Password Problems
Useful resources for dealing with password problems.
Take
Ownership of a File or Folder in Windows XP
This article describes how to take ownership of a file or folder to which you have been denied access. If you require access to a file or folder to which you do not have access (permission), you must take ownership of that file or folder, where you replace the security permissions to allow yourself access.
If you have been denied access to a folder and you have implemented the Windows XP Encrypting File System (EFS) and also reinstalled XP, this article will not help you. To recover EFS encrypted folders you must have backed up your EFS Certificates and the Recovery Agent. Read the the next section titled "Log On if you Forget your Password or it Expires."
Log
On if you Forget your Password or it Expires
If you have forgotten your user logon password and you are not sure if you created an Adminstrator password, start Windows in safe mode and try logging on as Administrator using a blank password.
If you have not created a password reset disk and you have also forgotten your Administrator password, you cannot log on to your existing Windows installation for security reasons. Microsoft state that you must perform a "clean" installation of Windows XP, re-create all user accounts, and reinstall all of your programs. However this is unnecessary if you have not implemented the Windows XP Encrypting File System.
If you do not use EFS:
You can install XP to another partition and recover your documents from there. If you do not have another partition, you can perform a Parallel Installation and still recover your documents.
If you use EFS:
You must have backed up your EFS Certificates and the Recovery Agent. Read the article titled Backing up EFS Certificates and Recovery Agents to avoid this issue in the future. You should also resign yourself to performing a clean installation of Windows XP, re-creating all user accounts, and reinstalling all of your applications.
If you made backups, read Restoring EFS Certificates and Recovery Agents.
You are asked to Change Passwords Although None Was
Configured
After you upgrade to Windows XP Professional, you may receive the following error message: Your password will expire in a number days. Do you want to change it now? You may receive this message although you have never used a password.
You Are Prompted for a Password After Upgrading to
Windows XP
After you upgrade from Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition or Microsoft Windows 98 to Windows XP (Professional or Home Edition), you may be prompted to log on by typing a password. This symptom may occur even if no password previously existed or was specified during the upgrade process. When this occurs, you may not be able to log on, regardless of the password you type.
System Restore and Password Restoration
This article describes how the restoration of passwords is managed by System Restore on a Windows XP-based computer, and describes which types of passwords are restored and which are not restored.
Scheduled Tasks Cannot Run with a Blank
Password
After you schedule a task by using the Scheduled Tasks tool, the task may not run at the time you chose. If you view the status of the task, you may receive the following error message: The scheduled task did not run because no user account password was entered.
How to Create and Use a Password Reset Disk
This article describes how to create and use a password reset disk for a computer that is part of a workgroup, or that is not connected to a network. You can use a password reset disk to gain access to your Microsoft Windows XP-based computer if you forget your password.
How
to Automatically Log On a User Account in Windows XP
This article describes how to automatically log on a user account during the Windows startup process. NOTE: This process only works if the computer is not joined to a domain.
Alternative: If you want the ability to automatically log on and retain your user password, download and install the TweakUI PowerToy.
Passwords
Are Lost After Upgrading
After you upgrade to Windows XP from Microsoft Windows 98, Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition, or Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me), certain passwords may no longer be saved. Uninstalling Windows XP does not restore these passwords.
Passwords
Unexpectedly Assigned After Upgrade
When you upgrade or install Microsoft Windows XP, passwords may be assigned to user accounts that previously had no password or you did not assign passwords to any user accounts during the installation process. As a result, you cannot log on to the computer.
Cannot
Change Password for User Accounts in Control Panel
After you log on as an administrator to a computer that is not a member of a domain, when you double-click User Accounts in Control Panel to change the password for the built-in Administrator account, the Administrator account may not appear in the list of user accounts. Consequently, you cannot change its password.
'The Password Is Not
Valid' Error When Logging On to Recovery Console
When you attempt to log on to Recovery Console in Windows XP by typing the correct password for the local Administrator account, Recovery Console may display the following error message: "The password is not valid. Please retype the password. Type the Administrator password:" This error message may occur even though you typed the correct password. If you start Windows XP, successfully log on by using the same password, change the local administrator's password, and restart the computer to Recovery Console, you receive the same error message.
Revision Date: 29
Nov 2003