Windows 2000 local admin pwd

How to recover the Admin password

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This is an email I received with some useful information

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METHOD 1

First, shut down and reboot the machine so that you can gain access to the system's installation directory. You can use a DOS disk to access a FAT partition's installation directory and NTFSDOS PRO (which is capable of writing to an NTFS partition) to access an NTFS partition's directory. After you access the installation directory, rename the "logon.scr" as "logon.scr.bak", then copy "command.com" to "logon.scr". After you reboot the machine and wait about 15 minutes, the system will present you with a DOS prompt. At this point, you have full administrator access. Through the command prompt or User Manager, add a new administrator or change the administrator password, rename "logon.scr.back" to "logon.scr" and close the dos window.

NTFSDos Pro is available at www.sysinternals.com

Hi,

An alternative to using NTFSDOS Pro (cause the free version is read-only and you'll have to buy it) is to pull the hard drive out of the laptop and put it in another machine running NT or 2K as a second disk temporarily.

...and take it from there with soulrider's suggestion...

Cheers,
Tim.

If you could arrange to have the laptop join a domain and you have domain admin you will then have assess to the local admin account.

Or provided you have enough disk space you could install win2k in another partition or directory.You would then have admin privlege under the new install and can backup critical data or manipulate the old install.

Another technique reported on the web which requires a 2nd copy of NT :

Install an alternate copy of Windows 2000 Pro on a second partition, like D: drive.
Boot up the alternate install.
Use Start / Control Panel / System / Startup to change the default boot instance to your original install.
In the C:\WINNT folder, navigate to the \System32 sub-folder.
Save a copy of logon.scr, the default logon screen saver.
Delete logon.scr.
Copy CMD.EXE to logon.scr.
Shutdown and restartyour original install.
Wait for the logon screen saver to initiate; don't try to log in or anything. Just let the machine sit there. It will actually open a CMD prompt, in the security context of the local system account. Be patient, it takes 15 minutes for the command window to popup.
Type MMC, into the CMD prompt to execute a blank MMC console. Then click File -> Add Snap In. Click the Add button next, then scroll in the snap-in lists for Local Users and Groups. Click it, and the Add button. Then click OK. This opened the local machine's Local Users and Groups snap-in. Click the Users folder, then right-click on Administrator, and choose to Change Password. Change it to whatever you want it to be.
Close the MMC snap-in.
Press CTRL+ALT+DEL to log in.
Delete the logon.scr from %SystemRoot%\System32.
Rename the saved default screen saver back to logon.scr.

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