Re: XP professional password
 

No, installation disk did a runner as well ;) Unless I can do it without it?

Re: XP professional password
 

If you legally own an original, you can download/borrow another copy like-for-like and use it. Repairing an install of Windows won't mean you have to re-activate so you wouldn't have to worry about that.

Re: XP professional password
 

Do you have the serial key? If you have the key you can do as Punky says, source a replacement copy and install it with the key. Make sure the copy matches the Key though (obviously you will need a copy of Pro but was it an OEM version installed or normal shop purchased version?)

Re: XP professional password
 

Will this help?

[Admin Edit(Mick):-Link to Crack site Removed-Please don't post any links to warez or cracks sites. Thanks.]

Re: XP professional password
 

Only if it were an OEM version and if he has time on his hands to remove the rubbish that comes along with it ;)

Re: XP professional password
 

as soon as i clicked that link it tried to download files to my pc :confused:

Re: XP professional password
 

Yeah people need to be careful hitting that link, the site does try to install a few things in the background so that you gain access to the files on the site. Unfortunately a lot of the stuff it tries to install are spyware.

Re: XP professional password
 

Sorry was not looking to compromise anyones machine with the link.

Re: XP professional password
 

Nope but it does point out how careful we have to be with links lol. Any time someone posts a link to a warez or crack related site you should always be wary of clicking it. I knew what was going to happen when I clicked that link as I've seen that site before due to links on other forums but to anyone caught unawares it could be a long drawn out process to remove the rubbish that loads up in the background if you choose to allow the install to happen.
Next time a "user beware" type warning would be a good idea just in case :)

Re: XP professional password
 

What you need to use is a program called "ERD Commander", which will let you change the Admin password.

It's an indispensable tool for a tech.

Re: XP professional password
 

Oh if only they put an N at the start ;)

Re: XP professional password
 

not when i've done it. is it different for oem/non-oem CDs?

Re: XP professional password
 

Excellent tool, has got me out of the dodah a few times...
You could also try a brute force cracker (search the web) - might take a while though...

Re: XP professional password
 

I just tried this. When I tried to delete the SAM file and it wouldn't let me, saying that it was in use.

How would I be able to find out what service is using it and would I be able to close it from a limited account?

Re: XP professional password
 

You wouldn't be able to delete the SAM file while you're still using that installation. The normal procedure is to use either a Linux bootable CD, another application such as Winternals ERD Commander, or to use a bootdisk as outlined at http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/

In all these cases, however, you're not actually accessing the Windows installation that you're trying to hack ...er, fix.