How to Reset/Recover Forgotten Windows 7 Password
If your computer is locked then you would need another computer to perform this task.
Video Tutorial:
1. Download Hiren’s BootCD Zip File.
2. Extract it, to expose the content of the Zip file.
3. Locate the .ISO or Disc Image File. We need to burn the .ISO onto a disc.
a. If you are using Window 8 or 8.1 right click the .ISO and select Burn disk image.
b. If you are using Windows 7 just double click the .ISO Image.
4. Now select the Disc burner from the drop down, check mark Verify disc and Burn to create a disc out of that ISO file.
5. Once done, on the computer that is Locked you need to Change First Boot Device in BIOS to Boot From CD/DVD.
6. Once you have changed the boot order, on the locked computer place the newly created Hire’s Boot CD in the disk drive of the Locked PC and re-start it.
7. You’ll be prompted to “Press any key to boot from CD/DVD“. Press the Enter key on your keyboard.
8. When you press the Enter key you’ll be prompted with the Hire’s boot Menu. There select Mini Windows XP using the arrow keys on your keyboard.
9. From the Mini Windows XP Desktop navigate to My Computer to locate the drive letter of your Local Disk. In this example my Local Disk is assigned the Letter D:
10. Once you have located the drive letter of your Local Disk. Close My Computer window.
11. From the desktop click on the HBCD Menu icon, On the following window click on Programs.
12. From the drop-down menu select Passwords / Keys -> Windows Login -> NTPWEdit (Reset XP/Vista /7 Password, it doesn’t say Windows 8 but it works to reset both Windows 8 and Windows 8.1 password.
13. In the NTPWEdit 0.3 Window Change the Drive letter of the Path to SAM file to the Local Disk drive letter. My Local Disk Drive letter is (D:). So I changed my drive letter in the NTPWEdit 0.3 Window to (D:) instead of (C:) and click on (Re)open to bring up all the users.
14. From the list of users select the user who needs the password reset and click on Change Password button, another window will pop up for you to add the new password. You can leave it blank to remove the password or you can enter a new password.
15. When you are done click OK button, then click on Save Changes Button and Exit.
16. Remove the disk from the drive and Re-start the computer.
17. If you left the password blank then the user shouldn’t be prompted for a password. If you changed the password then enter the new password when prompted.