Windows 7 integrates by default a system administrator account (called Administrator) that has complete control of any element or aspect of the system. Even normal user accounts can obtain system administration privileges so that they can perform special operations, such as backing up data or changing the login password of other profiles. If for any reason you need to change the password of the Administrator account, you may think that the only solution is to reinstall the operating system, fortunately resetting the password of the Windows 7 Administrator account is not as difficult as it seems.
Steps
Method 1 of 4: Log into the Computer Using Another System Administrator User
Step 1. Log in to Windows using another user account that belongs to the computer administrators group
If you can no longer log on to the computer with a certain account (for example the Administrator profile), log in using another user profile that falls within the system administrators group. In this sense, it is very likely that the first user account you created during the initial Windows 7 setup process has those privileges. If there is no other computer administrator account on the system, you will need to try one of the other methods described in the article.
Step 2. Go to the "Start" menu and select the "Control Panel" item
If there is no direct link to the "Control Panel" in the "Start" menu, press the key combination ⊞ Win + S to activate the Windows search feature, then type in the keyword
check
. Now select the "Control Panel" icon that appears in the search results list.
Step 3. Select the "Add or Remove User Accounts" link
Before you can continue, Windows will ask you to enter your login password as a security procedure.
Step 4. Select the name of the user profile you wish to change the password for
User accounts in the system administrators group can change the logon passwords of any existing profile on the computer. If the account you want to change the password to is the Administrator profile, select its icon.
Step 5. Select the "Change Password" link
At this point, follow the instructions that will appear on the screen to change the access password of the chosen account. Remember that the new password must be entered twice in order to complete the change procedure. After Windows accepts the new password you entered, you will be able to log into your computer using that user account.
Method 2 of 4: Use a Password Reset Disk
Step 1. Obtain the password reset disk for the user account in question
You must have previously created a password reset disk (in the form of a CD or USB drive) in order to follow this procedure. If you haven't, you will need to use one of the other methods described in the article. Remember that you cannot use a password reset disk created by a friend, as it is strictly tied to the user account it was created for.
Step 2. Try to log in to Windows as the system administrator
When you see the message indicating that the username or password entered is incorrect, press the "OK" button.
Step 3. Insert the password reset disk
Press the "Eject" button on the optical drive installed in your computer to eject its carriage. If you've created a password reset USB drive, plug it into a free USB port on your computer.
Step 4. Select the "Reset Password" link
This will run the wizard to reset your account password.
Step 5. Press the "Next" button to be able to enter the new password
Choose a password that is strong yet easy to memorize. You will be asked to enter it a second time in order to check that it is correct.
Step 6. Press the "Finish" button
You are now able to log into the system using the current user account and new password.
Method 3 of 4: Use a System Repair Disk
Step 1. Insert the Recovery CD or DVD into your computer's optical drive
If you don't have a previously created system repair disc, you can ask an acquaintance or friend to lend it to you or create one for you.
Step 2. Boot the system using the recovery disc
Restart your computer and wait for the message "Press any key to boot from CD-ROM or DVD-ROM…" to appear on the screen. Press any key on the keyboard to continue.
- If the above message does not appear, but the normal Windows logon screen appears, your computer is not configured to boot from CD / DVD. Enter the BIOS to change the boot sequence.
- If your computer continues to boot normally, try using another Windows 7 recovery disk.
Step 3. Select the hard drive and operating system
Unless you have multiple operating systems and multiple hard drives installed on your computer, you will only have one option available. Choose the one called "Windows 7" and make a note of the drive letter for the installation disk (most likely it will be "C:" or "D:"). Select the "Use recovery tools …" radio button and press the "Next" button to continue.
Step 4. Select the "Command Prompt" item from the "Choose a recovery tool" screen
This will bring up a Windows "Command Prompt" window where you can enter the following commands:
-
Type the command
C:
or
D:
- (based on the drive letter where the Windows 7 installation is present) and press the Enter key;
-
Enter the command
cd windows / system32
- and press the Enter key;
-
Type the command
ren utilman.exe utilhold.exe
- and press the Enter key. The "Utilman.exe" file is associated with the Windows Accessibility program. For the procedure described in this method to work, you must temporarily rename this file;
-
Type the command
copy cmd.exe utilman.exe
- and press the Enter key;
-
At this point enter the Type command
exit
- and press the Enter key.
