Forgotten your windows password?

Snash · 14 Mar 2006 at 21:14

My kids were mucking about with my pc last week and managed to change the admin password, password hint was 22222222222222222222255555555555555555555555552222222222!

Couldn't get any of my stuff, nightmare. Noticed a few on here with the same problem, with various recommendations.

Well, after trying almost everything I can highly recommend the following, think it's a linux based shell that boots up from a CD and allows you to blank passwords. Fixed!

Link: http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/bootdisk.html

Whitewater · 14 Mar 2006 at 23:51

We've used a similar CD at work, it really is great.

Energize · 15 Mar 2006 at 00:13

Just boot into safe mode and log on as "administrator" there shouldnt be a password on the account.

Mana · 15 Mar 2006 at 01:11

damn this is a bit worrying! is there anyway to safeguard against this linux disc or something

PinkPig · 15 Mar 2006 at 01:31

Mana said:
damn this is a bit worrying! is there anyway to safeguard against this linux disc or something

Not really, I don't think. Moral of the story - with physical access to a system you'll be able to use it some way or another. If you have particular files that you need to protect then they need to be encrypted.

Caged · 15 Mar 2006 at 01:37

Mana said:
damn this is a bit worrying! is there anyway to safeguard against this linux disc or something

Bios password, disable booting from anything other than the hard drive.

PinkPig · 15 Mar 2006 at 01:39

Caged said:
Bios password, disable booting from anything other than the hard drive.

Which, unless you keep your PC inside a safe, can be got around with a quick CMOS reset.

Energize · 15 Mar 2006 at 02:10

Encryption is the only way.

WantoN · 15 Mar 2006 at 02:17

PinkPig said:
Which, unless you keep your PC inside a safe, can be got around with a quick CMOS reset.

It's easy enough to set up a removeable switch system.

That said, of course there's no way to protect your files from invasion aside from encryption. Hell, you could just yank the hard drive out and whack it in another machine.

Ant :cool:

daz · 15 Mar 2006 at 09:15

Mana said:
damn this is a bit worrying! is there anyway to safeguard against this linux disc or something

Erm... not setting your admin password is a bad idea.

Priapus · 15 Mar 2006 at 09:37

PinkPig said:
Which, unless you keep your PC inside a safe, can be got around with a quick CMOS reset.

This is true, however no one in my house (besides me) even knows what a CMOS is, let alone how to reset it.

You see that way I see it; If someone locked or protected something. Someone else out there can undo it. If man locked or protected something, someone else can unlock it.

We make big heavy pad locks for our house gates for example; someone else just gets the right tool to break/ unlock that pad lock. Find it's weakness and use that in their favour. So no matter how tight yu lock or protect something, someone, smarter then you can unlock it or get to it.

And that's my 2 cents.

csmager · 15 Mar 2006 at 09:45

Energize said:
Just boot into safe mode and log on as "administrator" there shouldnt be a password on the account.

There should be. Surely that just means you never set an Admin password? Ctrl Alt Del at the welcome screen gives you a Classic logon, and you could login as admin there.

Clarkey · 15 Mar 2006 at 10:00

Energize said:
Just boot into safe mode and log on as "administrator" there shouldnt be a password on the account.

woah there which school of security did you study! :eek:

Borris · 15 Mar 2006 at 10:35

You can remedy the CMOS reset workaround by soldering the pins and epoxying the battery in place.

Or just beating your kids on a regular basis.

Either would work.

One is just more fun.

uk_viper · 15 Mar 2006 at 10:52

a more sensible option next time would be that

password your account
lock windows desktop when you leave your desk (win key + L)

set restricted accounts for the kids so that they can't install stuff etc

Neoni · 15 Mar 2006 at 11:28

funnily enough i logged on this morning, and my passwords were dodgy, couldnt log in went through the admin way, also my MSN was empty, i mean the fields for username and password...odd.

Snash · 16 Mar 2006 at 08:35

uk_viper said:
a more sensible option next time would be that

password your account
lock windows desktop when you leave your desk (win key + L)

set restricted accounts for the kids so that they can't install stuff etc

My account was passworded, but it was a long time ago :rolleyes:

and the kids did have their own restricted account, unfortunately their mother for some reason let them play on the pc under my account. But how a 4 year old and 3 year old managed to change my password is beyond me.

@ Borris - maybe them changing my password and locking me out was in revenge for the beatings

Mana · 16 Mar 2006 at 20:08

ah glad that i already have encryption set up on my pc, phew!

benjo plz. · 16 Mar 2006 at 20:14

Borris said:
You can remedy the CMOS reset workaround by soldering the pins and epoxying the battery in place.

Or just beating your kids on a regular basis.

Either would work.

One is just more fun.

Hmm, what happens,
a. when the battery runs out?
and b, your computer doesn't work because creating a circuit with the pins resets the cmos?

My computer's case has a lock on it, that keeps your average joe out.

Trigger · 16 Mar 2006 at 20:24

Energize said:
Just boot into safe mode and log on as "administrator" there shouldnt be a password on the account.

What? Why shouldn't there be a password on the administrator account? TBH, I think you would have to be pretty stupid to not password protect it :confused: