Password Reset Disk - Create on USB Flash Drive in Windows 8

How to Create a Password Reset Disk on a USB Flash Drive in Windows 8 and 8.1


information   Information
This will show you how to create a password reset disk on a USB flash drive that you could use to reset the password for your local user account with if forgotten in Windows 8, Windows RT, Windows 8.1, and Windows RT 8.1.

This will only reset your normal password created during the installation of Windows 8, and will not reset your pin number or picture password.

Note   Note
This will only create a password reset disk for the local user account that is currently logged on when it is created. This does not apply to Microsoft accounts.

When you create a password reset disk on a USB flash drive, it will create and add a userkey.psw file on the USB flash drive for the specific local user account. You can move the userkey.psw file to another USB flash drive if you like, but you can only have one userkey.psw file on a USB flash drive.

The password reset disk can be used to reset your user account's password no matter how many times you reset it.



PSW-file.jpg


warning   Warning
Anyone could use this USB flash drive to reset the password and have access to the local user account it was created for. Be sure to keep the password reset disk (USB) stored where only you will have access to prevent others from gaining access to your local user account with it.





Here's How:

1. Sign in to the local user account that you want to create a password reset disk for.


2. Open the Control Panel (icons view), and click/tap on the User Accounts icon. (see screenshot below)
Password-Reset-1.jpg


3. Connect a USB flash drive to your computer.
NOTE: The USB flash drive will not be formatted during the creation of the password reset disk, so you can use one that already has data on it without worry.


4. In the left pane, click/tap on the Create a password reset disk link. (see screenshot below)
Password-Reset-2.jpg


5. Click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)
Password-Reset-3.jpg


6. Select the USB flash drive from step 3, and click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)
Password-Reset-4.jpg


7. Type in the password for the current user account, and click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)
Password-Reset-5.jpg


8. If the USB flash drive already has been used previously to create a password reset disk on, then you will need to click/tap on Yes or No to replace it with this one instead. (see screenshots below)
NOTE: If you click/tap on Yes, then continue on to step 9. If you click on No, then you will need to use another USB flash drive instead.
Password-Reset-5A.jpg
Password-Reset-5B.jpg


9. When it's finished creating the password reset disk, click/tap on Next. (see screenshot below)
Password-Reset-6.jpg


10. Click/tap on Finish. (see screenshot below)
Password-Reset-7.jpg


11. You will now be able to use this password reset disk (USB flash drive) to reset your local user account's password with on the sign in screen if you should forgot it in the future.




That's it,
Shawn




 

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Last edited by a moderator:
Brink,I connected a usb drive.But when I click create password reset disk nothing happens.what should I do?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 professional x64 + WMC
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 5920
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    Core 2 duo T5550
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    ACER CHAPALA
    Memory
    4GB DDR2
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel GMA X3100
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    1280 X 800
    Hard Drives
    160 GB HDD
Hello Bagavan,

Are you having any other issues that may be related?

Does the USB flash drive show up in your Computer window?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
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    PC/Desktop
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    Custom self built
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    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
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    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
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    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
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    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
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    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
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    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
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    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
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    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Hello Bagavan,

Did you have the USB flash drive connected before you started this, and where you able to select the USB flash drive at step 6?
First I connected usb drive..
Then from I clicked create a password reset disk..But nothing pops out. the screen where I will be given option to choose a usb does not open at all
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 professional x64 + WMC
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 5920
    CPU
    Core 2 duo T5550
    Motherboard
    ACER CHAPALA
    Memory
    4GB DDR2
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel GMA X3100
    Screen Resolution
    1280 X 800
    Hard Drives
    160 GB HDD
Hello Bagavan,

Are you having any other issues that may be related?

Does the USB flash drive show up in your Computer window?

Yes it is displayed..

I performed a sfc scan an hour ago and it repaired some one file..I will restart and try again..what do you suggest??

An update

It worked and I created it successfully.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 professional x64 + WMC
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 5920
    CPU
    Core 2 duo T5550
    Motherboard
    ACER CHAPALA
    Memory
    4GB DDR2
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel GMA X3100
    Screen Resolution
    1280 X 800
    Hard Drives
    160 GB HDD
That's great news. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Thanks on my behalf too Brink. I hadn't actually forgotten my password, it just wouldn't accept it. I've made a password reset disk as you outlined for the future. I also read that you can try turning off the laptop by pressing the power key for 4 seconds & then trying again. robinpe.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 and 10, 64-bit 9600 Multiprocessor Free
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo Yoga Pro 1370 (Ultrabook)
    CPU
    Intel (R) 5Y70 @ 1.10GHz
    Motherboard
    Lenovo VIUU4
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel (R) HD Graphics 5300
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    High Definition Audio Device
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    3200 x 1800
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    256GB SSD
    Samsung MZNTE256HMHP-000L2
    Cooling
    Fan
    Antivirus
    Windows Defender, Ccleaner, Malwarebytes.
    Other Info
    Touchscreen,
You're welcome Robin. I'm glad to hear that you had created one to use if needed in the future. :)

