Alternative to Hirens Boot CD for Windows Password Reset

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Password on your computer can be annoying sometimes. Loss of Windows login password due to a computer error or forgetting in the previous days was a serious issue. This means that the equipment needs to be formatted to grant access. However, the current technology is equipped with modern ways by which you can reset and recover all your lost passwords without deleting your previous data. Hirens Boot CD is a well-known one for password reset. It is a software toolkit containing a few useful functions such as partitioning agents, disk cloning, performance benchmarks and data recovery tools that helps in solving password recovery problems.

Why We Need to Look for An Alternative to Hirens Boot CD

The problem is that Hirens Boot CD is a pretty old product and has not been updated for a few years. It works quite well on old computer with Windows XP, Windows Vista or Windows 7. For newer Windows version, such as Windows 8/Windows 10, it no longer works. That is the reason why we are looking for an alternative to make a bootable USB disk and use it to reset forgotten password on Windows PC or laptops. Plus, the user interface of Hirens Boot CD is not user friendly at all, which is all with text commands. So the alternatives suggested in below will be much better and powerful than Hirens Boot CD.

Hirens Boot CD Alternative 1: Microsoft Account Password Reset Page
Hirens Boot CD Alternative 2: NT Password for Windows 8/7/Vista/XP
Hirens Boot CD Alternative 3: UUkeys Windows Password Recovery Software

Hirens Boot CD Alternative 1: Microsoft Account Password Reset Page

According to the latest online survey, Windows 10 is the most popular operating system in the late of 2016 after Microsoft announced the free upgrade policy for Windows 10. This makes a lot of people switching to the latest Windows OS and abandoned the old ones like Windows 7, Windows XP or Windows 8, which has a bad reputation in online community.

One of the biggest changes is that user can login the computer with their Microsoft account. So there is no need to add new user account on their Windows 10 computer. If you were one of those, then you can easily reset the login password with Microsoft online service. Go to Microsoft account reset page.

Steps on How to Reset Password for Microsoft Account:

Step 1: Go to Microsoft account reset page: https://account.live.com/password/reset
Step 2: Select a reason why you need to reset the password. Usually, choose option 1 “I forgot my password”.
Step 3: Input your email address or cell phone number associated with the account. Type the verification code shown in the image and click Next. You will receive a code in a few minutes.
Step 4: Enter the code and set a new password for that computer. Now, you can use the new password for login.

Note: No third-party software is eligible to reset password of Microsoft account.

reset microsoft account password

Hirens Boot CD Alternative 2: NT Password for Windows 8/7/Vista/XP

NT Password is another free and powerful password reset tool for Windows users. It has several options to reset, remove, add account password on a Windows computer. However, the whole process is with text commands, which is a not comfortable or newbies. This is a good option for those who are familiar with commands.

Steps on How to USE NT Password for Password Reset:

Step 1: Download ISO file and burn it to a CD or put on a USB flash drive. Insert the disk into your computer's hard drive. Once the CD has loaded, an offline window appears.
Step 2: While your computer is in the offline mode, use the Up/Down keys and scroll down to password changer. Press enter and wait for the files to load. Once the loading is complete, choose the Windows section in which you want to recover or delete your password.
Step 3: Confirm your windows registry path and press enter. You will get an option to get into the user name and edit. The recovery software will inquire to know the password you want to edit or delete.
Step 4: Using the computer keys, type 1 to enable the password to be cleared. Once it's cleared, you can now add a new password for your computer.

offline nt password editor

Hirens Boot CD Alternative 3: UUkeys Windows Password Recovery Software

UUkeys Windows Password Mate is an advanced tool that helps you to reset and remove password that lock you out of your computer access. It supports all the Windows OS, including Windows 10, Windows 8.1/8, Windows 7, Windows Vista and Windows XP as well as Windows server. It has an incredible user interface and the user only needs to click the mouse to reset forgotten password of local windows account. The program runs through four editions that include windows password rescuer advanced, personal, and professional and windows password rescuer raid. It is one of the best alternatives to Hirens Boot CD to make USB password reset disk.

Things that You Need:

A working Windows PC or laptop
A blank CD/DVD or USB stick
UUkeys Windows Passsword Mate

How to Use Windows Password Mate to Recover Windows Login Password

Step 1 : Install and Open UUkeys Windows Password Mate

Find a normal computer that you can use for a while. Then download .exe file of UUkeys Windows Password Mate and follow the instructions to install it on a computer. After this, run the program as administrator.

Free Download

Step 2 : Create a Bootable Disk with USB or CD/DVD

Insert a USB stick or CD/DVD to that computer. From the main interface of UUkeys Windows Password Mate, you have two options to make a password-reset disk: one is for CD/DVD and the other is for USB. Please choose the right media from the drop-down list and click the "Burn" button.

Now, the disk will be formatted and a few files will be written to the disk. Please wait 2-3 minutes to let the program complete the process. After it is done, take out the disk and insert it to the computer that was locked.

Step 3: Set Bootable Device to USB or DVD in Bios Settings

To make the password reset disk taking into effect, you need to change the boot order in BIOS settings. In default, it was set to boot from hard drive. In this step, you should change the first boot device to USB/DVD.

Please the specific key (ESC/Enter/F10/F2) to access BIOS settings or fast boot menu. This varies for different computers. The key will be displayed on the screen when the computer was started. In boot tab, simply move the boot order with arrow keys. Finally, save the settings and reboot the computer.

Step 4: Start Cracking Windows 10/8/7 Password with UUkeys

Once the boot device was set to USB/DVD, UUkeys Windows Password Mate will be loaded into the memory in startup. You can see the user interface from the right screenshot.

All user accounts are shown on the screen and you can reset the password of any target account. Please select the correct one and click Reset Password button. Then the password was set to null immediately. Eject the disk and reboot the computer. In this time, you will get into the desktop directly.

Free Download

In conclusion, UUkeys Windows Password Recovery is safe to crack Windows 10/8/7 password; hence your data or information will stay intact and uninterrupted. It's very easy to use as it features only three key steps. Its flexibility allows it to cover wider areas as it supports most hard disk types. It works perfectly with most computer brands, hence non-selective.

For all your windows password recovery and reset system, UUkeys happens to be the perfect software that allows you to recover your passwords without deleting your data. It has outstanding advantages that make it work on a wider range of Windows OS and also operate on different computer systems. This program has been designed for Windows password recovery and has a proven record of instant password access. The world of computers and technology puts this system in place, and you have all your worries and fears sorted out.

Feb.08, 2017 17:10 pm / Posted by Cathryn Akerman to Windows

Cathryn Akerman is a professional freelance technology author and worked 8 years as a computer system engineer. Cathryn keeps sharing this computer skills current through UUkeys to her readers and clients.