How to Factory Reset Windows 8 without Password

When you forgot Windows 8 logon or admin password, reset Windows to factory settings could be one choice. Or when you prepare to sell your Windows 8 computer to others, and want to delete personal data on computer, factory reset Windows 8 is also a good method, with which you can install the drive where Windows is installed or all drives. So you don’t need to worry about computer data leakage after computer is sent to others.

If you still have privileges to access Windows 8 computer, factory reset would be not a hard thing. But now without any administrator or password, it would be difficult. Therefore, we are going to talk about this here, how to factory reset Windows 8 without password.

Let's reset Windows 8 password without disk and administrator first. And then insert your Windows 8 installation DVD into computer optical drive. If you don’t have one, find an ISO file and burn it into CD-ROM as installation disc.

Step 1: Start Windows 8 computer and turn to Metro Control Panel from Start screen. In the left pane of Control Panel, choose General and there are two options listed on the right pane.

• Refresh your PC:
  The Refresh your PC option will allow you to revert the system back to its default configuration, the way it was when it came from the factory. However, here, you won’t lose your personal pictures, videos, music, files, and any personalization that you’d have done.

• Reset your PC:
  Reset your PC, is more like a complete Windows 8 reinstallation, removing everything that you might have had – apps, personalization, files and all – and bringing your machine to a completely fresh state.

Now we should choose Reset your PC.

Step 2: Click on Get started button below the Reset your PC to begin factory reset.

Step 3: A new window pops up and prompts you with a message "Your personal files and apps will be removed and Your PC settings will be restored to their defaults". Click on Next button to continue.

Step 4: And then Windows will ask "Do you want to remove all files from all drives". Now we should choose "Only the drive where Windows is installed", because we don’t want to delete all files from drives (partition). And we just want to reset Windows 8 to original settings.

Step 5: Next, there is still a message prompting you."This will permanently remove your personal files and apps from your PC and restore all settings to their defaults. Your PC will restart. This will take a few minutes"

Just click "Reset" button on the right bottom corner of window to automatically reboot your PC.

Step 6: When Windows 8 reboots, you will see "Preparing your PC" and "Reset your PC" messages in the screen. Few minutes later, all your documents, apps and other settings will be removed after restoring Windows 8 to factory settings.

Once completed, you have to enter Windows product key in the screen and click Next to continue. At last, you will see license agreement screen, tick the option "I accept the license terms for using Windows" and click Accept button to login into Windows 8.  

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Forgot Windows 8 Password No Reset Disk

Windows 8 password forgot, but I have not experienced Windows 8 better. How to reset Windows 8 forgotten password without reset disk? Now please follow three parts below to go on Windows 8 password reset.

• Part 1: Windows Recovery Disk Available for Windows 8 Password Reset
• Part 2: Password Reset Tool for Windows 8 Forgotten Password Reset
• Part 3: New Ways and Tips for Windows 8 Password Forgot

Part 1: Windows Recovery Disk Available for Windows 8 Password Reset

Though without password reset disk available, Windows recovery disc is still useful for resetting forgotten Windows 8 password.

1. Windows 8 system recovery drive
2. Installation disk – Windows 8 installation CD

Installation disk is general tool that could restore your computer to default settings. And recovery disc or system repair disc can restore Windows 8 back to early backup point, when you remember Windows 8 password or Windows 8 password is available.

1. Windows 8 Recovery Drive

A Recovery Drive will allow you to boot your system and easily access a number of recovery and troubleshooting tools that you can use to revive an ailing Windows 8 system, including remove Windows 8 registry files. And it should be created when Windows 8 computer is accessible.

Step 1: Boot Windows 8 computer from Recovery Drive

You’ll see Windows logo displayed on black screen, actually computer boots in Windows PE. And then you could see "Choose your keyboard layout" screen. Click "US".

Step 2: In the following screen, there are three tiles for you. To access tools in Recovery Drive, please choose "Troubleshoot".

Step 3: In Troubleshoot screen, three tiles are displayed. According to your computer situation, choose "Refresh your PC", "Reset your PC" or "Advanced options".

Refresh your PC: It would find and backup all the data, settings and apps. It will then install a fresh copy of Windows and restore all of your data, settings and apps. When your PC restarts, you can login Windows with the same username and password. So it couldn’t reset your Windows 8 forgotten password.

Reset your PC: It will erase and reformat the hard drive and then reinstall a new fresh copy of Windows.
In this case, your compute will come back to the same condition it was in when you started Windows 8 first time. You had better backup all the data on Windows 8 you don’t want to lose before reset Win 8 PC.

