How do I get the Administrator password on XP

rolfw

Loaded this myself as a clean install, now can't start the thing, and using the XP CD and trying to repair, it keeps asking for an Admin password, which I'm pretty sure that I never entered.

Am now on my tenth startup after trying to guess the password, running through all possibilities. In fact I've just installed XP on my other machine and that didn't ask for a password on installation either.

Is there perhaps a default password?

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PoloMint

Enter is the only default password I know of, however I expect you have tried that.

The ways to reset the XP Admin password are long a fiddly, also not everything is recovered, for example if you have used the NTFS file security settings I believe that they are much harder to recover, but I don’t know as I have never used them.

http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/bootdisk.html has some useful things that might be worth looking at.

Is this a new install? If so it might be quicker and easier just to install from scratch again, if not – good luck!

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rolfw

LOL, no not a new installation PM, probably had it on there for too long.

Have managed to get the old 98se partition up and running and after an hour or so have gained network access, so now can throw the files across ot the other PC.

Where is the outlook/outlook express data kept, want to try and recover all of my mail if possible.

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PoloMint

If this was my machine I could tell you, but this laptop doesn’t have outlook or outlook express on it so I can’t check.

But Outlook stores it mail in .pst files, so searching for *.pst should find your mail, (one big file for each account I think) then just copy the entire contents of any folders with .pst files in them. Address book files are stored in .pab files and are probably in the same folder as the pst files, but a search should find them.

Outlook express used to store its mail in files that ended .mbx and address book files were .wab, but I haven’t used outlook express for a while and it might have changed.

Sorry I cant be more specific, maybe someone with these installed can check the location of the folders.

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'All you need is duck tape and WD40; if it moves and it shouldn't, use duck tape - if it should move and it doesn't, use WD40'

rolfw

Think I found them in my Documents and Settings folder, have copied the whole thing across.

Just trying to install xP over the top of 98, so I'll have two copies of XP one the main one, then once I've found all of my outlook stuff, I'll format the lot.

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Benjaman

Rolf,

I wonder if you have managed to get your woes sorted out mate?

If not, then maybe i can help. The only way i have found to get back in as an administrator when the password is lost or not known is to use a linux password cracking boot diskette i have. This allows me to edit the SAM database and basically clear the admin password. I don't have the original link that i downloaded this from, but if i find it, i will post it here. It works like a dream, but you need to be careful, if the SAM get's corrupted, then you need to install from scratch again. I have tried this tool on Win2k, NT 4.0 and XP so far.

For your questions about Outlook Express 6.0, Polomint is correct for the address book and it is a .WAB file. It is stored in:

%UserId%\Application Data\Microsoft\Address Book

For the mail etc, it is stored in several files in the following location:

%UserId%\Local Settings\Application Data\Identities\{0E99E088-CEB4-477D-8112-1F7ACE1C1D87}\Microsoft\Outlook Express

I would suggest copying all the files in to the same folder in your new profile. The {SID number} might be slightly different though, but don't worry about that.

For Outlook, what version of office are you running?

Let me know if you want any help. I work in IT and do many installations and imaging everyday. I might not be able to answer all questions, but i will have a go mate.

Benja

rolfw

Thanks Benja, got it sorted the radical way in the end, formatted and re-installed.

Turned out to be a dodgy hard drive, but it was several years old.

If you can find the link for the Linux disk, it may be useful to others.

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jimbo

I've never cracked the 'lost' admin password problem. Other passwords for mail etc. no problem.

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Jimbo