Windows 7 Password Reset USB: Reset Your Password Easily

What is Windows 7 password reset USB?

Out of safety, Win 7 will take some actions to protect your data on the computer, and setting a password is one of them. There are two types of accounts on Windows 7 computers: Microsoft account and local account. No matter what kind of account you are using, remembering its password is significantly important.

With the password only you know, you can keep some unauthorized guys from accessing your Windows 7 system or doing some improper operations to your PC. However, although a password is so crucial, forgetting Windows 7 password still happens frequently.

Here is where a Windows 7 password reset USB comes in. As its name implies, a Windows password reset USB is a tool that can help you reset your forgotten or missing password on Windows computers so that you will get a new password to continue to protect your device.

When need to create a Windows 7 password reset USB?

It's not that every time you forget your password for Windows 7, you need to use a password reset USB to reset it. In some cases, using other methods or tools to recover the password is much easier. Therefore, let's see when is the best time to use a password reset USB Windows 7.

◆ The forgotten password is for the local account. A Windows password reset disk only works on resetting the local account password. For Microsoft account users, you can directly go to the Microsoft password reset page to reset the password.
◆ You are locked out of the Windows 7 system. If the password you have forgotten is your login password, you will fail to access the system as usual. Then, a Windows 7 password reset USB can help you reset your password without logging in. If you can open your computer with other sign-in options, it's time-saving to perform the password reset from settings.

If you meet the above two conditions, you can't miss the following content that explains how to create a password reset disk Windows 7 and how to use it to reset the password. Keep reading to know the details.

How to reset password Windows 7 with USB - 3 ways

There are different methods to create a Windows 7 password reset USB or disk. So, the answer to how to reset Windows 7 password with USB depends on what kind of password reset disk you are creating. All these ways prove to be effective and efficient, but they have their own advantages and disadvantages. Refer to the detailed steps below and select the most suitable one for you.

► Way 1. Reset password Windows 7 using Windows password reset disk

The first type of USB password reset disk is provided by Windows itself. If you forget the password for your local account and are unable to log in to your system, you can use this Windows 7 password reset USB download free to create a new password.

The process of Windows 7 password reset disk creation is friendly to users. Even if you are a computer novice, you can finish it easily. But you should pay attention to the fact that it needs to be created before you forget the password. You can refer to the content below to know how to make such a tool.

Stage 1. How to create a password reset disk Windows 7

Step 1. Prepare a USB of 2GB or more, connect it to your Windows 7 PC, and make sure it can be detected.

Step 2. Go to Control Panel > User Accounts. Click the Create a password reset disk link on the left pane.

Step 3. When the "Forgot Password wizard" window pops out, click "Next".

Step 4. Select the target USB as the Windows 7 password reset disk and click "Next".

Step 5. Enter the current password and select "Next".

Step 6. When the creation is finished, select "Next".

Stage 2. How to reset Windows 7 password with password reset disk

After you forget your Windows 7 local password, you can follow the steps below to reset your password. Let's see how to make it.

Step 1. When you fail to log in to your Windows 7 computer after inputting the wrong password, the "Reset password" link will show up. Click it and insert the previously-made password reset disk.

Step 2. When the "Password Reset Wizard" window appears, click "Next".

Step 3. In the new window, choose the target password reset disk and click "Next".

Step 4. Then type a new password and confirm it, click "Next" to proceed, and wait for the process to complete.

► Way 2. Reset password Windows 7 via Windows installation USB

Compared with method 1, this method has more requirements: you need to have some knowledge of command lines because the password reset should be completed in Command Prompt and you have to be patient because it’s time-consuming to make a Windows installation media tool.

Stage 1. How to create a Windows 7 installation USB

Step 1. You need a USB flash drive with a minimum of 4 GB of free space. And also please backup your data from USB first.

Step 2. Download Windows 7 USB/DVD Tool and install it. Run the program and browse your Windows 7 ISO image using the Browse button.

Step 3. When you are asked to select your media type, click the "USB drive" button to create a bootable USB.

Step 4. Select your USB flash drive from the drop-down box and click on the "Begin copying" button.

Step 5. Then, it will take a few minutes for the Windows 7 USB/DVD tool to complete the procedure.

Stage 2. How to reset Windows 7 password with installation USB

When the Windows 7 bootable installation USB is created successfully, you can use it to begin the password reset process. Since the steps are a little complicated, please operate with caution.

Step 1. Connect the Windows 7 installation disk with your target computer and change the boot order to boot from this tool.

Step 2. Once you are presented with a Windows Setup window, press the Shift + F10 keys to get into the Command Prompt.

