Okay, I did not create a password reset disk; my bad. Neither did I grant admin rights to any other user account other than the Administrator User Account; double bad-bad. I can log onto standard user accounts just fine. The admin pwd is not being recognized (and yes, I have retyped many times taking care of cap lock, etc. and KNOW it is the pwd). We had severe storm week ago with power surge that blew power supply on another computer in the house plus wiped outconfig for the network on the provider side. These problems are all resolved. Last issue is finding a work around to gain access to the admin pwd file to 'uncorrupt' or overwrite the pwd so I can access the finer things in life. Anybody knowhow to do this? I know it is possible.I am doing research now.

Oldgeek2 There are several ways to recover if you did not create a password reset disk when you set the password on that admin account. If you have a retail Vista installation disk, Full or Upgrade, you can use the procedure from the following website. Use the Option 2 there. What do I do: I can no longer log in or elevate to an administrator account: http://www.jimmah.com/vista/Administration/locked_out_of_admin.aspx If you do not have an installation disk, there are free password recovery procedures on the internet, I usually do not recommend these simply because they require advanced computer skills and some of them can turn your computer into an expensive doorstop. As a last resort, there is software available that you can purchase that will solve the problem, easily. The program that I recommend is the first one, it is very easy to create a recovery disk that you can use on any Windows PC. These recovery programs usually cost about 30-40 USD. A@PC: Windows Password Recovery Software. Reset Administrator Password. XP VISTA 2003 2000 NT.: http://www.password-changer.com/ Windows Password Recovery Key - Resets the Administrator account password:http://tinyurl.com/2qr7oc If this post helps to resolve your issue, click the Mark as Answer button at the top of this message.By marking a post as Answered, you help others find the answer faster. Ronnie Vernon Microsoft MVP Windows Desktop Experience

Thanks Ronnie. Your post was most helpful! I was able to use procedure 2 on the jimmah website with the retail Vista install disk. Note to self: always make a pwd recovery diskette and give 2 accounts admin rights.

OldGeek That's great, I'm very glad this helped. Us 'old geeks' need to stick together. Enjoy. If this post helps to resolve your issue, click the Mark as Answer button at the top of this message.By marking a post as Answered, you help others find the answer faster. Ronnie Vernon Microsoft MVP Windows Desktop Experience

Ronnie, The website is down... do you have any other mirrors or docs for the steps suggested? thanks. http://www.jimmah.com/vista/Administration/locked_out_of_admin.aspx

Hi If you have a Vista installation disk, you can use the Repair options on the disk to recover from a lost admin password. Place the installation disc in the drive. Restart the system. When the prompt appears on the screen, "Press any key to to boot from the CD DVD", press a key. *Note: If your computer is not configured to start from a CD or DVD, check the information that came with your computer. You may need to change your computer's BIOS settings. Choose your language settings, and then click Next. Screenshot:http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa86/rvmv/RE2.jpg Click Repair your computer. (Lower left of the screen) Screenshot:http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa86/rvmv/RE3.jpg The system will search for installed OS. Select the operating system you want to repair, and then click Next. Screenshot:http://i196.photobucket.com/albums/aa86/rvmv/RE4.jpg On the System Recovery Options menu, clickthe 'Command Prompt' to open it. In the command prompt window, type the following commands. C: Press Enter. net user administrator /active:yes Press Enter. (Make sure that the command is entered exactly as shown, including the spaces, slash and colon.) This is the command toenable the built-in administrator account at the Welcome screen. Once this is done, reboot normally. When the welcome screen appears, you should see a new account called Administrator. This account does not have a password by default. Log on with this account, go to Control Panel/User Accounts. Select the Manage another account option. Select your account then click on Remove Password. After this is completed, reboot and log on with your account. Be sure to create a new password for your account and create a password recovery disk. Hope this helps. If this post helps to resolve your issue, click the Mark as Answer or Helpful button at the top of this message.By marking a post as Answered, or Helpful you help others find the answer faster. Ronnie Vernon Microsoft MVP Windows Desktop Experience