Reset Pin Windows

[Karola]

Ive got myself into a bit of a pickle and could really use your collective wisdom. I've been locked out of my Windows 10 computer (yeah, I know, should've written down the password) and I'm scratching my head on how to get back in. Has anyone here been through this and managed to reset their password without being able to log in?

I've seen a few methods online involving bootable USB drives and using command prompts, but I'm not super tech-savvy and a bit hesitant to dive into something that seems so complex. I'm looking for a more straightforward, beginner-friendly way to reset my password and get back to my files.

[Edit] A few folks asked me if the problem was solved? Yes. The password was reset with the help of Passcue Windows Password Recovery software. Thanks Jack888 for the recommendation!

Once, I also encountered a situation where I forgot Windows 10 password of local account. I was really a little panicked at that time. After all, all the important files were in that account. I remember that I really didn't want to use those complicated technical means at that time, and wondered if there was a simple way to solve it.

So, I saw a "Reset Password" link on the login screen. Although I hadn't noticed it before, I decided to click it this time. After clicking it, the system prompted me to answer the security questions I had set before. I was quite glad that I didn't fill in some random answers at that time. The question was the name of my elementary school. I remembered that I set the name of my alma mater and answered it without hesitation. Then the system actually let me enter the interface for setting a new password.

After entering and confirming the new password, I was able to log in smoothly. This experience made me realize that setting security questions is really useful, especially when you forget Windows 10 password.

@zcbadeedee Ophcrack is not recommended if the password was strong enough. Ophcrack relies on rainbow tables to recover the forgotten Windows 10 passwords. These tables are precomputed lists of possible passwords and their corresponding hashes. If a password is complex (long, uses special characters, or is otherwise not common), it may not be included in the available rainbow tables.

In addition, Ophcrack has not been actively updated to handle newer hashing algorithms or security measures implemented in Windows 10 and 11. Newer versions of Windows have strengthened password security. So it is no longer a good choice to reset Windows 10 password when the computer is locked due to forgotten password.

Once, I also encountered a situation where I forgot my Windows 10 password. I was really anxious at the time, after all, all my important documents and work data were on that computer. I tried various possible password combinations, but none of them worked. At this time, I remembered that I had a backup consciousness before and made a Windows 10 password reset disk.

I quickly rummaged through the boxes and found the USB drive and inserted it into the computer. I restarted the computer and went to the login screen. I saw a link to "Reset Password" and clicked it without hesitation. The system recognized my password reset disk and began to guide me step by step.

A Windows 10 password reset disk is a special type of disk that allows you to reset Windows 10 user account password if you forget it. This disk is created while you still have access to your account and can be used in case you get locked out. The below tutorial shows you how to reset Windows 10 password without logging in:

Once, I forgot Windows 10 password and it felt like the end of the world. I tried all possible passwords but none of them worked, and I became more and more anxious. However, I suddenly remembered that a friend once told me about a way to reset Windows 10 password using the command prompt. I didn't pay much attention to it at the time because it seemed too complicated, but now it has become a lifesaver.

So, I decided to give this method a try. First, I needed a Windows installation disk or a bootable USB drive. Fortunately, I had an old Windows installation disk at home, so I immediately found it, inserted it into the computer, and restarted to enter the installation interface.

Step 5. Open the Command Prompt: At the login screen, click the "Accessibility" icon (usually a small circle icon) in the lower right corner. Now, the Command Prompt should open instead of Accessibility.

Although this method sounds a bit complicated, it is actually quite smooth to follow the steps. After the operation, I successfully logged in to the computer with the new password, and the big stone in my heart finally fell. I really recommend that if you are also locked out, you can try this method, but you must be careful in operation, after all, it involves modifying system files.

I've looked for this answer online and have come across the "systemreset -factoryreset" command which works, but it comes up with the prompt asking if I want to keep my files or remove everything, I want to remove everything, but without the prompt.

