Passwd Recovery Help: Dual Boot Hard Drive - Forgot Windows Log-in Password, Installed Ubuntu via Terminal

Here is a detailed article on how to reset the Windows password on a dual boot hard drive after installing Ubuntu via terminal:

Resetting Windows Password on a Dual Boot Hard Drive

Introduction

If you've partitioned your hard drive for a dual boot system and forgotten your Windows log-in password, you might find yourself locked out of your Windows operating system. However, there is a way to reset your password using a Linux live CD or USB, such as Ubuntu. In this article, we will guide you through the process of resetting your Windows password using Ubuntu installed via terminal.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, ensure that you have a working Ubuntu installation on your dual boot system. In this example, we will use the terminal to install and run the necessary tools.

Installing the Required Tools

1. Open a terminal window.

2. Update the package list:

sudo apt-get update

3. Install the ntfs-3g package, which allows read/write access to NTFS partitions:

sudo apt-get install ntfs-3g

4. Install python-ntfs for additional NTFS functionality:

sudo apt-get install python-ntfs

Resetting the Windows Password

1. Identify the Windows partition. You can do this by running the following command:

sudo blkid | grep ntfs

Replace /dev/sdX with the appropriate partition for your system (e.g., /dev/sda1).

2. Mount the Windows partition:

sudo mkdir /mnt/windows
sudo mount /dev/sdX /mnt/windows

3. Change to the mounted Windows partition:

cd /mnt/windows

4. Create a new file named user.txt (replace username with your actual Windows username):

touch user.txt

5. Set the file's ownership to the Administrator account:

sudo chown Administrator:Administrators user.txt

6. Set the file's permissions to full control for the Administrator account:

sudo chmod 700 user.txt

7. Unmount the Windows partition:

sudo umount /mnt/windows

8. Reboot your system, and you should be able to log into Windows with your new password (leave the password field blank). Upon logging in, Windows will prompt you to create a new password.

Conclusion

With this guide, you can reset your Windows password on a dual boot hard drive without having to reinstall the operating system. Remember to save your new Windows password securely, as you will need it to log in.

References

1. How to Reset Windows Password from Ubuntu
2. Resetting Windows Password Using Ubuntu LiveCD
3. How to Reset Windows Password Using Ubuntu