How to log on to your Windows XP-based computer if you forget your password or if your password expires

If you forget your Windows password or if your password expires, you must reset your password before you can log on to your computer. This article contains two methods that you can try to reset your password so that you can log on to your computer again. These steps only work if you have previously created a password reset disk for the computer, or if you can log on as an administrator to assign a new password to your account.

If you do not have a reset disk or cannot log on as an administrator, unfortunately, you may have to reinstall Windows XP and all other programs that were installed on the computer before you can use the computer again. This is for security. Without these safeguards, anyone could reset a password to anyone else's computer and gain access to private information.
This article is intended for a beginning to intermediate computer user.