NTPasswd is a password reset tool for Windows that uses the Network Time Protocol to generate random passwords and will not reveal your current password. It can be used with any version of Windows including Vista, 7, 8/8.1 and 10.The software has never been installed on a compromised computer as it does not contain an executable file or allow access to user files (such as Desktop). This makes NTPasswd more secure than similar tools because it cannot be detected by malware scanners looking for such programs.,
In this article, I will show you how to reset Windows 10 passwords with NTPasswd. This is done by using the offline nt password & registry editor.
Forgot your Windows 10 password? Typically, a user would give up, reinstall the operating system (OS), and start from scratch. But you’re not a typical user. Instead of doing an OS reset, why not try a user account password reset first using the Offline NT Password & Registry Editor (NTPasswd) utility?
Learn how to use the NTPasswd software to reset lost or forgotten Windows user or administrator passwords as a “break-glass-in-case-of-emergency” reaction in this lesson.
Are you itching to get into a password-protected computer? Let’s get started. Hold on to your black hat.
Prerequisites
Because this is a hands-on instruction, you’ll need the following items if you want to follow along.
- A machine running Windows 10. The Windows 10 version 20H2 will be used in this tutorial, although older versions should also function.
- A fake or test local user account for Windows 10. If you don’t want to try this lesson using a production or real user account, this user account is advised. The password reset will be attempted on a test account named Dummy in this tutorial.
Related:[Step-by-Step] How to Create a Local Account in Windows 10
- Check that the machine can boot from a USB device and that legacy boot mode is supported. UEFI boot mode is not supported by NTPasswd boot disks.
- You’ll need a USB flash disk with at least 50MB of free space on which to install NTPasswd. This guide assumes you’ve previously connected the USB drive to your computer and are familiar with its drive letter. The letter E is used in this lesson to represent the USB drive.
- Download the most recent version of the NTPasswd USB zip file. The most recent zip file is usb140201.zip, which is around 18MB in size as of this writing.
Making an NTPasswd USB Drive Bootable
You must first produce bootable discs containing the NTPasswd files in order to boot your machine into the NTPasswd environment. Don’t be concerned. It simply takes two lines of code to do this. You also don’t need to install any third-party software.
To make an NTPasswd bootable USB device, follow the procedures below.
1. Run PowerShell as an administrator.
2. Extract the contents of the usb140201.zip file to the root of the USB device from the PowerShell window. Run the Expand-Archive command to do so. The NTPasswd zip file is assumed to be in the C:Downloads folder, and the extract destination is drive E’s root.
Expand-Archive -DestinationPath E:Downloadsusb140201.zip -Path C:Downloadsusb140201.zip
You should see something similar to the picture below as a progress indication.
NTPasswd files are extracted to the USB disk.
3. To make the USB stick bootable, use the syslinux.exe command after extracting the NTPasswd zip file. The letter E is assumed for the USB drive letter in this instruction. If necessary, change the drive letter.
The syslinux.exe executable file is already included in the NTPasswd zip file that you previously extracted to the USB disk. The file does not need to be downloaded individually.
# (m) — Create a master boot record (MBR). # (a) — Set the active partition. E:syslinux.exe E: -ma -ma -ma -ma
There should be no output messages and the command should take around one second to execute. You now have a bootable NTPasswd USB disk after running the command.
NTPasswd is loaded when you boot up your computer.
It’s time to put your password reset disk to the test now that you’ve finished creating it. You must first boot your machine into the NTPasswd environment before you can begin resetting passwords. To do so, follow the instructions below.
Note that NTPasswd cannot access encrypted disks, such as those protected with Bitlocker. There are no plans to add support for encrypted disks, according to the NTPasswd FAQ.
1. If you haven’t already, switch off your computer.
2. Turn on your computer and choose the USB drive as your boot device. Typically, when the computer is booting up, you must hit a key (F2, Del, F12, etc.) to bring up the boot menu. If you’re not sure how to do anything, look it up in your computer’s handbook.
3. Type boot vga=ask at the boot prompt and press Enter. This provides you the option of selecting the video mode.
Choosing a boot option is a simple process.
4. At the next prompt, press Enter once again to see a list of various video modes.
To see a list of possible video modes, press Enter.
5. Type 0 and hit Enter on the list of video modes. This step guarantees that NTPasswd utilizes the lowest resolution feasible to prevent displaying a disproportionate amount of screen output.
Choosing the lowest possible display resolution
NTPasswd recognizes the disk partitions automatically after choosing the video mode. The tool automatically identifies which partition(s) may hold the Windows operating system, as seen below.
NTPasswd finds probable Windows installation partitions automatically.
Note: If the computer did not shut down properly or in hibernate, NTPasswd would complain that the NTFS partition is unsafe, as you can see below. In which case, you have to boot to Windows and shut down the computer properly before NTPasswd is loaded when you boot up your computer. again.
An error has occurred because the NTFS partition is in an unsafe condition.
6. As you can see from the list of possible Windows installations, most computers only have one Windows installation, as shown below. In such scenario, all you have to do is hit Enter to accept the default choice.
The Windows installation partition is chosen.
7. NTPasswd displays a list of files on the screen after choosing the Windows partition. To quit the files list, press the SPACEBAR once.
To quit the file list, use the spacebar.
Using NTPasswd to Reset a User Password
You’re ready to start changing passwords now that you’ve booted your machine into NTPasswd. You may reset the password of any Windows 10 local accounts on the machine by following a sequence of steps. To do so, follow the instructions below.
1. Press Enter to accept the default option of 1 – Password reset [sam] on the Select which section of the registry to load menu. If you choose this option, the SAM Windows registry hive will be loaded.
The local user accounts and passwords data are stored in the SAM registry hive.
How to Completely Edit the Windows Registry Offline
The Password Reset menu is loading.
2. Press Enter to accept the default choice, 1 – Edit user info and passwords, on the Main Interactive Menu that appears.
Select Edit User Data and Passwords from the drop-down menu.
3. Next, find the user account whose password you wish to change in the list of user accounts. Under the RID column, look for the user’s number. Once you have the user’s RID, put it into the box and click Enter to choose the user.
The RID for the user to reset is 03ea, and the username is Dummy in the sample below.
Entering the RID value of the user
4. Notice that there is no option to reset the password on the User Edit Menu; this is normal; instead, input 1 to pick the option to Clear (blank) user password and hit Enter.
By selecting this option, the user’s password will be reset. As a result, you may use this user account to connect into Windows without having to input a password.
Choosing to remove the user’s password
After you’ve cleared your password, you should receive a confirmation notice like the one below.
Message of confirmation
5. To leave the User Edit Menu, hit Enter.
Getting out of the User Edit Menu
6. To quit, return to the Main Interactive Menu and type q, then hit Enter.
Getting Out of the Main Menu
7. Type y and click Enter at the next prompt. This step will update the SAM registry hive with the modifications you made (clear password).
Changes are saved.
After Changes are saved., you should see a message saying EDIT COMPLETE. You have now finished resetting the Windows 10 user password.
8. Finally, disconnect the USB device from your computer and restart it by pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL to enter Windows. You may then use the account to log in without having to input a password.
Conclusion
This lesson demonstrated that forgetting or losing a password does not always imply that you have lost access to your computer. Don’t give up hope just yet. You’ve learnt that in such instances, the NTPasswd password reset program may be a lifeline.
Other than resetting passwords, you may use NTPasswd for a variety of purposes. Why not utilize the built-in administrator account, promote a regular user to administrator, and modify the registry offline?
The “offline windows 10 password reset” is a step that will allow you to reset your Windows 10 password without an internet connection.
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