Removal of unknown password ?

Question

How do I remove an unknown password from my computer? The pass word may be set from bios or user accounts!

Answer 1

Windows XP User Account Password Reset Instructions

1. Start PC in safe mode. (Tap F7 at start.)

2. Login as "Administrator".

3. Reset password. (Start---->Control Panel---->User Accounts)

4. Restart PC.

Answer 2

What is the password to? A program or your computer. Don't  understand what you mean by " it may be set from bios or user accounts" please explain more for us to help you

Answer 3

If its user accounts, do a search on Petter Nordahl. Excellent local password cracking utility.

If its in the bios, your going to need ot know the manufacturer of the board, and find the clear CMOS jumper.

Edit: Webman below is right to a degree, forgot about the hidden admin, but one correction, you tap F8, not F7

Answer 4

Removing the password depends on where it is.  If you're asked for the password before Windows comes up, it's in the Read Only Memory (ROM) that initially has control of the machine before it hands it off to Windows.  To fix this, you're going to have to open the computer box (with the power off), find the little watch battery that keeps the clock and the CMOS memory (which contains this password) alive and carefully remove it. Note which side was up so you can put it back correctly, wait ten or fifteen seconds, then reinstall it.  That should get rid of that password.  You're probably also going to have to reset the date and time.

But if you're having this password problem when you try to log into Windows itself, you have to take a completely different approach.

1. Boot your machine.

2. When the machine starts the reboot sequence, press the F8 key repeatedly.

3. Select Safe Mode from the resulting menu with the arrow keys.

4. The machine will continue booting, but the Windows desktop will look different.  You won't be able to see the Internet, for instance.  Log in as Administrator.  Administrator often has no password.

5. Click on the Start->Control Panel menu item.

6. Click on User Accounts.

7. Click on the bad account.

8. Click on Remove the Password.

9. Finish up and reboot normally.  

Good luck.