How to install Access 97 and Access 2000 on the same computer
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This article was previously published under Q241141
Moderate: Requires basic macro, coding, and interoperability skills.

On This PageSUMMARY
MORE INFORMATION
Neither Access 97 nor Access 2000 Is Installed
Access 97 Is Already Installed
Access 2000 Is Already Installed
Problems After Installing Access 97 and Access 2000 on the Same Computer
REFERENCES
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SUMMARYAlthough Microsoft does not recommend it, you can install and use more than one…Although Microsoft does not recommend it, you can install and use more than one version of Access on a single computer. This article discusses how to install and use Access 97 and Access 2000 on the same computer. This article also discusses some of the problems you may experience when you do this.

NOTE: For information about running Access 97 and earlier versions on the same computer, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
159333 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/159333/EN-US/ ) ACC: Running Current and Earlier Access Versions Simultaneously
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MORE INFORMATIONHow you install Access 97 and Access 2000 on the same computer depends on whethe…How you install Access 97 and Access 2000 on the same computer depends on whether one of the versions is already installed or whether neither is installed. If you have already installed Access 97 and Access 2000 on the same computer and are having problems, see the Problems After Installing Access 97 and Access 2000 on the Same Computer section of this article.
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Neither Access 97 nor Access 2000 Is Installed
If neither Access 97 nor Access 2000 is installed, install Access 97 first, and then install Access 2000. Because by default both versions of Access are installed in the same folder, you must perform a custom installation when you install Access 2000 so that Access 2000 does not overwrite Access 97.
Install Access 97 or Office 97. You can select either a Typical or a Custom installation.
Install Access 2000 or Office 2000, but you must select a Custom installation.
When prompted, change the installation location for Access 2000 or Office 2000 to a folder other than C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\ or the folder that you installed Access 97 or Office 97 into. For example, you can install Access 2000 or Office 2000 to a folder named C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office2K\
When prompted, select the option to keep the earlier versions of the Office programs on the computer. This is an all-or-nothing selection; you either keep all earlier versions of the Office programs, or you lose them all.
Complete the rest of the installation.

NOTE: The Office 97 shortcuts on the Start menu will be overwritten by the Office 2000 shortcuts. If you want Office 97 shortcuts on the Start menu, you must add them manually.
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Access 97 Is Already Installed
If you already have Access 97 on the computer, and you want to add Access 2000, follow these steps:

Install Access 2000 or Office 2000. Be sure to select the Custom installation option.
When prompted, change the installation location for Access 2000 or Office 2000 to a folder other than C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\ or the folder that you installed Access 97 or Office 97 into. For example, you can install Access 2000 or Office 2000 to a folder named C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office2K\
When prompted, select the option to keep the earlier versions of the Office programs on the computer. This is an all-or-nothing choice; you either keep all earlier versions of the Office programs, or you lose them all.
Complete the rest of the installation.

NOTE: The Office 97 shortcuts on the Start menu will be overwritten by the Office 2000 shortcuts. If you want Office 97 shortcuts on the Start menu, you must add them manually.

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Access 2000 Is Already Installed
If you already have Access 2000 on the computer, and you want to add Access 97, there are some additional steps you must follow.

When you try to install Access 97, you have to avoid the “Microsoft Access can’t start because there is no license for it on this machine” error message caused by the presence of the Hatten font, which is installed by Access 2000 and Office 2000. Also, if the Access 97 installation finds a newer version of the Msaccess.exe file on the computer, it will not install the 97 version of the Msaccess.exe file.

Click Start, point to Find, and then click Files or Folders.
Find the Hatten.ttf file, and then rename it to Hatten.sav. You must do this to avoid the “Microsoft Access can’t start because there is no license for it on this machine” error message when you start Access 97.

NOTE: You can find the Hatten.ttf file in the Fonts folder under the name, Haettenschweiler.
Find the existing version of the Msaccess.exe file, and then rename it to Msaccess.2k. Before you rename it, confirm that the version of the Msaccess.exe file is 9.0x by right-clicking the file, and then clicking Properties. Then click the Version tab
Install Access 97 or Office 97.
When prompted, click Change Directory to install Access 97 in a folder other than the folder in which Access 2000 is installed. For example, install the program in a folder named C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office97\.
After the installation is finished, find the Msaccess.2k file and rename it back to Msaccess.exe. Also, find the Hatten.sav file and rename it back to Hatten.ttf.
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Problems After Installing Access 97 and Access 2000 on the Same Computer
If the procedures described in this article were not followed when the second version of Access was installed on the computer, you may have problems when you try to start Access. Following are descriptions of the error messages or problems that you may encounter, as well as the resolutions.

