Locked out - forgot Windows 7 password - assistance please

[Sam83]

Hello all,

I downloaded VirtualBox some time ago and over the lapse of time I [embarrassingly] forgot my password. I've been browsing the web the past few hours looking for a solution, and while coming across a few solutions, none are working for me.

The main solution I went along with is:

Step 1: Prepare a 2GB USB flash drive and a computer which you can access to.
Step 2: Download Windows Password Rescuer Personal /Daos Windows 7 password recovery tool and install it to a computer which you have access.
Step 3: Run the program and burn the ISO image to the USB Flash Drive.
NOTE: This action will make your USB drive be formatted and all your data in it will be lost. You'd better provide one with nothing in it.
Step 4: Use the USB to reset windows 7 password. Before this step, ***you must set your computer boot from USB....***

I did all of the above but am having a problem with the last thing "you must set your computer boot from USB...." - I can't get Windows to boot using VirtualBox!

Another big issue is, while the VirtualBox setup prefs recognize my USB flashdrive, when I click on "Reset password on the main login page", I receive a message that I need to connect a flash drive - even though the flash is already inserted?!

I'm not a Windows guy by a far stretch but this one particular program is only available on Windows. I'm at my wits end already, any info would be greatly appreciated!!

Thanks so much in advance,
Sam

[BillG]

This really has nothing at all to do with VirtualBox. You would do better asking in a Windows forum if you can't fins a solution on line.

There really would be no point in using a password if it was a simple process for someone to change it, would there?

[Sam83]

This really has nothing at all to do with VirtualBox. You would do better asking in a Windows forum if you can't fins a solution on line.

There really would be no point in using a password if it was a simple process for someone to change it, would there?

It does have to do with VirtualBox, because apparently booting a windows computer is a no-brainer. The "Setup" option is supposed to be available on pretty much every Windows 7 'type' computer. With VirtualBox, the setup option - which would lead me to rest my password - is simply not showing up. My issue here isn't so much about how to reset the password, I've already figured that out (and yes, it is pretty straight-forward), it's more how to get into setup/booting the computer. Having said that, posting a thread on a Windows forum won't get me very far.

[BillG]

Umm... what exactly do you mean by the setup option? I am running Windows 7 on a physical machine and there is no setup option when I boot.

I presume that you are following a guide which uses the boot from USB option. You cannot boot a vm from USB. You will need to use a reset program which boots from DVD. You do not need to actually burn the program to a DVD - VirtualBox can boot from an ISO file on the host. You select the file to boot from in the Storage section of the settings for the vm.