Creating a password reset disk
If you ever forget the password for your account and you didn't create a password hint as a reminder (or you did but the hint fails to jog your memory), you can still access your account as long as you have a password reset disk. A password reset disk will let you bypass your old password and create a new one in its place, but in order to get around a forgotten password with a password reset disk, you have to create the disk in advance. If you wait until you need the password reset disk to make it, it will be too late.
You can create a password reset disk on a removable storage device like a floppy disk or USB flash drive. Since very few systems come with floppy disk drives these days, the flash drive option will be the best bet for most systems. The amount of data stored on a password reset disk is tiny, so you don't need a high-capacity flash drive to make one. In fact, the smaller, the better-you'll want to put the drive away for safekeeping, so you won't be able to use it for other things.
To create a password reset disk, follow these steps:
- Log into the account you want to create the disk for, and plug your flash drive into a free USB port.
- Then type password reset into the Start menu's search box, and select Create a password reset disk to start the Forgotten Password Wizard.
- The wizard will ask you to confirm the storage device you want to use and ask you to type in your current password before creating a password reset disk for your account. It will usually select the correct storage device for you automatically, but if you have any other removable storage devices connected to your computer, you may need to choose your flash drive from the drop-down list.
After making your password reset disk, be sure to clearly label it as such and put it away in a safe place. It's important to protect your password reset disk from loss or theft, because anyone who finds it can use it to gain access to your account. A password reset disk can store information for only a single account; if you want to create one for more than one account, you'll need a separate storage device for each.
Once you've created the password reset disk for a particular account, you won't need to do it again. You can use it as many times as you need to, even if you change your password after making the disk.
Using a password reset disk
If you ever need to take advantage of your password reset disk, you'll be able to after you've typed in an incorrect password. When you return to the account login screen, you'll see a new link called Reset password beneath the password box.
Insert your password reset disk, click the link to start the Password Reset Wizard and then follow the prompts to choose the storage device and create a new password for your account.
Changing account options as an administrator
In the User Accounts window, you'll see several options, such as Change your account name and Change your account type, that have a shield icon next to them. This icon indicates that an administrator account is required to access the setting, so if you try to change it with a standard account, you'll be prompted to type in the password for an administrator account before you can do so.
If you want to change settings for an account that's not currently logged in, follow these steps:
- Type change accounts into the Start menu's search box, and select Make changes to accounts. (You'll be prompted for an administrator password at this point if you're not already logged into an administrator account.)
- Click the account you want to change, and the Change an Account window will appear listing all the settings you can change. These include changing the account name, the account type (from standard to administrator, or vice versa), setting up Parental Controls, and even deleting an account.