One error message you may receive is:
Microsoft Access can’t start because there is no license for it on this machine.
To resolve this behavior, follow these steps:
Click Start, point to Find, and then click Files or Folders.
In the Named box, type Hatten.ttf.
In the Look In box, type C:\Windows\Fonts or the path to the Fonts folder on your computer. If you are not sure of the font folder’s location, open Windows explorer and verify the directory where Windows is installed. Note: If you are on Windows NT 4.0, the path may be C:\WINNT\Fonts
Click Find Now to start the search.
Under Name, right-click the Hatten.ttf file, and on the menu that appears, click Rename.
Change the name of the file to Hatten.sav.

NOTE: You can find the Hatten.ttf file in the Fonts folder under the name, Haettenschweiler
Insert your Access 97 or Office 97 CD into the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive.
Click Start, and then click Run.
Type the command to run the Microsoft Access Setup program and use the /y switch to reregister Access 97. For example, type:

D:\Setup.exe /y
In the Installation Maintenance Program dialog box, click Reinstall. The Setup program updates the system registry for Access. When Setup is finished, start Access.
NOTE: Following the steps in this procedure has the side effect of changing all the Start menu shortcuts to point back to the Office 97 programs. If you want to have the shortcuts point to the Office 2000 programs, run Office 2000 Setup in maintenance mode, and then click Repair. You can then select to repair the Start menu shortcuts.

Another error message you may receive is:
Can’t find the database you specified, or you didn’t specify a database at all.

Specify a valid database in the command line and include a path if necessary.
There are two main causes for this error:

You installed Access 97 on a computer that has the Small Business Customer Manager 2000 installed. For additional information about resolving this problem, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
235279 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/235279/EN-US/ ) ACC2000: “Can’t Find the Database You Specified” Error When Starting Access 97 on Computer with Office 2000 Small Business Tools
You installed Access 2000 on a computer that already has both Access 97 (full version) and an Access 97 run-time application installed. For additional information about resolving this problem, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
235280 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/235280/EN-US/ ) ACC2000: “Can’t Find the Database You Specified” Error When Starting Access 97 After Upgrade to Office 2000
You may also notice that one or both versions of Access are using the wrong workgroup information file. For additional information about resolving this problem, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
241230 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/241230/EN-US/ ) ACC2000: Workgroup Information File Is Reset to Default System.mdw After Self-Registration
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REFERENCESIf you get a “There is no license” error message when you start Microsoft Access…If you get a “There is no license” error message when you start Microsoft Access, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
141373 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/141373/ ) ACC: There Is No License Error Message Starting Microsoft Access
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APPLIES TO
Microsoft Access 2000 Standard Edition
Microsoft Access 97 Standard Edition
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/////////// OTHERS ARTICLE

You need to install SR2 and Jet 3.5 Sp3.
Microsoft Access Fixes, Patches and Updates
http://www.granite.ab.ca/access/msfixes.htm

Download FILES
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/q172733/

The user interface of JetComp.exe is in English only and is not supported by Microsoft Product Support Services. However, JetComp.exe can be used to compact databases in any language supported by the Microsoft Jet database engine. Jetcomp.exe is a freely distributable utility, but requires that you have one of the following products installed:
Microsoft Office 97
Microsoft Access 97
Microsoft Visual Basic 5.0
A Microsoft Office Developer Edition 97 run-time application that includes the run-time version of Microsoft Access 97
A Microsoft Visual Basic 5.0 run-time application that includes Microsoft Jet database engine 3.5
The following file is available for download from the Microsoft Download Center:

Jet35sp3.exe (http://download.microsoft.com/download/office97pro/sp/1/win98/en-us/jet35sp3.exe)

/////////// OTHERS ARTICLE

Description
To add a date and time to the quote of messages you are replying to:

1.Go to Preferences (on a Mac, at least, and this will be under the main Thunderbird menu)
2.Click on the Advanced icon
3.Stay on the General tab and click the Config Editor… button.
4.Search for reply_header_type
5.Double-click the value field of mailnews.reply_header_type, and
6.Change this from 1 (in my case) to 2.
You’re done!

