Windows Sticky Key password reset
- Boot from the Windows Installation/Recovery CD
- When you get to the Version Selection Screen choose the repair this computer link at the bottom
- From the repair menu choose to open a command prompt.
Working Around Authentication:
- Move the sticky keys application by running the following from the command prompt. copy c:\Windows\System32\sethc.exe c:\Windows\System32\sethc.exe.moved
- Replace the stuck key application by running the following: copy c:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe d:\Windows\System32\sethc.exe
- Reboot the machine
Using the Work Around:
- When the system boots up to a login screen hold down a nonfunctional key like space or shift for 6 seconds or press it rapidly to trigger the sticky keys dialog. The sticky keys dialog will have been replaced with a command prompt that will open with elevated privileges.
- You now have a mounted file system and a Administrator command prompt, reset the password with the following command replacing 'NewPassword' with your desired password and the user 'Administrator' with the desired user.
net user Administrator NewPassword
- Your password has now been reset, restart the system.
Repairing your Workaround
- Don't forget to unhack your machine, leaving it with the sethc.exe replaced present a clear security issue, you'll want to just revert the files you renamed and can do so with the following command executed in an elevated command prompt.
del c:\Windows\System32\sethc.exe move c:\windows\System32\sethc.exe.moved c:\Windows\System32\sethc.exe