Cannot log into admin account (WinXP)?

Infopackets Reader Dale D. writes:

" Dear Dennis,

I'm having trouble logging into my user account under Windows XP. It seems that my password is no longer valid and now I can't get in. The only way I can login to the system is to do so under my son's account which does not have administrative rights. Also, when I go to Control Panel -> Users (under my son's account), my user account is not listed. Any ideas how I can resolve this? "

My response:

Depending on the access level applied to your son's account, he may / may not be able to see any other accounts listed on the system. In his case, the access level is low enough that Windows XP will not display any other user accounts.

The best option here is to reset your account password. You can do this using either 1 of the 2 methods suggested by Microsoft Knowledge Base article #321305. In my opinion, the second method described on this page is most likely the easiest route:

1. Reboot Windows in Safe Mode.
    
2. Click Start, and then click Run.
    
3. In the Open box, type the following command, and then click OK: control userpasswords2
    
4. Click the user account that you forgot the password for, and then click Reset Password.
    
5. Type a new password in both the New password and the Confirm new password boxes, and then click OK.

Good luck!

Side note: To access Safe Mode, Click Start -> Shutdown (or Turn Off), and choose 'Restart'. Once the computer restarts, press F8 repeatedly on the keyboard until a Boot Menu appear (this *must* be done before the Windows boot screen appears). Finally, choose to boot Windows in Safe Mode and press Enter on the keyboard.