This should give you the format “On 2/18/09 10:11 PM, Michael Stoll wrote:” leading off the quoting of e-mails to which you reply.

This was found by trial and error, so there may be a drastically simpler way (or better documentation than this already written), but fortunately it only took one try, and I felt so smart I had to share.

Disable and Remove Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications Nag Screen
This page has been updated, visit the new article on how to bypass and disable the WGA or way to make your Windows genuine permanently.

Microsoft has released WGA Notifications application which effectively turned Microsoft Windows operating system into a ‘nagware’, with a “This copy of Windows is not genuine” warning. What the Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications application does what it will check your Microsoft Windows XP validity. If it found that the copy of Windows XP is not validated, not genuine, counterfeit, unlicensed, pirated, illegal, unauthorised or simply failed the Windows Genuine Advantage validation process, then the notification messages will appear at various places and time.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational and educational purpose only, as most information is found on various part of Internet. Readers should contacts Microsoft if their licensed or OEM software cannot be validated or purchase genuine software.

When you log on to a non-genuine copy of Windows XP, the following notification error message “This copy of Windows is not genuine” will pop-up on the logon process:

And the nicely said “You may be a victim of software counterfeiting” message on the bottom right corner of log-in screen:

Microsoft allows Windows faithfuls to have 2 options: Get Genuine or Resolve Later. Click on Resolve Later will temporarily bypass the notification and let you login into and use Windows nagged with notification icon and messages, which will randomly appear as balloon notification message with an icon in the notification area (system tray).

Clicking on the balloon notification or the notification area icon will lead you to the Windows Genuine Advantage Validation Failure Web page that contains the specifics of the validation failure and the steps that you can take to make the operating system genuine.

To get rid of the WGA notifications that intends to remind you that your Windows is not validated, you can buy a validly licensed copy of genuine Microsoft Windows.

Update: Bypass WGA Validation with Crack or Hack and Disable WGA Notifications Warning Message Workarounds

Latest Version: 1.5.554.0 on October 2006 (distribute to some computers with no known roll-out pattern), 1.5.708.0 on September 2006 (distribute to whoever wants to download from Microsoft Download Center), 1.5.540.0 on 28th June 2006, 1.5.532.2 on 6th June 2006, 1.5.532.0 on 30th May 2006, 1.5.530.0 on 23rd May 2006, 1.5.526.0 on 26th April 2006.

More information on WGA Validation Tool (KB892130) and WGA Notifications (KB905474) which install LegitCheckControl.dll, WgaLogon.dll and WgaTray.exe.

With new release of WGA, some methods no longer works, and some has been updated. Several methods that has certain success on certain people, you may try until you success.

Official Method by Microsoft – more information here.

First Method

Lauch Windows Task Manager.
End wgatray.exe process in Task Manager.
Restart Windows XP in Safe Mode.
Delete WgaTray.exe from c:\Windows\System32.
Delete WgaTray.exe from c:\Windows\System32\dllcache.
Lauch RegEdit.
Browse to the following location:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\
Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\Notify
Delete the folder ‘WgaLogon’ and all its contents
Reboot Windows XP.
Note: With this method, you may be prompted to install WGA Notifications again which can still be unselected.

Second Method

Another alternative suggested by dman is by using System Restore to restore the PC to a previous restore point that WGA Notifications hasn’t kicked in, and then carefully stop KB905474 from been applied to the system. To use System Restore, go to Start -> All Programs -> Accessories -> System Tools -> System Restore.

Note: Again, you may be prompted again to install WGA Notification, so it must be bypassed.

Third Method updated

This method involves using a cracked version of LegitCheckControl.dll to replace the original copy of LegitCheckControl.dll, and thus bypass the WGA validation and make Microsoft believes that your copy of Windows is genuine. To get rid of WGA Notifications warning messages, the patched version of WgaLogon.dll and WgaTray.exe to replace the existing files.

To apply the patch by replacing the files manually, try to end the respective processes in the Task Manager before deleting the existing files. Most likely is you will have to restart your PC in Safe Mode in order to replacing the original copy of LegitCheckControl.dll and related files. However, there has been automatic updater and even cracked WGA installer that automatically apply the patched version of WGA files.

Latest Update for WGA version 1.5.708.0 latest

Download cracked and patched version of LegitCheckControl.dll with thanks to Danny.

