Lost PC password? here's how to recover it

How to break in if you've accidentally locked yourself out

Ever forgotten your Windows password and locked yourself out of your PC? It's a nightmare, but there are several ways to get back in.

We're going to explore the method a professional hacker would use to get into your PC. It's straightforward and uses yourWindows 7 installation disc, which contains all the tools you need to get in and change the password.

• How to make your passwords more secure

The technique we'll use contains a real life hack. We'll replace the Sticky Keys executable with a command prompt, so that even without logging in, we can pull up a command line and change the password, then use it to log in.

If you don't have a Windows installation disc, one option is to load up a password cracker. This is exactly what we'll do using the industry standard Ophcrack. You should only use these techniques to access your own PC. Hacking into another person's machine is a criminal offence.

Step-by-step: Recover Windows 7 passwords

1. Boot installation disc

To reset your Windows user account password, you must first boot the computer from the Windows 7 installation disc. Switch on your PC, and when you're given the option to boot from DVD, quickly hit any key to boot. After Windows loads its installation files, you'll be shown the language setup page. Select your country to set up the keyboard, then click the 'Next' button.