Advanced options: When you click "Advanced options", you could see System Restore, System Image Recovery, Automatic Repair and Command Prompt. 

System Restore:

System Restore will automatically create a restore point anytime you install a new application or perform a major Windows Update operation. With it, you can restore all system files and settings to the state that it was in at an earlier restore point in time, when you know user password or there is no password set for user account. 

System Image Recovery:

You could recover Windows 8 system with System Image Recovery. As you know, a system image includes operating system, and all the settings, all the programs and all your files. So when you choose it, it actually performs a complete restoration of your entire system.

Step 4: Restart Windows 8 and now you could login Windows 8 without password.

2. Installation disk – Windows 8 installation CD

Windows 8 installation CD could be used to clear all Windows system information after last Windows system installation. Therefore, forgotten Windows 8 password would be removed after Windows 8 reinstallation.

But when you still have other ways available for Windows 8 forgotten password reset, don’t choose this way. If there is no other ways for Windows 8 password reset actually, Windows 8 installation CD would be helpful for you.

Step 1: Insert Windows 8 installation CD into locked computer and boot computer from CD-ROM.

Step 2: Format disk and install Windows 8 again.
Step 3: After Windows 8 reinstallation, data on Windows 8 is still on computer, but Windows settings has been changed. Password is not necessary to login Windows 8 at first time, but you can access Windows 8 with new password.  

Part 2: Password Reset Tool for Windows 8 Forgotten Password Reset

When no reset disk, create password reset disk with password reset tool is another way to reset Windows 8 forgotten password. Compared to Windows recovery disc, password reset disk is lot easier way. If not, there would no such program set in Windows operational system.

Not like password reset disk created in Control Panel, reset disk created with tool could reset Windows password directly and add new user account in locked Windows computer. And no data would be lost or damaged. Now in order to make a password reset disk for Windows 8 computer forgotten password in details, take Windows Password Genius Advanced to show.

The following are detailed steps to reset Windows 8 password with Windows password recovery software – Windows Password Genius Advanced.

Step 1: Find an accessible computer, download and install Windows Password Genius Advanced on it.

Step 2: Run password recovery program and insert bootable USB flash drive or CD/DVD-ROM into computer.

Step 3: Choose USB or CD/DVD-ROM from drop-down box in program screen, click "Begin Burning" and wait for password reset disk burned into inserted device.

Step 4: After successfully burning password reset disk, exit device, and then plug it into locked Win 8 computer. Set Win 8 computer boot from created password reset disk.

Step 5: In Windows Password Genius Advanced program screen, choose user account and click Reset Password”. About few seconds later, its password becomes blank.

Now you can choose to add new account for locked Windows 8 or reboot Win 8 computer later. But remember eject password reset disk before Windows 8 successfully restarts.

Part 3: New Ways and Tips for Windows 8 Password Forgot 

The above are professional methods for Windows 8 password forgot. Besides, if you have paid attention to new features in Windows 8, you will find there are some new ways or tips to reset Windows 8 password.

1. Windows 8 Password Hint
2. Windows 8 Picture Password
3. Windows 8 PIN Code
4. Windows 8 Microsoft Account
5. Windows 8 Another Available Administrator

1. Windows 8 Password Hint

If you have set password hint for login user, on the Windows 8 logon window, that will prompt you a hint, after you type incorrect password.

Believe password hint could remind you of forgotten user password if it is related with user password so much. At the same time, this tip suggests we had better set a hint for user password when we could access to Windows 8, and it should be unknown by other people. Otherwise, it could not be used when you truly forget Windows administrator. 

2. Windows 8 Picture Password

Picture password is another kind of password to sign in to Windows 8, only with three gestures on a picture. If you have created one, click it under password box, and make three gestures on picture to log into Windows 8.

Compared to text password, picture password would be easy to remember for someone. In addition, it provides us another chance to access Win 8 computer and reset Windows 8 password in Control Panel or with Command Prompt.

3. Windows 8 PIN Code

PIN code is 4-digit code. So it may be the simplest way to login Windows 8. Click "Sign-in options" first and type PIN code. Then run Command Prompt to reset Windows 8 forgotten password with user command. net user <user name> <new password>.

4. Windows 8 Microsoft Account

If your computer has been set up to sign in to Windows 8 with Microsoft account, switch user account to Microsoft account and login Windows with it. And then create a PIN that any user who has a password must enter it when waking this PC, and then login with PIN code, reset password with Command Prompt.

5. Windows 8 Another Available Administrator

After you type incorrect password, and there is no PIN code, picture password to login into Windows 8 at the same time, click arrow at the left side of user picture to change to use another available administrator to sign in. And then change forgotten Windows 8 password with user command. 