Latest Update for WGA version 1.5.554.0 latest

Download cracked and patched version of LegitCheckControl.dll, WgaLogon.dll and WgaTray.exe for v1.5.554.0 of Windows Genuine Advantage Validation Tool and WGA Notifications.

John suggested that it may be rolled out to reduce the frequency of ‘phone home’ feature. BetaNews has confirmed this and says Microsoft has completed the pilot phase for WGA Notifications, officially rolling out the anti-piracy reminders to Windows XP users worldwide. Anyway if Notifications Tools is patched, it won’t callbacks at all. Swissboy found that now there are 15 languages supported for KB905474 and offers solution.

General release version of Windows Genuine Advantage Notifications also has updated EULA which says installing of this update is optional. However, once installed, the update will become a permanent part of your Windows XP software, means you can’t uninstall it. The EULA also confirms that information about your system will be sent to Microsoft. You can just skip installing the KB905474 by clicking “I Decline” when shown the EULA. If you don’t want the Automatic Updates or Windows Updates to try install WGA Notifications again, click Don’t ask me to install these updates again at Decline EULA window.

Latest Update for WGA version 1.5.532.2

Version 1.5.532.2 of WGA Validation Tool and WGA Notifications is NOT YET mass released to all Windows system, so your system may not have this version.

WindowsXP-KB905474-ENU-x86-1.5.532.2-noWGA.exe (as suggested by swissboy) is the original setup of KB905474, but with the 3 files as mentioned above replaced with patched version and re-packed. You can view the contents with WinRAR or 7-Zip. Download here or here. (Removed due to compliant from Microsoft)

LegitCheckControl.dll-v1.5.532.2-Jun-02-2006.zip (as suggested by swissboy) contains hacked version of LegitCheckControl.dll which you have to replace manually over the existing dll in \Windows\System32 folder. Download here or here. (Deleted due to complaint from Microsoft)

new More automated WGA removal tool: RemoveWGA

Latest Update for WGA version 1.5.532.0

LegitCheckControl1.5.532.0.muiz.fixed.rar (suggested by Picard) is the patched LegitCheckControl.dll and can be download here or here (removed due to complaint from Microsoft).

If LegitCheckControl.dll alone doesn’t work, try to patch the other two WGA files too, namely WgaLogon.dll and WgaTray.exe. Download the the patches for 3 files here or here (Removed due to complaint from Microsoft). Overwrite the original files with these hacked version in \Windows\System32 folder. The patch should remove notifications nag screen and allows Windows Update.

There are also several automated tools that save the dirty works of have to manually overwrites and replaces the WGA applications.

WGAPatch905474 (suggested by SilverBullet) contains 905474.exe that will patch Windows to allow access to full (custom) Windows Update and get rid of nag screen. Download 905474.exe here or here (removed due to complaint from Microsoft).

There are also several patched WGANotify KB905474 installation setup which will install KB905474 WGAnotify with the 3 patched WGA files namely LegitCheckControl.dll, WgaLogon.dll and WgaTray.exe. One of them is HotFix windowsxp-kb905474-enu-x86.exe suggested by DeaDMan Walking, which will after install, disable notifications nag screen and allows update. Download here, here or here (removed coz of Microsoft complaint).

WindowsXP-KB905474-ENU-x86-v1.5.532.0-noWGA.exe (suggested by Swissboy) is also the patched KB905474 setup file which is actually the original setup of KB905474, but with the 3 files replaced. Download it here or here (removed due to Microsoft compliant).

Old Updates

Version 1.5.530.0 of cracked LegitCheckControl.dll (suggested by chucko), can also be downloaded here or here (obsolete links, visit here for updates).

Use the latest cracked LegitCheckControl.dll by searching for “Windows.Genuine.Advantage.Validation.v1.5.526.0.CRACKED-ETH0″. Can also be downloaded here (obsolete link, update here). Cracked LegitCheckControl.dll also available here or here (obsolete links, updates available here). Once download the cracked dll, replace the LegitCheckControl.dll in \Windows\System32 folder with the cracked version. You may need to restart your PC in safe mode to replace the files.

Forth Method

Jules found that by disabling and renaming the files ‘WgaLogon.dll’ and ‘WgaTray.exe’ in C:\WINDOWS\system32 folder by using the program Unlocker seems to get rid of all the nags/popups.

Fifth Method

Clear the contents or create a new empty data.dat for WGA, and make data.dat Read-Only and Hidden as detailed here.

