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https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl DIY Forum >> Alarms, Phones, Aerials, CCTV & Datacomms >> Forgotten your Password? https://www.askthetrades.co.uk/cgi-bin/yabb/YaBB.pl?num=1109113149 Message started by Windy Miller on Feb 22^nd, 2005, 10:59pm

Title: Forgotten your Password?
Post by Windy Miller on Feb 22^nd, 2005, 10:59pm

A neighbour's lad had been messing about with Control Panel on Win 2K, and had managed to change his password and then forgot it! He never knew the Administrator password as the box came pre-loaded so he was knackered really.

I tried a Linux Boot Disk that I had downloaded a while back. WOW :o this thing was scary! It booted the box up, had a rummage about in the system, had a rummage about in the registry, listed the Users, and then asked which passwords you want to change. Simple as that! You don't need to know the original passwords, and you don't have to log on, so you certainly don't have to be an administrator! It works on NT3.51, NT4, Win2K. Not sure about XP tho...

It came in very handy this evening, but in the wrong hands this thing could be really dodgy.

Anybody want a copy, just PM me! ;)

Windy

Title: Re: Forgotten your Password?
Post by HM on Feb 22^nd, 2005, 11:39pm

These things are always available via the Internet anyway.

In a way it's a good thing that there's a backdoor in. However it's appalling that it actually exists! It's like locking yourself out of the house and knowing you only have to move the plant pot to get back in.... :)

HM

Title: Re: Forgotten your Password?
Post by plugwash on Feb 22^nd, 2005, 11:50pm

truth is unless you are using encrypted filesystems then you aren't going to stop someone booting up the machine and reading the hard drive.

theese disks really just save you the hassle of reinstalling windows nothing more.

please note though: only use theese disks when you absoloutely have to. they generally rely on a not hugely reliable ntfs driver and using them is therefore a bit dangerous (remember they have to write to the hard drive to change passwords)

also note: if you are using the encryption features in windows then any encrypted files owned by the account you change the password of will be lost.

,

Title: Re: Forgotten your Password?
Post by billythekid on Feb 24^th, 2005, 9:14am

wrote on Feb 22^nd, 2005, 11:50pm:

please note though: only use theese disks when you absoloutely have to. they generally rely on a not hugely reliable ntfs driver and using them is therefore a bit dangerous (remember they have to write to the hard drive to change passwords)
,

I thought linux couldnt write to ntfs partitions as they were "owned" by microsoft. the only truly interchangeable is good old FAT32?? On the plus side, yet another reason to use linux stuff...

btk

Title: Re: Forgotten your Password?
Post by plugwash on Feb 24^th, 2005, 6:46pm

wrote on Feb 24^th, 2005, 9:14am:

I thought linux couldnt write to ntfs partitions as they were "owned" by microsoft. the only truly interchangeable is good old FAT32?? On the plus side, yet another reason to use linux stuff...

btk

the trouble with ntfs is its not fully understood by the linux community and its not documented by ms either.

so it can be written but doing so is dangerous as you are never quite sure how windows will respond to what you have done.