That would basically do a hard power off of the laptop. When you turn the laptop back on, you will just be taken to your usual sign in screen to enter the same password, It will not reset the password like the reset disk will.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Create password reset disk wizard never shows up

Brand new W8.1 Pro on Laptop and I want to create a password reset disk. I choose the Create Password Reset Disk and click on it but the wizard never shows up.

Clicking on it takes me to the desktop, which is my boot default, but nothing shows up anywhere. The Task Manager shows a Windows Host item running but nothing happens.

I have set up the items in User Account to not force me to use a password at login but it still required me to input the password twice for my account.

Anybody got any ideas?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W7 Pro 64bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD FX-4100 Quad Core 3.60gh
    Memory
    8g
    Browser
    IE 9
    Antivirus
    MSE
Hello 52Yankee,

Did you already have the USB flash drive connected?


You might see if the wizard has an icon on your taskbar, or if it may be hidden behind another opened window.

Hope this helps for now, :)
Shawn
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Thank you for replying.

The USB is plugged in when I try to make the reset disk.
There is no icon in the desktop task bar nor anywhere in the START screen.
I have no other tasks running and there is no screen under anything.

The Task Manager shows only Windows Host Process (Rundll32) active and I can switch to it but nothing shows up as a wizard or anything else.

There is only one user and that is me and I have adminstrator access.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    W7 Pro 64bit
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus
    CPU
    AMD FX-4100 Quad Core 3.60gh
    Memory
    8g
    Browser
    IE 9
    Antivirus
    MSE
In that case, see if it may work properly after restarting the PC.

If not, then run a SFC /SCANNOW command to see if it may find and repair any corrupted files that may be at fault. Afterwards, see if it may work properly.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Hi Mr. Brink
would like to ask if the password reset disk I created is valid for all/any (forgotten) passwords of the local accounts existing in my windows 8.1? and what about the account I switched its password to the password of my Hotmail account? does it reset the old local account too? thanks for your attention.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit windows 8.1 Single Language
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba Satellite/P850
    CPU
    CORE i7
    Memory
    8 GB
    Browser
    IE11
    Antivirus
    Mcafee Internet Security
Hello Boccelli, and welcome to Eight Forums.

The password reset disk would only be good for the user account that it was created in. It will not work for any other account. [DEL]If you change or reset password, you will need to update the password reset disk by creating it again.[/DEL]


Hope this helps, :)
Shawn
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
You're correct. The password reset disk will reset the user account's password no matter how many times you reset it. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Shawn;

I have never ended up using a reset so I'm not certain exactly how it works, but have a question about what you said in the tutorial:

You can move the userkey.psw file to another USB flash drive if you like, but you can only have one userkey.psw file on a USB flash drive.

I want to put all resets from several win 7 & 8 machines on one flash. Mostly to keep everything in one place and to not be wasting memory having that little file on a whole flash drive. Does the file need to be in the root to reset? If so, I would think I could save the file under directories like Key-For-PC1, Key-For-PC2, etc. and move the appropriate file up to the root if/when needed. Or if windows looks for the key all over the drive, then maybe keep all the files in the root but rename each file to PC1-userkey.psw, PC2-userkey.psw or maybe userkey.psw-pc1, userkey.psw-pc2.

Do you know which if any of these schemes would be appropriate?

thanks
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win 8.1 Pro / 64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy 15t-j100
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-4900MQ
    Motherboard
    HP
    Memory
    16G
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics 4600
    Sound Card
    IDT High Definition
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Internal / Asus Proart PA248Q
    Screen Resolution
    1900x1080 / 1900x1200
    Hard Drives
    Seagate ST1000LM014
    External 2T in Vantec enclosure
    Cooling
    lately, very much so
    Keyboard
    Rosewill
    Mouse
    Wheelmouse Optical USB
    Internet Speed
    94/12 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    AVG
Hello Spokey,

I have not tried that, but it may be worth a try to create a folder for each PC, and place that PC's userkey.psw file in it's own folder.

