Windows 10 password

[mwwwilson]

I'm stuck here. Please tell me that I do not have to re-install everything for this laptop. Here is my story:

I was attempting to sell an old laptop. So I installed a new hdd, installed the software bundles that came with the laptop, and upgraded to Win10 through the free microsoft deal.

When I setup the windows account, I wanted to keep it a general login and password. I also made an admin account. Well, now my sister is going to take this laptop off my hands and guess what...

I CAN'T REMEMBER THE PASSWORD!!! for the general user account. Also, I cannot seem to find where I can sign in as ADMIN.

When I start the laptop it comes up asking for password or pin... the password and pin that I remember using do not work. I say that I can't remember them but I really do, in general. I always keep to certain login names and passwords... same with pins.

How can I get into this laptop. I believe once I get into windows that I can figure out what is going on. Change the password or whatever. But for now, I am stuck and cannot login.

I can always wipe the hdd and re-install the bundled software that came with it. I am just trying not to because it takes a long time to install. I have this laptop setup perfectly the way that I want and now this.

Suggestions? Oh and I know that I can get a password reset from microsoft by providing my phone # and/or email address. But I do not remember what email that I used. Plus the phone number I used was my mom's and she doesn't have that phone anymore. LOL

Hope somebody can help.

 

[carnageX]

Disable any internet devices on it and keep it disconnected from the internet. Then use something like NT Offline Password Editor and clear the password for the account. Then log into the account, and reset it (or setup a new user account).

Then you can re-connect to the internet with the laptop.

Haven't tried it myself, but early on when Win8 released and using an MS account, that was supposedly a way to get it to work.

 

[mwwwilson]

Will this utility work for Windows 10 tho???

 

[carnageX]

Well it's using the same mechanism as Win8...so might as well try it.

 

[MidnightShadow]

It should work as long as it's a local account and not a Microsoft account.

 

[carnageX]

It should work as long as it's a local account and not a Microsoft account.

OP stated it is a MS account - however the way MS accounts on a PC work is similar to how domain accounts work. The credentials are cached, so if the PC is offline you can still login. That's why disconnecting/disabling internet devices on the system is important so that it can't re-connect after clearing the cached password.

 

[Prestige3.5]

Just replace that thing with command prompt.exe at boot, and bang bang bang. And then type cmd and then bang bang.

Prestige 3.5. Untouchable, worldwide.

 

[MidnightShadow]

OP stated it is a MS account - however the way MS accounts on a PC work is similar to how domain accounts work. The credentials are cached, so if the PC is offline you can still login. That's why disconnecting/disabling internet devices on the system is important so that it can't re-connect after clearing the cached password.

If it's a Microsoft Account, it's going to want the last known password. I didn't think there was a way to clear it off of the local machine and, even if there was, you would still ultimately need to reset the MS account password, so why not go that route with it?

 

[carnageX]

If it's a Microsoft Account, it's going to want the last known password. I didn't think there was a way to clear it off of the local machine and, even if there was, you would still ultimately need to reset the MS account password, so why not go that route with it?

And the 'last known password' is cached on the machine. If you have an MS account on your system...disconnect it from the internet. Then go change your MS account password. Before reconnecting your system to the internet, try typing in your new password - but how will it know what the new password is if it's offline . You're clearing that cached password, and thus possibly able to get in with the old (or blanked) password.

Yes, if you forgot your MS account password, you'll probably end up resetting it anyway..but OP made it sound like this was a temporary account / login anyway, so why go through the trouble of resetting it when the system is just going to have another main account put on it anyway?

 

[MidnightShadow]

No, I get it. I do. I just didn't realize there was a way to clear the cached password off of the system. I guess it's just never something I considered doing... lol.