Unlocking Passwords.
 

Anyone got any experience/tips of unlocking passwords in Windows XP Professional? Software available that works or anything else of use?

Cheers :)

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

You can use a bootdisc.
Although Offline NT Password & Registry Editor tells you more.

I have used the floppy disc version of this and it worked well.

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

Do you have the pc in front of you or is it at a remote location?
Do you have any idea what the password is, does it contain letters numbers and special characters?

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

Hi Neil, thanks for the reply - only had a look at this thread today - I've no idea of any password's - I found the computer thrown over a hedge believe it or not! I still havn't managed to open the password.

Kestrel x.

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

Seeing as its your PC you can do with it what you want. Try downloading the ophcrack live cd from this site Ophcrack I have used it to find peoples passwords when they have forgotton them and need help with their PC.

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

Cheers - it's a Dell Latitude and doesn't have a CD Rom drive - it comes as an accessory - if I downloaded this Ophcrack onto a memory stick would it still run?

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

There is a program that makes bootable USB sticks from cd ISO images but cant remember what its called and the PC I might have it on is in the boys room. I will try and find it tomorrow for you

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

Cheers, I don't know what a cd ISO image is? I take it is something that acts like a cd Rom so the computer boots up the program on it?

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

i once took the bios battery out of the motherboard for 20 mins then put it back in and the password thingy disappeared:) dont forget to switch off and unplug and dont touch anything else;) before you do it.

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

Actually it's not, its stolen property (called "theft by finding").

(And I'm not suggesting that the OP stole it lol).

How inconsiderate of the person that threw it over the hedge not to leave a DVD ROM in it. :D

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

Re-boot then keep pressing F8.. choose safe mode from the options.. when log in comes up try signing in as "administrator" don't enter any password and click enter...you might get lucky... if it works you can go into "users" and delete any passwords.. if this don't work whiz it back over the hedge you found it in... it may have top secrect military information on it that some government official left on a bus.

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

its windows - easy to bypass

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

That is the BIOS password though not the windows password.

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

It's obviously a work pc - as it appears to be part of some network as has more than 2 passwords! I thought of handing it in to the cops, but I bet it would be put in storage as they wouldn't bother hacking the password, then sold off cheap at some auction! So why bother handing it in!

I already have 2 Laptops and 2 Desktop PC's - this one I found though is a very small one that can fit in a small bag, think that is very handy for carrying about in a bag! Yeh they should have made sure the computer had a external CD Drive with it. ;)

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

Are you near Ossy, if you are you can leave it with me and I will see if I can find the password for you

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

Thanks for the offer Neil, but I don't live in the area - I'm down London. I went in a few shops asking how much to open Windows XP Professional and the price is about £40:00.

I would have thought there is a program that can simply allow one to change lost passwords? Does it exist? the other option is just to reintall the operating system from scratch?

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

It is usually easy to use that program I linked before to find most simple passwords.

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

OK thanks but how do you make a memory stick install that program like a CD Rom would, as I said it has an external CD Rom cost about £50:00 which I don't want to buy unless I get it working. So do you have any advice on how to make a memory stick install the program for cracking codes - like a CD Rom would? Help much appreciated :rolleyes:

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

An internal dvd is about £20.

If you have access to the bios? (check this) see if you can set it to boot from USB.

If you can,, then you can make a USB boot disk - there are plenty of sites online to show you how.
I.E. here

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

FWIW, I just made a bootable USB drive that will crack XP & Vista passwords using the post I made above this one, and it was really easy.

Use a 1gb pendrive.

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

Cheers for the advice will try it tomorrow ;)

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

yeah i once installed windowsXP from a USB stick. Pretty cool

To answer question ISO Is an archive file that contains an entire disc, you use a burning program to burn a CD/DVD straight from the ISO, similar files are BIN, MDF etc

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

Does the laptop have a product key sticker on the bottom? If it does, why don't you just wipe it and start again?

After all, it might have been lobbed over the hedge by someone who had been surfing for porn and got his computer badly infected. Do you really want to risk connecting it to your network?

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

It might be the porn he is hoping to recover :rolleyes:

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

When I found it the computer was open and upright and had the product key sticker on the base intact. Next to it was a carrying case so I put the computer in there, not realising it was damp inside - latter when I took it out the product key sticker had peeled off - the number gone.

If there is dodgy porn on it I'd hand it to the Police!:jimbo:

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

I made an Opcrack pen stick but it ran out of memory - however it still worked and pulled up 3 passwords, unfortunately none of them worked. So I've gone out and bought a bigger memory stick and will download Opcrack again - perhaps this time it will work. Nothings ever simple with these issues. I don't think?

