Years ago, I wrote a column for the now-defunct Computer
Currents magazine entitled "Quick Tips and Fixes," wherein I attempted
to answer reader's questions about problems they were having with their
PCs. Though that column is long gone, I still get questions about
working with Windows and occasionally like to take time out in my column
to answer them.
And the Password is...
I
set up an administrative password in Windows XP but now I've forgotten
what it is. I don't want to have to reinstall the operating system if I
can help it. Is there any way to reset this?
Sarah
Anderson
San Francisco
Passwords are almost as
annoying as they are useful. Unfortunately, in today's age of viruses
and ad ware, they're a necessity. That said, your dilemma is fairly easy
to resolve. In fact, there are a number of actions you can take to reset
your password.
Microsoft outlines two of them here:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=321305
However, they assume
that you have access to a password reset disc or can logon through
another account. If you don't have access to just such a disc or another
account on your PC, there's still a way.
1. Place your original
Windows XP CD in your CD-ROM and start your computer (It should boot
from the CD. If it doesn't, make sure your bios is set to allow
this.)
2. When the words "Welcome to Setup" appear on the screen,
press ENTER to "Setup Windows now"
3. Press F8 to accept the
licensing agreement.
4. The setup screen should now display. There
should be an option to do a system repair. It should read something like
"If one of the following Windows XP installations is damaged, Setup can
try to repair it"
5. Use the up and down arrow keys to select your
XP installation (if you only have one, it should already be selected)
and press R to begin the Repair process.
6. Let the Repair run.
Setup will now check your disks and then start copying files, which can
take several minutes.
7. As soon as the copying is finished,
you'll be prompted to reboot. As the system reboots, do not "press any
key to boot from the CD again." Setup will resume automatically with the
standard screen with "Installing Windows" highlighted.
8. When you
see the "installing devices" progress bar, press SHIFT + F10.
9.
A command console will now open up. At the prompt, type NUSRMGR.CPL and
press Enter. You should be presented with a list of Windows XP accounts.
10. Pick the user whose password you want to change. If you want
to log on without a password, just type control userpasswords2 at the
prompt. After you've made your changes close the windows, exit the
command box and continue on with the Repair (have your Product key
handy).
11. Once the Repair is done, you will be able to log on
with your new password (or without a password if you chose not to use
one or if you chose not to be asked for a password). Your programs and
personalized settings should remain intact.
12. Now go create your
password reset disc!
Zip it up
I've used WinZip for years and much prefer it to
Microsoft's Zip handler, but my new Windows XP PC likes to open Zip
files itself. How can I turn this off?
Steve Potter
Euless,
Texas
If you want to turn off Windows's built-in ZIP
support, just follow these three steps:
Select Run from the Start
Menu.
Type regsvr32 /u %windir%\system32\zipfldr.dll at the
prompt, and click OK.
The change will take effect immediately, but
you may have to restart Windows for all traces of the built-in ZIP
support to disappear.
And if you ever want to re-enable Windows
built-in support:
* Select Run from the Start Menu.
* Type
regsvr32 %windir%\system32\zipfldr.dll at the prompt, and click Ok.
The change will take effect immediately, but you may have to
restart Windows for all features of the built-in ZIP support to be
available.
Prying Eyes
My
eight-year-old daughter is constantly getting into my Windows XP system,
and has twice overwritten important Excel files. How can I lock the PC?
When I used to be on Windows NT, pressing Control-Alt-Delete would lock
it, but on XP it only brings up the Task Manager.
Johnny
Newell
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Pressing Winkey + L
will do the trick, but if you have Fast User Switching enabled, this
will just bring up the logon screen. To disable Fast User Switching,
open User Accounts from the Control Panel. Click Change the way users
log on or off and un-check Use Fast User Switching.
If you have an
older keyboard that doesn't have a Windows key, you can create a
shortcut on your desktop using the commands below:
* Right Click
anywhere on your desktop
* Select New>Shortcut
* In the
location field, type the following command: %windir%\System32\rundll32.
exe user32.dll, LockWorkStation
Then save the shortcut and you're
done. You can place this shortcut on the Quick Launch bar for faster
access. Then, when you're walking away from your PC, click the shortcut
and rest assured that your daughter won't have access to any of your
files.
Contributing Editor Joe DeRouen writes Windows
Advisor monthly for ComputerUser.
