PC help: Accessing files

How to get into a computer with an unknown password

The death of a friend has left his widow with a problem. The notebook PC she has inherited is useless as she does not know the password needed to to log onto the computer. How can she discover her late husband’s signing in details?
Geoff Herrington

Windows XP does not set a password on the main administrator account by default so it may be possible to use this to access the files. When the computer starts, press F5 repeatedly to enter the startup menu for Windows. Press the down arrow to move to the Safe Mode option and then press Enter. A second menu should appear with an option for Windows. Press Enter again.

When the Windows login screen appears, left-click on Administrator. Click on OK to the message that Windows is running in Safe Mode. You can now change the password for the main account.
Left-click on the Start button and then on Control Panel. Double-click on the User Accounts icon.

Click on the icon for the main account in the bottom of the window that appears and then on the option Remove the password. Documents encrypted using Encrypting File System (only available in XP Media Center and Professional) will be lost, along with personal certificates and stored passwords for websites and network resources.

This method will not work if a password has been added to the Administrator account, so you should always make sure the password is written somewhere safe. Also remember that this fix can be used maliciously to access files on the computer or to get around parental controls. You should start the computer in Safe Mode and add a password to the Administrator account to avoid this.