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

I would be asking myself if it was worth the bother.:)

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

Well at least one can learn about computers through the experience!:lamer:

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

Are we still talking about the porn?

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

ha ha no we not - besides this program isn't pulling up any magic passwords!

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

hmmmm, done a bit of learning about computers myself today.......read my blog.

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

I was given a laptop to sort out last week by a lady who had lost all her details and passwords etc. All she needed of the machine were the photographs she had taken after a recent visit by a relation for abroad and hadn't saved to CD.

I have a program called Acronis which is on a CD and you can boot from it and see all the files and documents on the machine.
Once you get the files off onto a USB pen drive or external USB hard drive in my case you can then reinstall Windows and start all over again with a clean machine.

What surprises me is the fact that the Windows sticker came off and was unreadable after a short spell in a damp case. The laptop must have also been damp so why was the sticker still on. They are reasonably waterproof.

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

This computer doesn't have a CD Rom on it, that is external and comes seperately, unfortunately there wasn't one in the bag when I found it. So unless I get one, I can only use USB pen drive for installing or using any software.

The sticker was there when I picked it up but as I said came off in the bag - it must have already been wet as you say - that made it come of. But I don't need that number to install new software! Are you saying that if I had that code I could download new Windows XP from Windows web site without paying for it?

I could just buy Windows XP and install that (or borrow one, or get a pirate copy) that would work wouldn't it!

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

I just read your blog Margaret - you should have told me I could have let you have this notebook for nowt' :D

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

Have you got a desktop of your own?

Yo can always take the dvd rom out and put it in this one (temporarily).

It's not hard.

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

I hope you have got it sorted

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The computer I am talking about is a Dell Latitude X1 it's too small to have a CD/DVD Rom see specification here...

Dell Latitude X1 review from TechRadar UK's expert reviews of Laptops and netbooks

Cheers.

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

Oh its one of those....

And there is no DVD drive in the side? weird.

So yes you need an external drive, however if it has an esata slot then you can get a cheap adapter to enable it to use an internal drive.

Only 2.99 on ebay.

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

You ask if you could just install Windows again on the laptop, the answer is yes if you have an external DVD drive. If you are like me (nosey) you will want to see what files are on the laptop.

Acronis will give you the option to make a boot up file on a USB pen drive and then you can boot up the laptop with it and back up the files onto another pendrive or USB hard driveto read them.
You could make the boot up pendrive on your working machine after you obtain an Acronis disk.

I "think" that you can download a trial version which may work for you.

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

If you made the USB bootable disk you mentioned, it will load a linux OS so you can then mount the drive and look it over.

They are not cheap laptops, so a very lucky find.

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

agreed!!

also you can installer either linux or windows from a USB stick....


Or replace the hard drive and then install on a fresh drive

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

I have tried to email the Acronis files to kestrel but one file is too big, it is over my 15Mb limit.
Anyway to run Linux from a USB pendrive you will need to download it for free from the official Linux site and install it on a USB stick. All instructions are on the Linux site.

Download | Ubuntu

There is no need to install Linux if you want to look at what's on the PC, just run the sample program and it will do everything except install. When you shut down and take the stick out Windows will start as normal.

I have used it in the past only to gain more experience of Linux but I went back to Windows.

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

What is the best program to ........

Admin - Please read the rules as we do not allow the subject you posted to be discussed on Accrington Web

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

tips on how to reset administrator passwords in windows XP

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

When it comes to cracking passwords,Never reinstall the system for your computer.

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Reinstalling the system is a stupid idea (As a last resort)
In fact,unlocking Windows password is easy.Especially if you're using third-party tools, 15 minutes is all you need.

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

Reinstalling the system is a stupid way to do it(As a last resort),for me.
In fact,unlocking Windows password is easy,especially if you're using third-party tools,like this:
https://www.winpwd.com/
Or it:
https://www.techspot.com/downloads/6...escue-kit.html
15 minutes is all you need.

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

You'll regret reinstalling it without trying any password cracking tools.
Google iSeePassword Windows password recovery so that you can unlock password for your computer.

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

Holy thread revival batman! :) (is that spam?)

You don't even need any tools, the facilities to change the admin password are built in, you just need to know how to use them when you have not got your password.
which on win7 & prior is quite easy.

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

I don't think it is spam.
The salient point here is that you need to know how to use the tools that exist in your machine....the majority of computer users do NOT.

That is not to say that you cannot educate yourself.
I freely admit that I do not know how to retrieve passwords.
It is ONLY easy if you know how!

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

Also if you watch youtube :)

Re: Unlocking Passwords.
 

Yes...that is where I go when I get into trouble.....some of it is a bit long winded, but can usually find solutions.....though my first port of call is a shout out on here.