adminstator setup snafu

Ed's been to darned stubborn to ask or try, so I shall.
he got a new computer (desktop replacement) and as he was typing the password in for the first time, he hit some button and now he's in a fix. he isn't certain of the sequence of the letters or numbers (I don't know which) or whether or not he used caps, or just where in the sequence the computer assumed he was through, and now he can't access the administrator section.
is there a way around this other than the one I suggested which he's not yet attempted (treating it as a code and doing what's required to break a code, taking what he knows about it and trying all the different possible variations, with and without caps). is there a back door that will let him into the administrator section and delete or change the password without knowing what it is?
thank you for any kindly advise.