How To Create a Windows XP Password Reset Disk

Would you like to create a convenient way to reset your Windows XP account password should you forget it? We show you how to create a password reset disk that lets you do just that in this how-to article.

A Windows XP password reset disk is a floppy disk you can use to reset the password for a given user account. Note that password reset disks can only be created for local user accounts; domain accounts (available with XP Professional only) are managed by Active Directoryand passwords for those accounts must be reset by your network administrator.

What You’ll Need

To create a Windows XP password reset disk, you’ll need the following:

• Login credentials for your Windows XP user account 
• A blank 3.5″ floppy disk and a floppy drive connected to your computer

Open the Control Panel

Open the Start menu by moving your mouse to the lower left of your screen and clicking Start. Once open, click the Control Panelitem on its right side.

In the Control Panel, double-click on the User Accounts icon. Select the user account for which you want to create the password reset disk and then click the link to Prevent a forgotten password from the list on the left; this will launch the Forgotten Password Wizard.

Insert your blank floppy disk into your computer’s floppy disk drive before continuing.

On the initial screen, click Nextto continue.

Click Nexton the following screen which will check to see if your floppy disk is inserted.

Type the current password for your user account on this screen and then click Next.

The computer will now create your password reset disk. This should take less than a minute to complete.

Once completed, click the Finishbutton to exit the Forgotten Password Wizard. You’ve successfully created a Windows XP password reset disk!

Note: Store your password reset disk in a safe place away from the computer it’s to be used for. Anyone can use the password reset disk to reset the password for your account.

Using a Windows XP Password Reset Disk

Should you need to use your Windows XP password reset disk, you can do so from the Windows login screen. From there, click your user account and then type your account password incorrectly. A pop-up box will appear and ask you if you’ve forgotten your password – click the link within it to use your password reset disk. This will launch the Password Reset Wizard.

Click Nexton the initial screen of the Password Reset Wizard. The next screen will allow you to enter a new password for your account; do so and then click Next. Click Finishon the final screen to complete the wizard. You can then log in to your account using the new password.

Conclusion

In this article we demonstrated how to create a password reset disk for a local user account in Windows XP. A password reset disk is useful in the event you forget your account password and need to reset it. Additionally we showed how to use the password reset disk using the Forgotten Password Wizard. Remember to keep your password reset disk in a safe place after creating it as anyone can use it to reset your account password.