PCUnlocker can run from either a bootable CD or a USB drive. In this tutorial we’ll show you how to reset Sony Vaio Windows 7 password with a USB drive.

How to Reset Sony Vaio Windows 7 Password with USB Drive?

First of all, use a spare computer to download the ISO image of PCUnlocker. Burn the ISO to your USB drive with ISO2Disc, a tool for creating bootable USB drives.

When the bootable USB drive is ready, close the ISO2Disc program and unplug the USB drive. Later insert the USB drive into your affected Sony Vaio laptop.

Now you need to change the boot order in your computer’s BIOS. While turning on the machine, press and hold the F2 or F3 key to enter into BIOS Setup. If your model has the physical Assist button, press the Assist button while your computer is turned off. This will bring up the VAIOCare Rescue Mode menu and you can then press F2 to start BIOS Setup.

In the BIOS Setup, go to the Boot tab, make sure that External Device Boot is Enabled under Boot Configuration, and then change boot priority to boot from USB first. Save your changes and exit BIOS. The laptop will automatically boot from your created USB drive.

After the WinPE operating system is loaded into memory, the computer will start the PCUnlocker utility. It displays a list of Windows local accounts existing in your Windows 7 installation.

Choose an account and click on Reset Password button. The application will unlock / reset your forgotten Windows 7 user password immediately. Restart your computer and disconnect the USB drive, you can then boot into Windows 7 without being required to enter a password!

I have a Sony Vaio laptop which comes with Windows 8 installed in UEFI mode. But I have forgotten the administrator password and can’t log in to the computer. Is there a way to override or reset the password without wiping the entire system?

Have you tried to log into your Windows 8 administrator account on your Sony laptop and it keeps saying that the password you’ve entered is incorrect? Whether you forgot the password, or or know it but still can’t log in because your account is locked out or disabled, there is always a way to unlock your Sonly laptop.

Since all computers that ship with Windows 8 use the UEFI replacement for the traditional BIOS, this will cause lots of bootable utilities to be unable to boot your Windows 8 computer. But there is also pretty easy fix. In this tutorial we’ll walk you through how to reset forgotten Windows 8 password on Sony laptop with UEFI BIOS.

How to Reset Forgotten Windows 8 Password on Sony Laptop with UEFI BIOS?

To get started, you need to create a Live CD (or USB flash drive) on another PC that you can log on as administrator account. Download the Reset Windows Password utility and save it on your desktop. Unzip the download file and you’ll get a bootable ISO image. Burn it onto an empty CD using ISO2Disc, BurnCDCC or other ISO burning software.

Place the Live CD into the CD drive of your locked Windows 8 Sony laptop. Now we need to make some changes with the computer in order to get it to boot from the Live CD. Power off the computer, press the Assist key to enter the VAOCare Rescue Mode Boot screen.

Select the Start BIOS setup [F2] option to proceed to the system BIOS. Once inside the BIOS Setup Utility, use the arrow keys to select the Boot tab. With the Boot Mode option selected, press Enter to change the setting from UEFI to Legacy. Next switch to the Security tab, disable the Secure Boot option, and save your changes.

Turn off the computer again and press the Assist key to enter the VAOCare Rescue Mode Boot screen. Select the Start from media (USB device/optical disc) [F11] option to proceed. Now the computer starts to boot from the Live CD.

After one or two minutes, the computer will open up the Reset Windows Password program. The program automatically searches the Windows SAM registry hive for your Windows 8 installation, and then display all of local user accounts on your PC.

Choose a user account and then click on “Reset Password” button. It will unlock your account and blank/remove the forgotten Windows 8 password immediately, also enable the user account in case it was disabled.

Restart your laptop and take out the Live CD from the CD drive. Remember to change your computer’s boot mode from Legacy back to UEFI. Then you can log back into your Windows 8 Sony laptop without being asked to enter a password. It’s that easy!