Step 3. When the Command Prompt is open, type the following commands and hit "Enter":

copy c:\windows\system32\sethc.exe c:\

copy c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe c:\windows\system32\sethc.exe

Step 4. When the command is executed, unplug the Windows 7 password reset USB from your computer and reboot your PC. When you see the login screen, hit Shift key 5 times.

Step 5. In a new Command Prompt window, input the following command to reset your password:

net user username new_password

Note: Remember to replace username and new_password with your real name and the password you want to set.

Step 6. After executing this command, your password will become the new one you have just set. Start to use it now!

► Way 3. Reset password Windows 7 with a bootable USB

AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional is a reliable and reputable unlock tool that is available on almost all versions of Windows 11/10/8/7/XP/Vista. Compared with the first two methods, the Windows 7 password reset USB created by this program has remarkable advantages:

◉ It can be made on other Windows computers and even after you have forgotten your password.
◉ The process is 100 % safe and won't cause any data loss.
◉ It's easy to operate and has a high success rate.
◉ It is able to remove or reset the password for different types of accounts including local and admin.

Stage 1. How to create a bootable password reset USB

When you can't remember your password for your Windows local account and are unable to log in to it, you should prepare an empty USB with about 4 GB space and follow the guide below to create a bootable USB for password reset.

Step 1. Connect your prepared USB to a running Windows computer. Install and launch AOMEI Partition Assistant. In the taskbar, click "Reset Windows Password".

Step 2. In the pop-up window, click "Next" to begin to create a WinPE bootable media.

Step 3. Here we tick "USB Boot Device" and choose the USB to create a bootable disk. Then, click "Proceed" to continue.

Step 4. Note that the USB flash drive needs to be formatted so everything on it will be wiped. Click "Yes" and it will begin the process of bootable media creation. 

Stage 2. How to reset Windows 7 password with bootable USB

When the bootable USB is created successfully, unplug it and connect it to your target Windows 7 computer. Then, walk yourself through the guide on how to reset password Windows 7 with USB made by AOMEI Partition Assistant.

Step 1. Get into the BIOS setup, change the boot order, and boot your Windows 7 from this bootable USB.

Step 2. When you see AOMEI Partition Assistant on the screen, click "Reset Windows Password", select the Windows system you would like to operate, and click "Next".

Step 3. Then, select the account you would like to operate and tick the feature you want to use: "Remove Account Password" or "Reset Account Password", and click "Next".

Step 4. In the small new window, type the new password twice and click "Yes" to start to reset your forgotten password on Windows 7 computer.

Step 5. Finally, restart your computer and log in to your PC with the new password.

Bonus reading: How to reset Windows 7 password without USB

If you forgot your Windows 7 password and don't have a USB flash drive around you, you can refer to the part to learn how to reset lost Windows 7 password without any USB or software.

Step 1. Start your computer. When you see the starting window, hold on to the Power button for at least 5 seconds to force turn off your computer.

Step 2. Then, turn on your computer again, it will ask you if you want to launch startup repair or start Windows normally. Choose Launch Startup Repair (recommended).

Step 3. Startup Repair will boot up, click Cancel to refuse to restore your computer.

Step 3. Waite for the Startup Repair tool to diagnose your computer. When it finishes, click on View problem details.

Step 4. At the end of the column, click on the last link to read Microsoft's offline privacy statement.

Step 5. On the Notepad window, click on the File menu and then choose Open.

Step 6. In the new dialog box, change the Files of type option to All Files. Browse C:\windows\system32\sethc.exe. and rename this file as a backup file like"sethc-copy".

Step 7. In the same folder, rename cmd.exe to sethc.exe.

Step 8. Then, close all the dialog boxes and let the computer restarts.

Step 9. When you see the Windows login screen again, hit the Shift key 5 times to open the Command Prompt window.

Step 10. Then, you can type the following command to reset your forgotten Windows 7 password:

net user username new_password

Step 11. Finally, close the Command Prompt and you are allowed to access Windows 7 with your new password.

Note: After logging in, remember to rename the sethc.exe back to cmd.exe.

Conclusion

What is Windows 7 password reset USB? How to create a password reset disk Windows 7 and how to use it to reset your forgotten password on Windows 7 computer? This article has given three different ways followed by their detailed steps with pictures. You can choose one according to your situation.

By the way, if you suffer data loss during the password reset process due to improper operation, you can also use AOMEI Partition Assistant Professional to recover the lost data. Besides, if you are a Windows Server user, you can apply AOMEI Partition Assistant Server.