Q&A for How to Log on to Windows XP Using the Default Blank Administrator Password

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What else can I do if I can't log in?

Michael Thompson-Brown
Cybersecurity Expert
Michael Thompson-Brown is a Cybersecurity Expert based in Portland, Maine. He is the owner and founder of PCRescue!, a company that provides cybersecurity and data management solutions to small businesses and individuals. Michael has over 25 years of experience in the IT industry and is a certified ethical hacker. He is passionate about helping clients protect their data and systems from malicious attacks and helping them optimize their online presence and reach. He received a Master’s degree in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance from Western Governors University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Phoenix.

Michael Thompson-Brown

Cybersecurity Expert

Expert Answer

As a last resort, if you own the computer, you can log in to Windows XP by formatting and reinstalling the operating system. Be absolutely careful because doing this will make you lose all your data if you don't have a backup.

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Question

I was given a desktop with Windows XP. How do I take off or reset administrator password?

Community Answer

You can use a password reset disk or try guessing the password. Most of the admin passwords are "admin" or "administrator".

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Do Windows 8 and 8.1 create accounts named Administrator by default?

Community Answer

They do, but every OS since Windows XP has that account locked by default for security reasons. It's a huge security risk to have a full access administrative account with no password. If you'd like to enable this account, log in as an administrator, go to Start, search cmd, right-click, and select "Run as administrator." When the command prompt appears, type in: "net user Administrator /active:yes." Then, to clear the password, type in, "net user Administrator *" and hit "Enter" twice to make it a blank password.

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What if the administrator account is password protected, how do you gain access?

Arrogance

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The only way to gain access would be to boot from another disk with a utility, like ntpasswd, to reset the password.

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