windows. Also, you can reset Windows 7 password using Windows 8 boot disk and vice versa. Follow the instructions below.

You need to use the Windows setup disk with the appropriate architecture - 32-bit or 64-bit depending on which Windows you have installed. To create a bootable USB disk, see this article: How to create a bootable USB stick to install Windows in Windows 8 or Windows 7

• If you have Windows 7 x86, use Windows 7 x86 or Windows 8 x86 setup disk
• In case you have Windows 7 x64, use Windows 7 x64 or Windows 8 x64 setup disk
• If you have Windows 8 x86, use Windows 7 x86 or Windows 8 x86 setup disk
• In case you have Windows 8 x64, use Windows 7 x64 or Windows 8 x64 setup disk

If you are not able to boot from DVD media, that is, your PC does not have an optical drive, you can create a bootable flash drive.

1. Boot from the Windows installation disk/USB stick with Windows setup.
2. Wait for the "Windows Setup" screen:
   
3. Press Shift + F10 keys together on the keyboard. This will open the command prompt window:
   
4. In the command prompt, type regedit and press the Enter key. This will open Registry Editor.
5. Select HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE key on the left.
   
   After you select it, run the File -> Load Hive... menu command. See more details here: How to access the registry of another user or another OS.
   
6. In the load hive dialog, select the following file:

   DRIVE:\Windows\System32\config\SYSTEM

   Replace the DRIVE part with the letter of the drive where your Windows installation is located. Usually it is drive D:.
   
   

7. Enter any desired name for the hive you are loading. For example, I gave it a name 111:
   
8. Go to the following key:

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\111\Setup

   Edit the cmdline parameter and set it to cmd.exe
   Change the SetupType DWORD parameter value to 2.
   

9. Now select 111 on the left and run the File -> Unload hive menu item in Regedit. Close Registry Editor and all open windows. Your PC will be rebooted.
10. Eject your bootable media and boot from your PC's local drive. The screen will look like this:
    
11. Type the following command in the opened command prompt:

    net user

    It will show you all accounts that exist on your PC.
    

12. To set a new password for your Windows account, type the following command:

    net user login new_password

    If your login name contains spaces, type it as follows:

    net user "your login" new_password

    For example:
    

13. That's it. Close the command prompt window to continue.

You are done! Windows will show the login screen, and you will be able to sign in using the password you just set!

All credits go to our friend "Morpheus" for sharing this incredible tip.

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