The following step basically is the same with the above data.dat method, only different is that you no need to create any file in the WGA data folder:

Launch Windows Explorer and go to C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Windows Genuine Advantage\data
Go to Tools -> Folder Option -> View.
Select (click) Show Hidden Files and Folders option.
Unselect (uncheck) Hide Protected Operating System Files option.
Click OK.
Delete everything in the data folder.
Right click on data folder, and select Properties.
Select (Check) Read-Only as the folder’s atributes.
Click OK or Apply.
Update: After 30 May 2006 with the release of WGA 1.5.532.0, this method no longer works. If the data.dat is set to “Read-Only”, WGA may complains that the serial key from the file could not be read, making the WGA validation failed even with the cracked dll files. So just delete the file (and make sure the folder is not set to “Read-Only”), WGA will then automatically regenerate the file and create the key, so you will pass the validation if you have the correct patched dll installed.

Sixth Method

Another alternative suggest that three files are installed Windows XP System Folder for WGA:

\WINDOWS\system32\WgaLogon.dll
\WINDOWS\system32\WgaTray.exe
\WINDOWS\system32\LegitCheckControl.dll

The wgatray.exe process makes the check for genuine windows software. If WgaLogon.dll is denied execution right, that WinLogon is unable to call it to check on Windows validity and display notification package at boot, and since WgaLogon is also responsible for running and maintaining WgaTray.exe, no more tray popups either.

To change and disable the execute bit of WgaLogon.dll:

Turn off Simple File Sharing in Tools -> Folder Options -> View tab.
Right click WgaLogon.dll in Windows Explorer and open the Security Tab.
Click Advanced button.
Uncheck the Inherit box at the bottom.
Click the Copy button.
Click OK.
Go through each listed user/group and remove the “Read & Execute” permission for WgaLogon.dll, leaving the “Read” permission as-is.
Click OK to apply the permission changes.
Close the file properties dialog.
Restart the computer.
Turn “Use simple file sharing” on (optional).
Optionally, steps suggested by PSNet which has the same effect – disabling WgaLogon.dll.

Note: Visit the a more tidy article on how to bypass and disable the WGA with various tricks and hacks or a host redirect method to make Windows genuine permanently.

Pernahkan anda menemukan kendala sa’at mesetup File wmp11-windowsxp-x86-enu.exe diminta,

Validate Windows Genuine XP anda, nah mari kita coba lakukan step step berikut u/ membypass problem tsb :

1. Copy paste file ini didalam notepad dan simpan menjadi Reg.reg

2. Ruuning file Reg.reg

3. Jalankan aplikasi wmp11-windowsxp-x86-enu.exe “Atau” files windows original lain yan anda punyai.

4. Dijamin Cespleng… Mak nyosss kata Om Bondan 🙂

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Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\WPAEvents]
“OOBETimer”=hex:ff,d5,71,d6,8b,6a,8d,6f,d5,33,93,fd
“LastWPAEventLogged”=hex:d5,07,05,00,06,00,07,00,0f,00,38,00,24,00,fd,02

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion]
“CurrentBuild”=”1.511.1 () (Obsolete data – do not use)”
“InstallDate”=dword:427cdd95
“ProductId”=”69831-640-1780577-45389”
“DigitalProductId”=hex:a4,00,00,00,03,00,00,00,36,39,38,33,31,2d,36,34,30,2d,\
31,37,38,30,35,37,37,2d,34,35,33,38,39,00,5a,00,00,00,41,32,32,2d,30,30,30,\
30,31,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,0d,04,89,b2,15,1b,c4,ee,62,4f,e6,64,6f,01,00,\
00,00,00,00,27,ed,85,43,a2,20,01,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,\
00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,31,34,35,30,34,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,ce,0e,\
00,00,12,42,15,a0,00,08,00,00,87,01,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,\
00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,00,94,a2,b3,ac
“LicenseInfo”=hex:9e,bf,09,d0,3a,76,a5,27,bb,f2,da,88,58,ce,58,e9,05,6b,0b,82,\
c3,74,ab,42,0d,fb,ee,c3,ea,57,d0,9d,67,a5,3d,6e,42,0d,60,c0,1a,70,24,46,16,\
0a,0a,ce,0d,b8,27,4a,46,53,f3,17
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I Forgot My Administrator Password!

