Solved How to see what my password is

skyzoomer

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I used netplwiz to uncheck "Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer" a while ago. So I can boot my Win 8.0 laptop fine. But I forgot the password. Is there a way to see what the password is?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Studio 1537
    CPU
    core 2 duo
    Memory
    4GB
Run: Regedit and go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
On the RHS, look for: DefaultPassword
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1x64PWMC Ubuntu14.04x64 MintMate17x64
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Home Brewed
    CPU
    I7 4970K OC'ed @4.7 GHz
    Motherboard
    MSI-Z97
    Memory
    16 GB G-Skill Trident X @2400MHZ
    Graphics Card(s)
    NVIDIA GeForce GTS 450
    Sound Card
    X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty Professional Series
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Dual HP-W2408
    Screen Resolution
    1920X1200
    Hard Drives
    256 GB M2 sm951, (2) 500GB 850EVO, 5TB, 2 TB Seagate
    PSU
    Antec 850W
    Case
    Antec 1200
    Cooling
    Danger Den H20
    Keyboard
    Logitech
    Mouse
    Logitech Performance Mouse MX
    Internet Speed
    35/12mbps
    Browser
    Firefox
The DefaultPassword string value won't be there unless it was manually added to the registry along with the password like in Option Two below.

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/2894-log-user-account-automatically-windows-8-startup.html


skyzoomer,

User passwords are encrypted by default in Windows, so you will not be able to view them. Instead, you will only be able to change or remove a user's password.

Since you don't know what the password is, you could remove it if this is for a local account and not a Microsoft account. Afterwards, you could create a new password, and redo netplwiz to setup automatic sign in again.
If this is for a Microsoft account, then you could reset it's password online.
Hope this helps, :)
Shawn
 

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
Run: Regedit and go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
On the RHS, look for: DefaultPassword

Took a look. No DefaultPassword line in right pane.

Thanks,
Skyzoomer
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Studio 1537
    CPU
    core 2 duo
    Memory
    4GB
The DefaultPassword string value won't be there unless it was manually added to the registry along with the password like in Option Two below.

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/2894-log-user-account-automatically-windows-8-startup.html


skyzoomer,

User passwords are encrypted by default in Windows, so you will not be able to view them. Instead, you will only be able to change or remove a user's password.

Since you don't know what the password is, you could remove it if this is for a local account and not a Microsoft account. Afterwards, you could create a new password, and redo netplwiz to setup automatic sign in again.
If this is for a Microsoft account, then you could reset it's password online.
Hope this helps, :)
Shawn

Am trying your suggestions listed in the "local account" link.

--------------

In option-1 step-2 when I click "Change your password", a message says:
  • "The password you signed in with is different from your password for your Microsoft account. Sign in again using your current password,k or reset it."
--------------

In option-2 step-5, there is no option to "Change the password". The only options listed are:
  • Set up Family Safety
  • Change the account type
  • Manage another account
I wonder if this is because for the user account, it says I'm the administrator:
  • My Name
  • xxxx@hotmail.com
  • Administrator
  • Password protected.
--------------

In option-3 step-4, I get the message that says:
  • "Resetting this password might cause irreversible loss of information for this user account. Windows protects certain information by making it impossible to access if the password is reset."
Any idea how that will that affect me if I continue the procedure?
--------------

Thanks,
Skyzoomer
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Studio 1537
    CPU
    core 2 duo
    Memory
    4GB
You have a Microsoft account since it has an email address, so the local account option will not be available for you.

That loss would only be if you have anything encrypted with EFS. Changing or resetting the password breaks access to anything encrypted by EFS. If you don't have any files or folders encrypted by EFS, then you have nothing to worry about. :)
 

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 have a Microsoft account since it has an email address, so the local account option will not be available for you.

That loss would only be if you have anything encrypted with EFS. Changing or resetting the password breaks access to anything encrypted by EFS. If you don't have any files or folders encrypted by EFS, then you have nothing to worry about. :)

Brink, you are a treasure! I'll continue with option-3 this evening.

Thanks,
Skyzoomer
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Studio 1537
    CPU
    core 2 duo
    Memory
    4GB
You're welcome. Please let us know how it went. :)
 

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 welcome. Please let us know how it went. :)

In option-3 step-7, I enter a new password twice and click OK. I get the message that says:

  • "The following error occurred while attempting to set the password for user "myusername".
  • The system is not authoritative for the specified account and therefore cannot complete the operation. Please retry the operation using the provider associated with this account. If this is an online provider please use the provider"s online site.

In option-5, I open cmd as administrator. Then in step-3 I get:

  • System error 8646 has occurred.
  • The system is not authoritative for the specified account and therefore cannot complete the operation. Please retry the operation using the provider associated with this account. If this is an online provider please use the provider"s online site.

In option-5 step-4 I get the exact same error messages as in option 5 step-3 above.

Any other ideas?
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Studio 1537
    CPU
    core 2 duo
    Memory
    4GB

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
See if you area able to reset your Microsoft account password online using step 2 and 5 in OPTION TWO below.

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/12206-microsoft-account-password-change-reset-windows-8-a.html

Afterwards, you'll need to redo netplwiz to enter your new password.

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/2894-log-user-account-automatically-windows-8-startup.html

Brink,

As I said, you are a treasure! I did what you suggested above and it worked perfectly.

After everything worked, in netplwiz I checked "Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer". Did a restart and Win8 asked for my password. Entered it and Windows 8.0 opened. So now my local password and my microsoft account password are the same which should prevent password mis-match problems in the future.

For lurkers, in the "redo netplwiz" link above, I used Option-1, step-4.

All is good in PC land again. Thanks Brink,
Skyzoomer
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Studio 1537
    CPU
    core 2 duo
    Memory
    4GB
You're most welcome. I'm glad to hear you got it sorted. :)
 

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
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