How to log in without any users (Administrator password) in Windows 8 [duplicate]
Solution 1:
There is no default password. The built-in administrator account is disabled by default and must be enabled before use.
You can do this through the command prompt: net user administrator /active:yes
On the off chance that the upgrade/domain actually set a local admin password, you can reset it with net user administrator *
, which will then prompt you for a password (or net user administrator <password>
, which will not confirm the password).
On Windows 7, this could be done from the DVD based repair mode. On Windows 8? I haven't figured out how yet. However, there is another option that involves giving yourself an elevated command prompt running as SYSTEM
on the login screen.
-
Boot from any other OS that can write to a NTFS drive without issues. There's many Linux Live CDs that can do that, and the Windows DVD works too.
If you use the Windows DVD, press Shift+F10 to get a command prompt
-
Figure out which drive the Windows installation sits on. Navigate to
\Windows\System32
. -
Rename
Narrator.exe
toNarrator.exe.bak
(create a backup, so you can restore later)If on the Windows DVD,
ren Narrator.exe Narrator.exe.bak
-
Copy
cmd.exe
and name itNarrator.exe
If on the Windows DVD,
copy cmd.exe Narrator.exe
-
Boot into the Windows installation. On the login screen, there should be an ease of access panel on the bottom left. You can open 'Narrator' there, which will give you a command prompt running as the
SYSTEM
user account (above anyAdministrator
account,SYSTEM
is a closer equivalent of the *nixroot
) -
You can run the
net user
commands from here. You could also use the advanced user control panel (control userpasswords2
) or the Microsoft Management Console snap-in (lusrmgr.msc
). -
You should now go delete
Narrator.exe
and renameNarrator.exe.bak
back toNarrator.exe
- otherwise you have a gaping hole in your system's security.