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🔑 Password Reset

Reset Windows Password with Sergei Strelec WinPE

Locked out of a Windows PC by a forgotten password? Strelec carries dedicated password tools that can clear or reset a local account password in minutes — as long as you understand exactly which accounts they work on, and which they never will.

✍️ Technical Anshu🧰 Sergei Strelec WinPE⏱️ 7 minute read
🎥 Full video — the Strelec password reset workflow on a real locked PC, shown live

The Strelec toolkit bundles several well-known password tools — PCUnlocker, Reset Windows Password and Windows Login Unlocker among them. They all work the same honest way: boot from USB, open the offline Windows account database, and clear or change a local account's password. Before you start, one boundary must be clear, because it decides everything: these tools work on local accounts only.

Windows Sign In Screen — The Problem
The password is incorrect. Try again.
Account type decides the fix — check before you promise anything:
Local account (name only)RESETTABLE
Microsoft account (email shown)ONLINE RESET ONLY
BitLocker protected driveKEY REQUIRED
Read the sign-in screen first — it tells you which of the three situations you are actually in.
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Step 1 — Identify the Account Type

Look at the sign-in screen of the locked PC. If it shows a plain user name, it is a local account and the Strelec tools can help. If it shows an email address, the account is a Microsoft account — stop here and use the online route in step 4 instead; no offline tool can change that password, because it lives on Microsoft's servers, not on this disk.

Also confirm the drive is not BitLocker encrypted: if a blue recovery screen asks for a 48-digit key before Windows even loads, you need that key first — the password tools cannot open an encrypted drive without it.

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Step 2 — Open the Account Database in Strelec

  1. Boot the PC from the Strelec USB and reach the desktop
  2. Open Programs WinPE and find the password tools group — launch PCUnlocker or Reset Windows Password
  3. The tool scans for Windows installations; select the correct one — its drive letter inside PE is often not C, so verify by size and contents
  4. The tool lists the accounts stored in that Windows — local users, including the built-in Administrator
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Step 3 — Clear the Password and Reboot Cleanly

  1. Select the locked local account
  2. Choose the option to clear or reset the password — clearing to blank is the most reliable choice; the owner sets a fresh password after logging in
  3. Save or apply the change exactly as the tool prompts — skipping the save step is the classic reason the reset appears to fail
  4. Close the tool, shut down, remove the USB, and boot Windows normally
  5. Log in, then immediately set a new strong password from Settings or with net user

If the account had EFS-encrypted files, those specific files stay unreadable after a forced reset — Windows warns about this for a reason, and it is the one real data cost of this method.

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Step 4 — The Microsoft Account Truth

For Microsoft accounts the honest workflow is different and fully legitimate: on any working device, use Microsoft's own password reset page, verify the owner's identity, and set a new password. The locked PC must then be connected to the internet at the sign-in screen so it can accept the new password.

One warning belongs here: a local trick that converts a Microsoft account just to get in can break the account link, its synced data and its licences. Technicians who value repeat customers explain this before touching anything — and only ever do password work on a PC the person can prove is theirs.

🔴 Proof of ownership first: password resets are for the PC's owner. On a customer's machine, note the job on the bill or job card. A technician who resets passwords on trust alone is one stolen laptop away from serious trouble.

🎥 Watch the Complete Video Guide

Every step shown live on a real PC — download, USB creation and the full Strelec toolkit tour.

▶️ Watch Full Video
❓ Frequently Asked Questions

Which password tools does Sergei Strelec WinPE include?

Current builds bundle several, including PCUnlocker, Reset Windows Password and Windows Login Unlocker. The exact set rotates between releases, but at least one capable local-account tool is always present in the password group of the Programs WinPE menu.

Will the password reset work if the PC uses a PIN or fingerprint?

The PIN and fingerprint are sign-in options tied to the account password. Clearing the local password with the tool generally resets those sign-in options too — after logging in with the blank or new password, the owner sets up a fresh PIN and biometrics from Settings.

Can Strelec reset a password on a BitLocker encrypted PC?

Not without the BitLocker recovery key. The account database sits inside the encrypted volume, and without the 48-digit key nothing can read it — not Strelec, not any other toolkit. With the key, you unlock the drive first, and then the normal local-account reset works.

This guide is based on the Technical Anshu video on Sergei Strelec WinPE • Stuck on any step? Ask in the video comments — you will get a reply there 🙏