Can’t Log On to Windows XP? If that’s your only problem, then you probably have nothing to worry about. As long as you have your Windows XP CD, you can get back into your system using a simple but effective method made possible by a little known access hole in Windows XP. This method is easy enough for newbies to follow – it doesn’t require using the Recovery Console or any complicated commands. And it’s free – I mention that because you can pay two hundred dollars for an emergency download of Winternals ERD with Locksmith which is a utility for unlocking lost Windows passwords. See here http://www.winternals.com/products/repairandrecovery/locksmith.asp ERD is an excellent multi purpose product, but you should know it is not a necessary one if you have a healthy system and your sole problem is the inability to logon to Windows due to a forgotten password. Not necessary because you can easily change or wipe out your Administrator password for free during a Windows XP Repair. Here’s how with a step-by-step description of the initial Repair process included for newbie’s. 1. Place your Windows XP CD in your cd-rom and start your computer (it’s assumed here that your XP CD is bootable – as it should be – and that you have your bios set to boot from CD) 2. Keep your eye on the screen messages for booting to your cd Typically, it will be “Press any key to boot from cd” 3. Once you get in, the first screen will indicate that Setup is inspecting your system and loading files. 4. When you get to the Welcome to Setup screen, press ENTER to Setup Windows now 5. The Licensing Agreement comes next – Press F8 to accept it. 6. The next screen is the Setup screen which gives you the option to do a Repair. It should read something like “If one of the following Windows XP installations is damaged, Setup can try to repair it” Use the up and down arrow keys to select your XP installation (if you only have one, it should already be selected) and press R to begin the Repair process. 7. Let the Repair run. Setup will now check your disks and then start copying files which can take several minutes. 8. Shortly after the Copying Files stage, you will be required to reboot. (this will happen automatically – you will see a progress bar stating “Your computer will reboot in 15 seconds” 9. During the reboot, do not make the mistake of “pressing any key” to boot from the CD again! Setup will resume automatically with the standard billboard screens and you will notice Installing Windows is highlighted. 10. Keep your eye on the lower left hand side of the screen and when you see the Installing Devices progress bar, press SHIFT + F10. This is the security hole! A command console will now open up giving you the potential for wide access to your system. 11. At the prompt, type NUSRMGR.CPL and press Enter. Voila! You have just gained graphical access to your User Accounts in the Control Panel. 12. Now simply pick the account you need to change and remove or change your password as you prefer. If you want to log on without having to enter your new password, you can type control userpasswords2 at the prompt and choose to log on without being asked for password. After you’ve made your changes close the windows, exit the command box and continue on with the Repair (have your Product key handy). 13. Once the Repair is done, you will be able to log on with your new password (or without a password if you chose not to use one or if you chose not to be asked for a password). Your programs and personalized settings should remain intact. I tested the above on Windows XP Pro with and without SP1 and also used this method in a real situation where someone could not remember their password and it worked like a charm to fix the problem. This security hole allows access to more than just user accounts. You can also access the Registry and Policy Editor, for example. And its gui access with mouse control. Of course, a Product Key will be needed to continue with the Repair after making the changes, but for anyone intent on gaining access to your system, this would be no problem. And in case you are wondering, NO, you cannot cancel install after making the changes and expect to logon with your new password. Cancelling will just result in Setup resuming at bootup and your changes will be lost. Ok, now that your logon problem is fixed, you should make a point to prevent it from ever happening again by creating a Password Reset Disk. This is a floppy disk you can use in the event you ever forget your log on password. It allows you to set a new password. Here’s how to create one if your computer is NOT on a domain: Go to the Control Panel and open up User Accounts. Choose your account (under Pick An Account to Change) and under Related Tasks, click “Prevent a forgotten password”. This will initiate a wizard. Click Next and then insert a blank formatted floppy disk into your A: drive. Click Next and enter your logon password in the password box. Click Next to begin the creation of your Password disk. Once completed, label and save the disk to a safe place How to Log on to your PC Using Your Password Reset Disk Start your computer and at the logon screen, click your user name and leave the password box blank or just type in anything. This will bring up a Logon Failure box and you will then see the option to use your Password Reset disk to create a new password. Click it which will initiate the Password Reset wizard. Insert your password reset disk into your floppy drive and follow the wizard which will let you choose a new password to use for your account. Note: If your computer is part of a domain, the procedure for creating a password disk is different. See here for step by step instructions: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;en-us;306214&