How to reset Windows password using the sethc and the cmd method

Things you will need:

One Windows CD/DVD - can be download HERE

After you downloaded the ISO you must burn the ISO to a DVD using your favorite burning application.

One Working DVD-ROM drive (Internal OR External will work)

Once you have gathered the required material follow the instruction below to reset the password.

Resetting Your Forgotten Windows Password

Boot off the Windows disk and click on “Repair your computer” option from the lower left-hand corner.

Follow through until you get to the option to open the Command Prompt, which you’ll want to select.

First, you’ll want to type in the following command to back up the original sticky keys file:

copy c:\windows\system32\sethc.exe c:\

Then you’ll copy the command prompt executable (cmd.exe) over top of the sticky keys executable:

copy c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe c:\windows\system32\sethc.exe

Now you can reboot the PC.

Resetting the Password

Once you get to the login screen, hit the Shift key 5 times, and you’ll see an administrator mode command prompt.

Now to reset the password, just type the following command, replacing the username and password with the combination you want:

net user geek MyNewPassword

That’s all there is to it. Now you can login with your new password

Of course, you’ll probably want to put the original sethc.exe file back, which you can do by rebooting into the installation CD, opening the command prompt, and copying the c:\sethc.exe file back to c:\windows\system32\sethc.exe.