How to unlock your Microsoft Windows 8 Account if you accidentally lost your Password

If you’ve read my blog article entitled “How to recover your Laptop or PC's Password if you accidentally lost your Windows Password - Password Backdoor hack for Hard-Drive Password in case yours got locked” you’ld have realized that albeit the Hard-drive passwords software listed below works on any locked Hard-drive what runs on Windows XP/7, the Software listed doesn’t work on Windows 8 Laptops. The software tools that I use are:

1.      Ophcrack

2.      Offline NT Password & Registry Editor

3.      John the Ripper

This I discovered the hard way while unlocking a client's machine at MICO Community College, only to realize that my usual slew of Software as listed doesn’t work on Windows 8. Thus I had to draw for a Cheese Patty and Orange Juice for some inspiration while I helped out the Miconian student with her problem.

As Far as I’m concerned, this is more reason to love Windows 7 and may explain why HP (Hewlett Packard) brought back the Windows 7 Laptop for a limited run as noted in “HP SAYS WINDOWS 7 IS ‘BACK BY POPULAR DEMAND,’ GIVES WINDOWS 8 THE BACK SEAT”, published January 20, 2014 By Konrad Krawczyk, DigitalTrends and “HP resurrects Windows 7 PCs 'by popular demand'”, published January 20, 2014 10:00 AM PST by Steven Musil by Steven Musil, CNET News. Still, Windows 8 is faster and zippier; it just takes a little getting used-to.

I ended up having to scrub and reinstall Windows 8, for which I have a full unlocked version of Windows 8.1 handy for such an occasion. By the way, MICO has some great Architecture. Take a gander at this slideshow of pictures from MICO!

Software Methods are easiest – Proprietary software so back out your Credit Card

So what to do next time around? Why, find another piece of software to add to my arsenal of course, as this is bound to happen again, as so many Windows 8 Machines are in the field. In this case the software in question I’ve begun using is  Windows Password Key 8.0, which like the software listed above, is bootable from the CD/DVD ROM Drive. The procedure is clearly laid out in this video.

The procedure to unlock your Windows 8 Computer is as follows:

1.      Download Windows Password Key 8.0

2.      Install Windows Password Key 8.0 on an accessible PC.

3.      Insert a blank CD/DVD/USB on computer that Windows Password Key 8.0 is installed

4.      Start Windows Password Key 8.0

5.      Burn a bootable copy of Windows Password Key 8.0 as shown below

6.      Boot the locked PC from the burned copy of Windows Password Key 8.0

7.      Reset your Windows 8 password under Windows Password Key 8.0

8.      Click "Reboot" to restart Win 8 PC

9.      Login to Windows 8 without password.

The pictures below give screenshots for the various steps.

Windows 8 Password Key costs US$19.95 cents and based on the number of Calls I get to recover Windows 8 passwords, this is an investment that's well worth it. There is also Alternative software that works and is installed similarly; that software is Windows Password Recovery Tool 3.0.

Again, this is proprietary software that you purchase and download, install on a working computer and use to make a bootable Recovery disc. This quick video should be very enlightening as it shows you what you get for US$17.95, just US$2 cheaper than Windows 8 Password Key, but again well worth it!

Once you reboot the computer that has the Windows 8 password locked, you'll see the following screen with a list of the various accounts on the computer. Check the Remove password box and click Next to have the software remove that password. Then Reboot the computer and you're back in business!

Non-software unlocking methods – Safe Mode for risky unlocking of Windows 8

A little less known method is the Safe Mode method as described in “How to Unlock Windows 8 Password with or without Software?”, published Tuesday, June 18, 2013, Windows 8 Password Recovery. This as it basically involves logging into the computer in Safe mode and simply resetting the Password for the various accounts on the computer. There is, however, the potential for Data Loss so I’m apprehensive about trying these methods. Follow the following procedure at your own risk:

1.      Press F8 while starting Windows 8 computer until you see the boot menu.

2.      Select Safe Mode option and press the Enter key

3.      Click on Administrator when a login box appears in the username box.

4.      Leave the password field as blank

5.      Click on OK to login.

6.      Open Control Panel

7.      Go to User Accounts

8.      Reset any user password manually to blank

9.      Reboot the computer in regular mode

That’s It! Easy as pie and you didn’t even have to finish the Cheese Patty and Orange Juice! Windows 8 unlocked! Here’s the link to the Software in question.

Windows 8 Password Key

Windows Password Recovery Tool 3.0