Hello there, I recently used my computer and reset my computer settings to my own password...the next day I went to use my computer the account was locked out and the password I created was not the right one. I took the computer to my IT Department at my work and they said that the computer admin. account has been locked and enables anyone from touching it. They said the only way to recover my computer is to reinstall Windows 7...Is this true?

Hello, No. re-installing is not required. First of all, if you have a restore point, use it to restore your system state using a restore point that dates before the the change of the password. Another solution is to use another administrator account like domain admin to reset the local admin password. I suspect that this is due to a virus or there is applications / services running under this account with a wrong password. This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties or guarantees , and confers no rights. Microsoft Student Partner 2010 / 2011 Microsoft Certified Professional Microsoft Certified Systems Administrator: Security Microsoft Certified Systems Engineer: Security Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Windows Server 2008 Active Directory, Configuration Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Windows Server 2008 Network Infrastructure, Configuration Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Windows Server 2008 Applications Infrastructure, Configuration Microsoft Certified Technology Specialist: Windows 7, Configuring Microsoft Certified IT Professional: Enterprise Administrator

Co-incidentally, I ran into the exact same issue some time back. And no, re-installing the OS is not the only solution. This works 100%, tried and tested. To fix this, you'll need the Windows 7 DVD. Use this DVD to boot from it and click on "System Repair" option that you see just before the installation starts. Follow the procedure described in the zip file that I have uploaded here for you: https://skydrive.live.com/?cid=5b7a1e5ef7ab6d25#cid=5B7A1E5EF7AB6D25&id=5B7A1E5EF7AB6D25!113 Please revert back here if you need any help. Hope this helps! Caution: Involves modifying the registry. Proceed only if you are familiar with the registry. Kunal D Mehta - a Windows Server Enthusiast.

Hi, Since this issue is caused by virus, I suggest that you may run Windows 7 in Safe Mode, and login with the “Administrator”( built-in administrator account in Windows 7). Then edit your permissions. Also if the computer is a domain based machine, you may also use domain admin account to edit the permissions. Regarding the built-in administrator account in Windows Vista and Windows 7, I would like to share the following information with you. 1. The built-in administrator account is disabled by default in Windows Vista and Windows 7 on new installations. 2. On non-domain joined computers, when there is at least one enabled local administrator account, safe mode will not allow logon with the disabled built-in administrator account. Instead, any local administrator account can be used to logon. If the last local administrator account is inadvertently demoted, disabled or deleted, safe mode will allow the disabled built-in administrator account to logon for disaster recovery. 3. On domain joined computers, the disabled built-in administrator account cannot logon in safe mode. By default a user account that is a member of the Domain Admins group can log on to the computer to create a local administrator if none exists. If the domain administrative account had never logged on before, then the computer must be started in Safe Mode with Networking since the credentials will not have been cached. Once the machine is disjoined, it will revert back to the non-domain joined behavior depicted previously. Please remember to click Mark as Answer on the post that helps you, and to click Unmark as Answer if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.

Any updates, Shantel?Kunal D Mehta - a Windows Server Enthusiast.