How to remove the stored password for a Network Place?
Published: Dec 01, 2004Updated : Jan 12, 2006
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Symptom
Unable to remove the stored password for a Network place
Windows XP allows you to create a shortcut to a Web site, an FTP site, or another network location. This can be done using the Add Network Place Wizard in Windows XP. Microsoft Knowledgebase article Q308416 explains how to create a Shortcut to a Network Location in Windows XP. Few users reported that removing the Network Place at some point of time, does not remove it's associated password from the system.
This can be verified by deleting the existing network place and re-creating it. While re-creating the place, if it logs on to the network place automatically, then the stored password is still intact.
Removing the stored password manually
First see if this helps: Using Manage Network Passwords dialog. If the network location is not listed in the Manage Network Passwords dialog, proceed further, to the manual removal routine:
The password is stored in the Protected Storage area in the XP registry. To remove the stored password for the Network location, follow these instructions:
- Click Start, Run and type REGEDIT and press Enter
- Navigate to the following key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \ Microsoft \ Protected Storage System Provider \ <SID for your Account>
- Assign your user account Full Permission for this key, and sub-keys.
- Once done, press F5 key to refresh the registry view.
- Locate the appropriate sub-key which contains the MS IE FTP Passwords.
Hint: Look for the MS IE FTP Passwords Display String value in the right-pane for each sub-key. The password may be stored here: (The <SID> string varies)
HKCU \ Software \ Microsoft \ Protected Storage System Provider \ <SID> \ Data \ 5e7e8100-9138-11d1-945a-00c04fc308ff \ 00000000-0000-00 00-0000-000000000000
- Once you locate the correct sub-key, backup the key to a REG file
- Delete the key which contains the user name & password for that Network location
- Now, Undo the Permissions settings done in Step 3 above
- Close Registry Editor
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