ARCHIVED: In Windows 2000 and XP, how do I set or change the administrator password?

Note: The instructions in this document pertain to changing the local administrator password on a computer. If you need help changing your IU password or passphrase, see Reset your IU passphrase

Setting the administrator password

To set the administrator password in Windows 2000 and XP, first log into the non-password-protected administrator account, and then follow these steps:

1. Press the key combination Ctrl-Alt-Del.
2. Click Change Password.
3. Leave the "Current password" field blank. Type your newly chosen password in both the "New password" and "Confirm new password" fields.
4. Click OK.

You should see a dialog box confirming that you set a new password.

Changing the administrator password

To change the administrator password in Windows 2000 and XP, first log in with administrative rights, and then follow these steps:

1. From the Start menu, select either Control Panel, or Settings and then Control Panel.
2. Double-click User Accounts (Windows XP) or Users and Passwords (Windows 2000).
3. From the Users tab, select the account that has the local computer's name in the "Domain" column, and "Administrators" in the "Group" column. If you're not sure which account is the administrator account, select an account you think fits the criteria, and click the Properties button; if it's the administrator account, in the "Description" field, it will say "Built-in account for administering the computer/domain" or something similar. In Windows 2000, the administrator account also has "Administrator" in the "User Name" column.
4. Click Reset Password..., and in the resulting dialog box, enter the new password in the "New password:" and "Confirm new password:" fields.
5. Click OK twice to return to the Control Panel, and then close the Control Panel.

For security reasons, you must choose a strong password; for help, see Your IU passphrase.