I would start off testing with only two PCs to see if Windows will recognize it like that though.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Seems like the renaming scheme works fine

Here is what I did

After thinking about this, I thought that the preferable organization would be to have all files in the root with the names changed. My thinking was that if I need to use a reset, I would copy the appropriate key and rename it back to userkey.psw. That way I wouldn't have to worry about forgetting to rename the file back back to the obscured version and getting files mixed up. Of course the named folder should work as well and with a copy from the folder to the root eliminate confusion as well.

So first I wanted to see if it looked like MS looked at the exact filename. I did a quick format on an old flash drive. First I generated the reset key. Then I did the generation a second time. In addition to the usual warning boxes, I got this warning:

Snap2.jpg

I let the wizard overwrite the key. Then I renamed the key to HP-Laptop-userkey.psw and ran the wizard again. This time it did not complain and generated the userkey.psw file. So it looked like a simple filename rename would work.

I deleted both files to start clean again. Generated the key and renamed it to HP-Laptop-userkey.psw. I generated keys for two more machines with appropriate renaming.

So I had three reset files

reset file list.jpg

To test, I used the HP laptop (win 8.1). I logged off and then typed a bad password. got this error

IMG_0539-cropped.jpg

Then I copied the desktop file, renamed it to userkey.psw and tried again. The reset asked for a new password and hint and issued this error (due to the wrong reset file).

IMG_0541 cropped.jpg

I renamed the correct pwd file and successfully reset the password to the correct current password.

The only odd thing was I rebooted the laptop with a shutdown -r and got a startup error. Told the dialog to restart instead of fixing and it booted fine

I did the shutdown -r again and it was fine on this boot.

I added a couple more machine reset files and tried a more realistic scenario with a win7 desktop. This time I shut down completely and went into the reset via a bad password. Once again it failed to find a reset file. I logged in and did the copy / rename, reran the test and set the password to a new password successfully.

All this suggests that many more options are available. For example, instead of storing the userkey.psw files on a flash drive, just store them on external backup drive and copy the one file you need to a USB drive when needed. Or copy them to a floppy (ok but I still have those) or burn them to a CD.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win 8.1 Pro / 64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    HP Envy 15t-j100
    CPU
    Intel Core i7-4900MQ
    Motherboard
    HP
    Memory
    16G
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics 4600
    Sound Card
    IDT High Definition
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Internal / Asus Proart PA248Q
    Screen Resolution
    1900x1080 / 1900x1200
    Hard Drives
    Seagate ST1000LM014
    External 2T in Vantec enclosure
    Cooling
    lately, very much so
    Keyboard
    Rosewill
    Mouse
    Wheelmouse Optical USB
    Internet Speed
    94/12 Mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
    Antivirus
    AVG
Great news Spokey. Thank you for posting back with your results. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
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Seems like the renaming scheme works fine

Here is what I did

After thinking about this, I thought that the preferable organization would be to have all files in the root with the names changed. My thinking was that if I need to use a reset, I would copy the appropriate key and rename it back to userkey.psw. That way I wouldn't have to worry about forgetting to rename the file back back to the obscured version and getting files mixed up. Of course the named folder should work as well and with a copy from the folder to the root eliminate confusion as well.

So first I wanted to see if it looked like MS looked at the exact filename. I did a quick format on an old flash drive. First I generated the reset key. Then I did the generation a second time. In addition to the usual warning boxes, I got this warning:

View attachment 58944

I let the wizard overwrite the key. Then I renamed the key to HP-Laptop-userkey.psw and ran the wizard again. This time it did not complain and generated the userkey.psw file. So it looked like a simple filename rename would work.

I deleted both files to start clean again. Generated the key and renamed it to HP-Laptop-userkey.psw. I generated keys for two more machines with appropriate renaming.

So I had three reset files

View attachment 58945

To test, I used the HP laptop (win 8.1). I logged off and then typed a bad password. got this error

View attachment 58943

Then I copied the desktop file, renamed it to userkey.psw and tried again. The reset asked for a new password and hint and issued this error (due to the wrong reset file).

View attachment 58947

I renamed the correct pwd file and successfully reset windows 8 password to the correct current password.

The only odd thing was I rebooted the laptop with a shutdown -r and got a startup error. Told the dialog to restart instead of fixing and it booted fine

I did the shutdown -r again and it was fine on this boot.

I added a couple more machine reset files and tried a more realistic scenario with a win7 desktop. This time I shut down completely and went into the reset via a bad password. Once again it failed to find a reset file. I logged in and did the copy / rename, reran the test and set the password to a new password successfully.

All this suggests that many more options are available. For example, instead of storing the userkey.psw files on a flash drive, just store them on external backup drive and copy the one file you need to a USB drive when needed. Or copy them to a floppy (ok but I still have those) or burn them to a CD.

thanks, I will try it.
 
Last edited:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    windows 7
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