Password Reset Download

The following instructions will allow you to create our bootable CD and test it on your computer free of charge. Once you have verified compatibility, you can purchase the activation key to complete the password removal process.

Please follow these instructions exactly as shown, paying special attention to items listed in red. Skipping any steps can result in an improperly burned CD.

Step #1 - Downloading the files

Using a working computer connected to the Internet, download the two files below and save them to your desktop.

Note: You can't create the boot CD while logged in as the Guest user.

File #1 Download Password Reset
File #2 Download Burn CD

Saving them to your desktop will make it easier to find them later.

Step #2 - Burning your CD

a. Get a blank CD-R disc and have it ready.

Note: Do not use CD-RW or DVD media.

b. Run Burn CD by double-clicking on Burn_CD.exe, it should be located on your desktop. The window below may appear. Click on Run.

c. In BurnCD's main window, click Browse.

d. In the Open window, locate PWR_Image.iso on your desktop, select it and click on Open to get back to the main window.

e. On the main window, click on Start.

To ensure a clean burn, we suggest sliding the Speed selection down to the lowest setting.

f. Your CD drawer should open up. Insert a blank CD-R disc into the drive and close the drawer. Now click the OK button. Your CD will be created and ready to use in a few moments.

g. After the burning process is finished, the CD should automatically eject from the drawer. If you reinsert the disc, it should now show two .pdf files and a Read Me file on it.

Note: Your CD will not boot if it is burned incorrectly.

Step #3 - Booting your CD & removing your password

a. You can now take your newly created CD and put it into the computer with the forgotten password and reboot.

b. When the CD boots, you will see Password-Reset initializing (see screen shot below). If so, you can continue to the next step.

Note: If the computer still boots into Windows, it is necessary to change your computer's setup to make it boot from the CD. You can find more info about this on our BIOS page HERE.

If the CD displays any errors and will not continue as show, you may have a hardware conflict and need to use our advanced disc. Please contact us for further instructions.

c. After Password-Reset detects all password (SAM) files in your FAT32 and NTFS partitions choose which one of them you want to work with by typing its number and pressing ENTER. The first file usually is the right one, if not, you can go back and try any others listed.

Note: Our disc MAY NOT assign your hard drive the letter C: as Windows does. This is normal.

d. After choosing the correct SAM file, the users that exist in the file are listed. Choose the user whose password you want to reset by typing it's number and pressing ENTER.

If you need to try a different SAM file from the previous list, hit Enter and you will be taken back to the list of SAM files.

e. Password Reset will then ask for an activation key to continue. Please leave your computer at this screen and continue below.

Congratulations! If you were able to reach this point, then Password Reset is fully compatible with your system and will remove your password. An activation key is required and can be purchased below.

Once you have purchased the activation key using the link above, you will be taken to the page containing your key. You will also receive a confirmation email. Be sure to check you junk/SPAM folder in case the email was misrouted. Please write down your key for further reference.

Now that you have your activation key, you should be at step f as shown below. If not, reboot the CD and follow the instructions until you reach step f.

f. Enter the activation key to reset the password for the account you have chosen and press Enter.

g. You will be asked to confirm your choice. Type y and hit Enter.

h. Your password has now been removed as shown by the screen below. Hit any key to continue.

i. You can now remove the CD and reboot your system. Press Esc once you've removed the CD from your system.

j. Hit any key to initiate the reboot.

k. If prompted for a password, leave the field blank and hit Enter.

Help/Troubleshooting

Question: I'm resetting my password using Password-Reset but still can't login to Windows. What's wrong?
1) Make sure you leave the password field empty when logging in.
2) Make sure you are resetting the correct password. With Windows XP and Vista, Administrator is usually not the username you log in with.

Question: I'm sure I'm choosing the right user but still can't login to Windows...
1) If resetting the Administrator password for Windows XP, you need to log in via Safe Mode. The Administrator password is only available via Safe Mode in most XP installations. You can access Safe Mode by tapping the F8 key while booting into Windows.
2) Make sure you are logging onto the local machine and not trying to log into a domain. If you have a Log onto field below the password field, it must be set to the choice that has (this computer) next to it.
3) It's possible that you are selecting the wrong password file. If Password-Reset shows more than one SAM file for you to choose, try to browse all of them and reset the passwords of all users that have the name of the user you are trying to login with.
4) If you are resetting a Windows Server domain controller password, you have to log in locally via Directory Services Restore Mode by hitting F8 as Windows loads. You will get a list of login choices when hitting F8 including Directory Services. See our FAQ page for further help on Domain controllers.

Question: Password-Reset asks me for an activation key, but I don't have one...
1) You must have an activation key to be able to use Password-Reset. Please visit http://www.password-reset.com to purchase your key. When the key is asked for, type it in and press ENTER to continue using the program.

Question: I've reset my password using your CD, but I keep getting a message saying "Unable to log you on because of an account restriction".
1) This is caused by some sort of virus that we've been seeing more and more often lately. It seems like a password issue, so we get a lot of people that come to us thinking that our software will fix it. Because of the frequent inquiries, we've done some research and have been able to come up with a solution that has worked to resolve this problem. It requires creating another boot CD that you can download from our site. This fix is free to our paying customers. Please contact us for further info.

Question: I've reset my password using your CD but when I log on, Windows begins to load and then returns to the login screen.
1) This situation is similar to the one above. We don't see it nearly as often but have been able to successfully fix it using the same process as above. Please contact us for further info.