Related Posts:

• How to Reset Windows 8 Password without Reset disk
• Four Ways to Create Windows 8 Logon Password and How to Use
• How to Find Windows 8.1 Activation Key
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How to Enable or Disable Windows 8 Admin Account

It is known that new Windows 8 operational system uses standard user default. But when we want to run some programs, we always need administrator privileges. In Windows 8 computer, we have to set administrator by ourselves. Learn how to enable and disable admin account.

1. How to enable administrator account?

• Press combination keys Win + X to open run box and type following command:
  net user administrator /active: yes
• Click OK and press ALT + F4 later. Choose log off and you will see administrator.

Tip:

If you don’t want to access computer with administrator automatically next time, remember exit and enter computer with your previous account. Otherwise, when you enter computer, it will run programs with administrator.

2. How disable/forbidden administrator account?

• Press Win +X again, choose Command Prompt (Admin) and type:
  net user administrator /active: no
• Logout system and administrator will lose.

If you don’t want to enable administrator and wish to run programs with administrator automatically, please do following this. 

<1> Press Win + R and type gpedit.msc, and press Enter. Local Group Policy Editor will be open.  

<2> Turn to Computer Configuration – Windows Settings –Security Settings – Local Policy – Security Options.

<3> Double-click Security Options, and find User Account Control: Use Admin Approval Mode for the built-in Administrator account

Double-click it to enable it, exit and then reboot computer after confirmation changes.

 

Related Articles:

1. How to Change Admin Account with Windows 8 Disk
2. Lost Windows 8.1 Admin Password and No Disk
3. 10 General Secure Settings Options for Windows 8
4. How to Reset Forgotten Admin Password on Windows 8
5. How to enable or disable Windows server 2012 (r2) built-in administrator

How to Change Admin Account with Windows 8 Disk

We all know that we could change admin account in Control Panel via User Account Control. But if we couldn’t access Windows 8 computer, how should we go to Control Panel and change administrator? Now this article will introduce how to change admin account with Windows 8 disk.

Maybe installation disk or recovery disk help. But here we take easy Windows 8 password reset disk into practice.  

One: Change Admin Account with Created Password Reset Disk 

This reset disk is created before Windows 8 computer is locked. So in Windows 8 logon screen, after you type wrong password and see a message link “Reset Password”, click it and follow the instructions.

1. Windows password reset wizard appears. Click next and insert password reset disk into computer, and click next again.
2. Choose inserted reset disk as password reset key from the drop-down box.
3. Click Next and type new password for forgotten user account. Or you can let it blank and click Next to finish Windows 8 password reset.
4. Reboot computer and login Windows 8 with admin account which just has been reset password. 
5. Start the MS Explorer and enter in the address bar enter the address:
   Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\User Accounts\Manage Accounts
   Or you can open Windows 8 Control Panel and click on (open) Manage accounts.
6. Click the text “Change the account type” in the Window “Change an Account”. 
7. Change Account type to the Administrator. Or change an admin account to Standard User. 

 

Besides, in Control Panel, you can change or remove admin account password or delete/add new administrator.

Two: Change Admin Account with Burned Password Reset Disk  

This password reset disk is burned with Windows password recovery tool. Please see here learn how to create Windows password reset disk.

1. Plug password reset disk into Windows 8 locked computer. 

2. Boot computer from reset disk.

Password reset disk can be burned with bootable USB or CD/DVD ROM, so you should set computer boot from USB or boot from CD ROM.

3. When computer boots from disk successfully, password recovery program runs too.

Select Windows system and user account. And then click “Reset Password” to let forgotten account password be blank.

4. Eject disk and reboot Windows 8 computer.

5. Sign in to Windows 8 without any password. Press Windows + R and command control.exe nusrmgr.cpl and click on the text “Manage another account”. 

6. Choose an administrator and click “Change the account type” or "Change the password" in new pop-up window.

The last step is to change its account type to Standard user. Or do other things for it, such as “Change the password”, “Create a password”, “Change the account name” or “Delete the account”.

With the ways provided above, we can change user account type including change admin account in Windows 8 computer.

Tips:

How to create or get a Windows 8 password reset disk?

Actually, Windows 8 password reset disk can be created by two ways. The first way is create it in in Control Panel when you can access computer. The second way is burn it with Windows password recovery tool.

Without disk, how to change admin account or its password? Turn to see this article.

How to reset Windows 8 password without disk

More articles to read:

• How to Change Windows 8 Logon Way between Local Account and Microsoft Account
• How to login into Windows computer with default administrator 
• Change domain administrator password Windows server 2012 r2
• Four ways to create Windows 8 logon password and how to use