Password problem: Toshiba Satellite with Windows 7

Two points to think about.

1. Do NOT use Windows 7 with only ONE user account. In Windows 7, the built-in Administrator account is disabled by default and although it is possible to enable it, that process may be beyond what you feel comfortable with.

WHEN, and not IF,you have problems accessing your ONE user account, you will have tremendous difficulty if you only have ONE use account, as you have just found out.

You need to forget anything to do with XP, and create a User Account with Administrator privileges, (call it Admin or similar) and give it a password. Keep this account for emergency access and for elevation purposes. Then change your User account to a Standard User account.(There is absolutely no need to run as an administrator on a daily basis in Windows 7 - Windows 7 has the "right-click-run as administrator" function for when you need admin privileges). You will be much safer and better protected doing this.

2. It IS possible to reset the password, but it is a difficult and laborious process, and requires the use of a Windows 7 repair disk or a vanilla Windows 7 disk (NOT a recovery disk).

Courtesy of Pegasus (MVP):

You can reset any password by going through the steps outlined below. The process is involved and requires some careful typing. Ask a computer-savvy friend to assist you if you lack experience in this area.

  1. Set your BIOS to use the DVD drive as the primary boot device.

  2. Boot with a Windows Repair CD.

 3. Press a key when the message indicating "Press any key to boot from CD or DVD …" appears.

  4. Select a language, a time and currency, and a keyboard or input method, and then click Next. You are now in Repair Mode.

  5. Select an Operating System, then click Next.

  6. Select the Command Prompt.

  7. Identify the correct drive letter for your Windows installation. It could be a drive other than C: but it won't be X:. You do it by typing the commands

     dir C:\Win* {Enter}

     dir D:\Win* {Enter}

     dir E:\Win* {Enter}

     etc.

     until you find the Windows folder.

     I will call that drive "Q:".

  8. Type these commands:

     cd /d Q:\windows\System32 {Enter}

     move  sethc.exe  \  {Enter}

     copy  cmd.exe  sethc.exe  {Enter}

  9. Reboot normally

 10. When challenged for a password, tap the Shift key five times. You will see a small black screen.

 11. Type these commands:

     net user  {Enter}

     (To see a list of all accounts that exist on your machine)

     net user Administrator {Enter}

     (To see if the Administrator account is active)

 12. Type these commands:

     net user "xxx" ppp  {Enter}

     (Replace xxx with the account for which you wish to set a new password, and ppp with the new password)

     net user Administrator /active:yes {Enter}

     (To activate the Administrator account if desired)

 13. Log on under this account, using the new password.

 14. Reboot the machine into Repair Mode as per Steps 1..6 above.

 15. Type these commands:

     cd /d Q:\windows\System32 {Enter}

     copy \sethc.exe {Enter}

 16. Reboot into Windows.

 Instead using a Windows Repair CD in Step 2, you can use your Windows 7 Installation DVD. The steps are similar to the ones above.