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Resetting Domain on Windows XP?

I got a free laptop from a company that went out of business. It runs WinXP.

I'd like to set up a home network and use it there. I followed the WinXP wizard setup and made my desktop computer the primary hub. But when I try to set it up on the laptop, XP setup says the laptop is part of a domain and thus can't be set up on a home network.

I can get internet access for the laptop, but I can't browse the files on my desktop computer. Strangely, I *used* to be able to browse the desktop, but that stopped working for some reason. When I browse the network on the laptop, it shows workgroups from the now-defunct company, but not my local network.

Any ideas on how to get around this? The main thing I want is file sharing.

Dave's Answer:

Here's what you should try first:

1) Right-click on My Computer (whether from the Desktop or inside Explorer) and select Properties. You can also get to it by double clicking the System icon inside of Control Panel, Classic View, or go into Performance and Maintenance and select System in the new XP view.

2) Select the Computer Name tab.

3) Click the Change button and you should be able to change to a Workgroup mode there.

I did this and rebooted, but now it won't let me log in. I think it's
relying on the old domain user & password. Is there a way to get in
otherwise?

Ordinarily, I'd suggest that you try to boot into safe mode (press F8 after the BIOS screens). Login as Administrator and create a new account or change the password. This won't work for your situation, however, because you don't know the administrative password.

Before you reinstall from scratch, losing anything you have installed on the computer, there is one more possibility: use a Password Recovery tool. Of course, these tools don't really recover the password, but they do allow you to reset it. The downside is, if any files are encrypted, then they are lost forever.

This page explains it a bit and lists some tools available for download:
http://www.petri.co.il/forgot_administrator_password.htm.

Try using the Offline NT Password & Registry editor and just change your administrative password to blanks and you should be good to go.

Thanks to Westley Annis for his help with this answer

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Categorized: Windows Help (Article 3939)
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Comments

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Posted by: Uncle F Hoppy at March 26, 2005 5:41 PM

I think the site is now here:
http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/

Now, I've never used that tool, but I've heard good things. It's basically just a password resetter for windows NT-based log ons. Easy enough to use, I'm sure, as long as command line doesn't frighten you too much.

I see now that it can also do registry edits... interesting. This could make for some good fun. I need five minutes with my buddy's computer. hehe :)

Posted by: matthew at March 27, 2005 3:45 AM

With all due respect to loosing work/programs installed since acquiring laptop: ALWAYS, ALWAYS, ALWAYS RE-INSTALL the Operating System from scratch on a used computer. Our group sees this nearly every day - used systems loaded with spyware/viruses, bad drivers or just plain bad installs. (And, yes, this includes "fleet" computers (off-lease) from businesses, etc.)

http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/editor.html generally works well. Users, especially adults, forget their passwords all the time.

Posted by: Bill Pileggi at March 28, 2005 5:48 AM

I have run into this also. After creating a new user, Edit the registry:
HKLM\mICROSOFT\WINDOWS NT\CURRENT VERSION\WINLOGON. Find the Default User Name and change it th the new user name that you created. If there is a default password, delete it.
Reboot the laptop and it should default to the new user name.

Posted by: Jeff Schwarz at March 28, 2005 2:22 PM

i added a XP-pro laptop to a MS Windows 2003 small business server domain successfully, but after that, even though it seems that i can login to the domain, the computer cannot browse domain resources (or any other resources on the network).

do you suggest anything?
cris

Posted by: cris david at June 8, 2006 10:07 PM

Hello,
I have a similar problem. I changed the Network Domain into Workgroup to build a share connection, but after the reboot the users can no longer be used. My problem is now that I need to change back the old domain name. I don’t have the administrator password, or the Network Domain ID + Password.

Questions:

1. By resetting the Administrator password (with ERD Commander) I get back the access to the system?
2. After resetting the password, do I need to log into safe mode and change the Network Domain? Or I can log normally and make the change?
3. Do I need again the Network Domain ID and Password for the old domain?

The operating system is a Windows XP SP2

Posted by: Paltinis A at November 10, 2006 2:41 AM

Hi:
My problem is that after I shut down my computer
(windows xp) the next time I turn it on the screen is black a sign in screen appears asking for User name and pass word. I have never set up my systems up for this, and even when I try save mode it still asks me. If I just hit enter and put nothing in a takes me to part of my home page. The windows tune plays once like for start up and than plays right away again and shuts down.
Can you help me with this?

Bob

Posted by: Robert E Larson at March 12, 2007 1:50 PM

i have one laptop it is xp open directily go to desktop. i log it in to domain then it ask user name and password window. then i change domain to workgroup. now when ever we open the computer it ask about the username and password window. is there any methord to remove this window.

Posted by: faisal at July 21, 2007 5:52 AM

okay, there's a crude way to fix all this! Try this, make up some free space on a new parttion - you need around 4gb i guess. install another version of xp there, brwse through ure old fiels, and copy them to wherever you want to! this way you can save files. if you have less disk space, try using older version like Windows ME/98 or 2000. you cant use Win9X to brose if you have NTFS partitions though - but u actually can setup 2 copies of xp on the same partition. get a flash disk or burner, backup ure files, and then format everything and start new! - wala :D

Posted by: Saquib Hussain at July 28, 2007 9:08 AM

Hi,

slightly different problem. I used ERD commander 2007 to change a password on Windows 2003 Small Business server, and the commander informed me that the password had been changed. On re-boot the password remains the old one, despite trying various changes in ERD. Any idea's?

Posted by: Derek Bright at April 21, 2008 5:48 AM

i reinstalled window the other day when i try to go on to my desktop it ask me for a password and i don't have one

Posted by: christopher at May 25, 2008 2:33 PM

RE: Posted by: Paltinis A at November 10, 2006 2:41 AM

I have done the exact same thing trying to help a friend by transferring files across a shared workgroup network and now cannot access my notebook at all.

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