Select the product you need help with

Creating a Password Reset Disk in Microsoft Windows Vista

Article ID: 959061 - View products that this article applies to.

Resetting Your Password Using the Password Reset Disk

Collapse this tableExpand this table

Article Summary: This article is intended to walk users creating a password reset disk in Windows Vista.

A password reset disk allows you to access your account on a local computer by resetting the password in the event that the password is forgotten. When you create the password reset disk, it allows you to reset your password no matter how many times you have changed the password.

Collapse this tableExpand this table

Collapse this imageExpand this image

Note:
If you are already locked out of your system, you are not able to use this process. For more information on resetting your password, visit the following Microsoft web site: How to use System Restore to log on to Windows Vista when you lose access to an account

(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/940765/)

Back to the top | Give Feedback

Requirements for Creating a Password Reset Disk

To create a password reset disk, you need either:

a USB flash drive

OR
a floppy drive and a floppy disk

Collapse this tableExpand this table
Collapse this imageExpand this image
Note:
You cannot create a reset disk using CD or DVD media.

Back to the top | Give Feedback

Create the Password Reset Disk

Click
Collapse this imageExpand this image
and then click Control Panel.
Collapse this tableExpand this table
Click User Accounts and Family Safety.

Collapse this tableExpand this table
Collapse this imageExpand this image
Note:
If your Control Panel is using the Classic View, skip to the next step.
Click User Accounts.
Insert either a USB flash drive or a floppy disk.
Click Create a password reset disk in the left pane.
When the Forgotten Password Wizard appears, click Next.
Select the drive in which you want to store your password, and then click Next.
In the Current User Account Password field, type your current password, and then click Next.
When the Progress bar reaches 100%, click Next, and then click Finish.
When the password reset disk has been created, remove the disk and store it in a safe location.

Collapse this tableExpand this table
Collapse this imageExpand this image
Note:
Anyone can use this disk to access your account on this computer, so it is important that you store the disk in a secure but accessible location.

For information about using a password reset disk to reset a forgotten password, please refer to the following Microsoft web site: Reset your Windows password

(http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/Help/06fd491e-6aff-4c4b-a6ac-a0abff8f2d9b1033.mspx)

Back to the top | Give Feedback