Forgot administrator password on a system running Windows 2000 can be problematic when the administrator to perform maintenance. There is a trick that allows a computer user to reset his password, if you forgot. The process to recover a password in Windows 2003 and XP is different from the process used for Windows NT and Windows 2000.
Step 1. Insert the installation CD of Windows 2000 / DVD into the drive of the computer and then restart the computer.
Step 2. Select the destination directory for the alternative Windows operating system when the program asks you to do. This directory is not the same as the default installation of Windows. This is the computer is a dual-boot system.
Step 3. When the computer restarts, select the alternate Windows installation from the dual-boot menu.
Step 4. Find the logon.scr file. It should be located in the %systemroot%\System32 folder of the Windows folder.
Step 5. Rename logon.scr and move it into the C: folder of the hard drive. You can choose to move it to a different directory. The important thing is to remember where the file gets copied.
Step 6. Find cmd.exe and make a copy of it in the %systemroot%\System32 folder. Move this file to the C: folder of your hard drive.
Step 7. Right-click on the original cmd.exe file and select "Rename." Delete the cmd.exe text and replace it with logon.scr.
Step 8. Restart the computer and start Windows installation. Do not touch the computer until the start of the screensaver. Since the screen saver file, get the default is replaced with the file cmd.exe, then a command prompt instead of the screen saver.
Step 9. At this prompt type: net user administrator <password>
Step 10. Delete logon.scr from the %systemroot%\system32 folder.
Step 11. Issue the following commands from the command prompt:
copy c:\logon.scr c:\windows\%systemroot\system32
copy c:\cmd.exe c:\windows\%systemroot\system 32
Step 12. Restart the computer in the original. From here you can remove the additional installation if desired. If the administrator installation alternatives are on a different drive or partition to reformat the hard disk or partition is the easiest way to achieve this goal.
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