Step 5. Remove the CD / DVD from the computer's optical drive and reboot the system
This will cause Windows 7 to start normally.
Step 6. Select the "Accessibility" icon visible in the lower left corner of the Windows logon screen
It features a small blue button that normally displays a list of options to make your computer easier to use. In this specific case, it will give access to the "Command Prompt" window. At the end of the procedure you can restore the original Windows configuration.
Step 7. Set a new password
Type the command
net user Administrator [new_pwd]
. Replace the "[new_pwd]" parameter with the password you want to use, then press the Enter key.
Step 8. Type the command
exit
and press the "Enter" key to close the "Command Prompt" window.
You will be redirected to the Windows login screen.
Step 9. Log into Windows using the new password you just set
Step 10. Press the key combination ⊞ Win + S to open the search field
At this point it is necessary to restore the correct functioning of the "Accessibility" icon on the Windows login screen. Type in the keyword
commands
within the search field that appeared, then right-click the Windows "Command Prompt" icon from the results list and choose the "Run as administrator" option from the context menu.
Step 11. Type the following series of commands into the "Command Prompt":
-
Type the drive letter for your Windows installation for example
C:
- (always refer to the drive letter you identified in the previous steps) and press the Enter key;
-
Type the command
cd windows / system32
- and press the Enter key;
-
Type the command
copy utilhold.exe utilman.exe
- and press the Enter key;
-
Type the command
exit
- and press the Enter key.
Method 4 of 4: Boot from an Installation DVD or USB Drive
Step 1. Insert the Windows 7 installation DVD into the drive or connect the USB drive to your computer
The Windows installation disc should have been provided with your computer at the time of purchase. If you have previously burned one using the "Windows USB / DVD Download Tool" system tool, you can use it as a replacement for the original one. If you have opted to create an installation USB drive, you can use it as a replacement for the Windows 7 DVD. If you don't have either of the two tools available, you can borrow one from a friend or acquaintance.
Step 2. Restart your computer using the installation DVD or USB drive
Check that your computer's BIOS is configured correctly to boot from a CD / DVD ROM or a USB drive. When you see the message "Press any key to boot from CD-ROM or DVD-ROM …" (or "Press F12 to select a boot device"), press the indicated key.
Step 3. Click the "X" icon in the upper corner of the language selection window
The Windows installation procedure will offer you to perform a fresh installation of the operating system, but in reality you will simply have to temporarily change the name of the system utility called "Sticky Keys".
Step 4. Press the key combination ⇧ Shift + F10 when the installation start screen appears
This will bring up a "Command Prompt" window where you will need to type the following set of commands:
-
Type the command
copy d: / windows / system32 / sethc.exe d: \
- and press the Enter key. If Windows was not installed on drive "D:", use the letter that identifies the volume under consideration (for example "E:" or "F:"). If the error message "The specified path cannot be found" appears, it means that the indicated drive does not exist or does not contain the Windows installation.
-
Type the command
copy / y d: / windows / system32 / cmd.exe d: / windows / system32 / sethc.exe
- and press the Enter key. Again you will need to use the drive letter that contains the Windows installation (for example "C:" or "D:").
-
Enter the command
exit
- and press the Enter key.
Step 5. Remove the CD / DVD from your computer's optical drive or take out the USB drive from its port and reboot the system
This will cause Windows 7 to start normally.
Step 6. Once you get to the Windows login screen, quickly press the ⇧ Shift key 5 times in a row
Normally the "Sticky Keys" accessibility program would run, but in this case a "Command Prompt" window will appear. Run the following sequence of commands:
-
Type the command
net user Administrator [new_pwd]
- . Replace the parameter "[new_pwd]" with the password you want to use, then press the Enter key;
-
Enter the command
copy / y d: / sethc.exe d: / windows / system32 / sethc.exe
and press the Enter key. If necessary, replace the drive letter
d:
- with that relating to the installation of Windows. In this way the "Sticky Keys" program file that you modified in the previous steps will be restored with the original version;
-
Type the command
exit
- and press the Enter key.
Step 7. Restart your computer
You can now log into Windows using the Administrator account and the new password you just set.
Advice
- The system administrator user password is not configured by default. This means that, if you have never changed it, you can log into the computer with the administrator account without entering any security passwords.
- To avoid getting into trouble if you no longer have access to the system administrator password, it's a good idea to create a password reset disk using the Windows feature of the same name.
