How to Reset the Administrator Password in Windows XP Home
Microsoft Windows XP is shipped with the User Access Control (UAC) security feature. User Access Control is the feature that requires users to log in with a user ID and password to access data on the computer. The Administrator account has full privileges to add and edit users or to change files and file permissions. As a security best practice, the password for the Administrator account should be changed on a regular basis: Experts recommend changing the password every 30 to 90 days, according to Kim Komando of the Microsoft Small Business Center. Resetting the Administrator password in Windows XP Home is a simple task that takes only a few minutes to perform. However, the password change must be performed in "Safe" mode in the Home version of XP if more than one account resides on the machine.
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Instructions
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Boot up the Windows XP machine and select "Safe" mode at initialization. For example, on HP laptops, pressing "F11" during the boot-up process will bring up the Safe mode menu options. Consult the manual for your computer to find the method for booting into Safe mode. The process varies by computer.
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Log in to the Windows XP system with the Administrator user ID and current password.
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Click the Windows "Start" button and then click the "Control Panel" option.
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Click the "User Accounts" icon in the Control Panel interface.
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Click on the Administrator account link to edit.
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Click the "Change My Password" option. A dialog box with three text input lines will appear.
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Type the current password for the Administrator account in the first text input box.
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Type the new password in the second and third input boxes.
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Click the "OK" button to save and exit.
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Test the new password by rebooting Windows XP into Normal mode and then logging back into the Administrator account with the new password. If the account logs back into the system with the new password, the Administrator password has been successfully changed.
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