Have you forgotten your Windows XP password? Panic not, here's help. You can regain access to your user account if you forget your password or the password has expired because you didn't use it since a long time. There are two methods to recover your lost Windows XP password.

The first method requires you to have atleast one other administrator account whose password your remember. Log on to the computer using the other user account that has administrator credentials. Once you're logged in as the admin, open command prompt and type the following command:

control userpasswords2

Click the user account that you forgot the password for, and then click Reset Password. Type a new password in both the New password and the Confirm new password boxes, and then click OK. You should now be able to log on to Windows with the user account and the new password.

Another method uses a Password Reset Removable Drive to reset and create a new password.

On the Windows XP Logon screen, choose the user name and press Enter when the Type your Password box appears. Click use your password reset disk. Insert the password reset disk into drive A and choose a new password.

If you have not created a password reset disk, and you have also forgotten the password for all user accounts, you may not be able to log on to your existing Windows installation. It is tough to crack Windows XP passwords. In this extreme case, you must perform a "clean" installation of Windows XP, re-create all user accounts, and then reinstall all your software programs.