To reset a forgotten administrator password

Found this trick on http://4sysops.com/archives/forgot-the-administrator-password-the-sticky-keys-trick/

• Boot from Windows PE or Windows RE and access the command prompt.
• Find the drive letter of the partition where Windows is installed. In Vista and Windows XP, it is usually C:, in Windows 7, it is D: in most cases because the first partition contains Startup Repair. To find the drive letter, type C: (or D:, respectively) and search for the Windows folder. Note that Windows PE (RE) usually resides on X:.
• Type the following command (replace “c:” with the correct drive letter if Windows is not located on C:):
  copy c:\windows\system32\sethc.exe c:\
  This creates a copy of sethc.exe to restore later.
• Type this command to replace sethc.exe with cmd.exe:
  copy /y c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe c:\windows\system32\sethc.exe
  Reboot your computer and start the Windows installation where you forgot the administrator password.
• After you see the logon screen, press the SHIFT key five times.
• You should see a command prompt where you can enter the following command to reset the Windows password (see screenshot above):
  net user your_user_name new_password
  If you don’t know your user name, just type net user to list the available user names.
• You can now log on with the new password.

Mac OS X recover lost password

To reset your OS X password without an OS X CD you need to enter terminal and create a new admin account:

1. Reboot
2. Hold apple + s down after you hear the chime.
3. When you get text prompt enter in these terminal commands to create a brand new admin account :

• mount -uw /
• rm /var/db/.AppleSetupDone
• shutdown -h now

4. After rebooting you should have a brand new admin account. When you login as the new admin you can simply delete the old one and you’re good to go again !

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Step 1: Start up from a Mac OS X Install CD.

MacOSX-DVD.pngThis hardest part of this technique may be laying your hands on a Mac OS X Install CD when you need one. Use a version that is close the the version of Mac OS X you have installed.

Hold the C key as the computer starts to boot from the CD.

When the installer starts, choose your language, and you'll proceed to the welcome dialog.

Step 2: Choose Reset Password from the Utilities menu.


Tip: In previous versions of Mac OS X (10.2 and 10.3), you can find the Resent Password option under the Installer menu instead.

Step 3: Select your Mac OS X hard disk volume.


Select the user name of your original administrator account.