How To Unlock a Laptop When You Forget Password

Question: 

I have been locked out of my HP laptop because of admin password forgot. I am trying to find another available account with admin privileges. But I couldn't get one, what can I do to unlock my laptop after password forgot?

Answer: 
Sorry to hear about that! So what about taking some methods talked about below? They will be introduced for you and believe you can choose one available for your laptop according to the introductions.

1. Method 1: Unlock laptop with Windows installation CD
2. Method 2: Unlock laptop with password reset disk
3. Method 3: Restore laptop to factory settings
4. Method 4: Restore laptop to early backup point
5. Method 5: Third-party software unlocks laptop

Method 1: Unlock laptop with Windows installation CD

When you have Windows installation CD for your laptop in hand, this method can work. It makes full use of command prompt to reset Windows laptop password, even though you are locked out of laptop.

1. Start your laptop from installation CD, and you would see the installtion wizard, like the image at the right side. Now don't really install Windows system in your laptop.

2. Press Shift + F10 to run command prompt, then replace utilman.exe with cmd.exe by command prompt. Then restart laptop after exit CD.

3. Last but not the least, click ease icon at the left bottom and command prompt runs. Type net user command to reset laptop password. Unlock with new password or new administrator if you have created with command.

More details, you can refer to passage Windows 10 laptop password reset with installation CD.

Method 2: Unlock laptop with password reset disk after password forgot

Among so many Windows password recovery methods, we can take password reset disk as one of fixed asset. Because as long as you have created one before laptop locked, the reset disk can be used to reset forgotten laptop password. Indeed, even though the password reset disk is created with Windows Password Genius after you locked out of laptop, it also can be used to reset or remove laptop password many times.

Tips: Two Ways to Create a Windows Password Reset Disk

Once you have password reset disk, unlock laptop will be a piece of cake. Click "Reset password" on Windows logon screen to follow Password Reset Wizard, or boot locked laptop from password reset disk, all of which could easily reset user password and unlock locked laptop.

Method 3: Restore laptop to factory mode

Certainly, restoring laptop to factory mode could help you to unlock locked laptop, but your laptop would restore back to facotry original settings. Your laptop would lose all data produced from the first time you use it. Therefore, please think about sincerely whether it is worth to using, before you really take this method.

This method is only recommened when your laptop satisfies one of these conditions.

• 1. You don't care all data on your laptop would lose.
• 2. You are intended to get a new clean Windows system.
• 3. Your laptop Windows system is installed just now. Not so many important data saved on laptop.

About how to factory reset different kinds of laptops, please see the series of articles:http://www.isunshare.com/blog/category/factory-reset-laptop/

Method 4: Restore Windows system to early backup point

System restore is practical, but it restore points that you have created when laptop is not locked. These restore points contain information about registry settings and other system information that Windows uses.

Generally, open System Restore by clicking the Start button. In the search box, type System Restore, and then, in the list of results, click System Restore. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

About how to create system restore point and restore system, refer to Windows 7/Vista system restore.

Method 5: Third-party software unlocks HP laptop

Surely there are lots of third-party software, especially password recovery tools available for unlocking Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP and Windows 2012/2008/2003/2000 laptop. However, in this method, I will recommend youWindows Password Genius. Why? Go on to read and you would find the reasons, high efficiency and user-friendly interface. And the most important reason is its commonality. This is also mentioned in Method 2.

Now follow the steps to reset Windows forgotten password for locked laptop.

Step 1: Windows Password Genius download and installation.

• (1) Prepare an accessible computer and blank USB flash drive.
• (2) Download Windows Password Genius on the computer and install it following wizard.

Step 2: Password Reset Disk Creation.

• (1) Run the software and plug USB drive into available computer.
• (2) Make sure you choose the right USB device from the drop-down box.
• (3) Click Begin burning and wait for reset disk burning completely and successfully.

Step 3: Unlock laptop with password reset disk.

• (1) Plug USB device into locked HP laptop.
• (2) Press F10 to enter BIOS when power on HP laptop, choose System Configuration >> Boot Option >> Press Enter >> Multiboot, change Disable to Enable.
• (3) Modify the USB device as the first boot option, save the changes and exit.
• (4) HP laptop boots from USB drive with password reset disk, and starts in WinPE system. Windows password recovery program runs automatically.
• (5) Select the account to Reset Password and Reboot HP laptop.

Besides above methods, there are still other methods that may unlock your HP laptop. But now I will not introduce them. Above methods have nearly included all kinds of password recovery ways. If they cannot work, others probably don't work.