We are not doing this from any pre-exiting images, and our laptops are running the pre-loaded Windows 10 Pro install, we are just using the in-built Windows 10 "reset this PC" feature as we have no MDM configured. We just want the laptops to be totally reset so they don't contain any company information, we're not bothered about completing the OOBE once they are wiped.

We are trying to accomplish this remotely as our users are all at home, so I need to automate it and have no user involvement in the process, I just want it to factory reset, and bring the laptop up to the off-the-shelf state configuration. We have the facility to push commands and scripts to the laptops so was hoping to do this via powershell.

The systemreset command will show interface to user and it is behavior by design , however if you are able to manage devices using Configuration Manager, you could do it using Full Wipe, take a look at:

-us/mem/configmgr/mdm/deploy-use/wipe-lock-reset-devices

From what I know there is no script to run it in silence mode and wipe system and it is behavior by design, so let say if there is possibility to do so, cybercriminals might run that script and user will lose Windows but it is available in Configuration Manager or Intune, it means PC is being managed by trusted administrator.

$methodname can bei either "doWipeMethod" or "doWipeProtectedMethod". The later one will also wipe all data from the disks, especially if you want to refurbish the devices. The downside is that "doWipeProtectedMethod" can leave some clients (depending on configuration and hardware) in an unbootable state.

Additionally "doWipeMethod" can be canceled by the user (power cycle for example), "doWipeProtectedMethod" cannot be canceled. It automatically resumes after a reboot until done. The higher risk ist worth it most of the time. If you want to be sure that the devices will be in a usable state after the wipe, use "doWipeMethod" instead.

If it is important to fully wipe the data from the disks (i.e. non-recoverable) you should make sure that all disks are bitlocker encrypted. Only with encryption you can be sure that no data is recoverable with this method.

Another way, which you can do remotely and without psexec (group policy for example), would be to create a scheduled task running as SYSTEM and executing the script. You can then execute the task on demand or with a time/date schedule.

The "OEM stuff" is found in C:\Recovery\*. If you remove all contents in this folder before you initiate the device reset, it should restore a clean windows installation without any "OEM stuff". Keep in mind though, that certain driver packages will be migrated to the new installation. Sometimes these can contain additional software packages included in the device driver package (for example audio control panels from the audio driver).

@dretzer I realized the computer I was running it on didn't have a recovery partition so even running the "systemreset -cleanpc" command wasn't working.

Kaseya allows you to run scripts as System - so even though I was running locally in picture - I was trying as System most of the time.

Thanks for the help either way.

yes. thanks. I get less HP stuff restored after a reset if I delete C:\Recevery before, but still some bits I do not want. where is it getting these last bits from that performing a fresh start from intune seems to ignore? I want omit these too

Might have to look into manual cloud reinstall at shift-f10 on first boot on each machine or a bootable USB with an unattended xml to just blow the hard drive away and start again without user interaction.

I have tried everything I can think of, I've had two friends who deal with IT problems look at my computer via shared screen with no luck. Since updating to Windows 11 I never noticed Windows Security would not open until recently, it's active and running in the background in Task Manager. I've tried the Powershell and CMD hotfixes, I've reset my PC locally and cloud but I have no restore or recovery points prior to the Windows 11 update. My PC is up to date on all firmware from Microsoft but Windows Security still will not open. Windows Security nor Windows Defender is not listed under my "Installed Apps" or "Default Apps" so I can't try a drop down repair on it. It does show within my Task Manager that there is Windows Defender engine running and in the hidden icons tab it shows Windows Security active. How do you fix this without having to lug your whole PC to a shop?

Repair Windows Security using DISM: Open Command Prompt as administrator and run the following commands: DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /Restorehealth DISM.exe /Online /Cleanup-image /StartComponentCleanup

@ShahbazUbaid my windows license is already expired. and i am not getting any security updates ever since. and that is also the time where i noticed that my windows security app won't open. is it because of my windows license bein expired? do you think if i reactivate my license, it will solve my problem?

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