After you install Windows Vista on your PC or you change the password of your user account, it is a good idea to create a password reset disk. This disk will be of great help if you forget your password for some reason. In this tutorial we will show you how to create such a disk and how to reset your password when needed.

How to create the password reset disk

In the Start Menu search box type the word "user". One of the displayed results will be User Accounts. Click on it and the User Accounts Panel will open.

Click on Create a password reset disk.

The Forgotten Password Wizard will open. Insert a storage device where your password reset information will be stored.

NOTE: You can use a floppy disk or a USB memory stick. Other types of storage might work as well. Unfortunately, we did not have any other available for testing at the time when we wrote this article.

After you have insterted the storage device click on the Next button.

Select the drive you want to use for the password reset disk and press Next.

Type your current user account password and click on Next.

The password reset disk will be created.

Wait for a while and click on Finish after the disk has been successfully created.

How to reset your forgotten password

When you are in the login screen, if you type an incorrect password, you will receive the error message shown in the screenshot below.

Click on OK and now the Reset password link appears just beneath the Password field. Click on it, and the Password Reset Wizard will start.

Insert the password reset disk and click on Next.

Choose the drive letter where you inserted the reset password disk and press Next.

Now you have to type a new password and a password hint. When finished, click on Next.

The wizard will give you the confirmation that the password of your user account was successfully reset.

Click on Finish and then login using the new password. If you want to use the reset disk again, just in case you will forget your password in the future, you should format it and go through the creation wizard again.

NOTE: if you forgot your password and you don't have a password reset disk, you will need to use 3rd party tool such as Active Password Changer to crack your password and change it to something else.

Related articles:
How to retrieve your Windows Vista password
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