A method, system, and program product for enabling administrative recovery of a user's lost/forgotten boot-up passwords without compromising the administrative/master password(s). A restricted-use password is dynamically generated from a first hash of a random number generated on a client system and a secret retrieved from a secure device associated with the client system. The restricted-use password operates as a master password but is not the administrative password of the client system. Once the password is generated, it is provided to the user/client system to enable user access to said client system and hardfile and reset of the user passwords.