Forgotten password

[Guest]

Is it possible to login to my pc if my password should ever be forgotten? I
am the only user but have a password in case of theft.

 

[AR]

You could probably try a password reset disk if you're not on a domain. You
would have to keep it separate from you're computer as anyone can use it.

CTRL+ALT+DEL > Change Password > Backup

Cheers

Ash

 

[Malke]

Is it possible to login to my pc if my password should ever be
forgotten? I am the only user but have a password in case of theft.

It is completely possible to get into any computer running any operating
system. XP does allow you to make a password recovery disk and you
should do this. Otherwise:

In XP Home, boot the computer into Safe Mode. Do this by repeatedly
tapping the F8 key as the computer is starting up. This will get you to
the right menu. Navigate using your Up arrow key; the mouse will not
work here. Once in Safe Mode, you will see the normally hidden
Administrator account. The default password is a blank.

In XP Pro, you do not need to go into Safe Mode. At the Welcome Screen,
do Ctrl-Alt-Del twice to get the classic Windows logon box. Type in
"Administrator" and whatever password you assigned when you set up
Windows.

If you reset the built-in Administrator account's password in Home or
have Pro and don't remember the password, use NTpasswd to change the
built-in Administrator account's password to a blank. Then go to the
User Accounts applet in Control Panel and set passwords that you will
remember and make other desired changes.

http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/

Malke

 

[All Things Mopar]

Today =?Utf-8?B?UmVzdXM=?= commented courteously on the
subject at hand

Is it possible to login to my pc if my password should ever
be forgotten? I am the only user but have a password in
case of theft.

In case of theft? Do you really think a thief will be twarted by
the weak security of anything M$?

--
ATM, aka Jerry

"Gentleman, you can't fight in here, this the War Room!" - From
the movie 'Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and
Love the Bomb'

 

[Malke]

Today =?Utf-8?B?UmVzdXM=?= commented courteously on the
subject at hand


In case of theft? Do you really think a thief will be twarted by
the weak security of anything M$?

This has nothing to do Microsoft or the operating system on the laptop.
That is not the way computers work. Any computer running *any*
operating system can be accessed by someone with 1) physical access; 2)
time; 3) skill; 4) tools. If security is an issue on a laptop, hard
drive/motherboard encryption (and other security) features are
available on some business-class laptops. Otherwise, the data can be
encrypted with EFS or third-party software but this should be done
*very* carefully with due attention paid to backing up encryption keys,
setting recovery agents, etc.

Malke

 

[All Things Mopar]

Today Malke commented courteously on the subject at hand

This has nothing to do Microsoft or the operating system on
the laptop. That is not the way computers work. Any
computer running *any* operating system can be accessed by
someone with 1) physical access; 2) time; 3) skill; 4)
tools. If security is an issue on a laptop, hard
drive/motherboard encryption (and other security) features
are available on some business-class laptops. Otherwise,
the data can be encrypted with EFS or third-party software
but this should be done *very* carefully with due attention
paid to backing up encryption keys, setting recovery
agents, etc.

It has everything to do with M$ if the OP is to be believed.

I am well aware of what you say being true. I was engineering
information security manager for the company I am retired of
and preached this story over and over again, to no avail, but
that is another story.

I didn't get any connotation in the OPs query that they were
at all as knowledgable as you. Or me. I reacted to what I
thought was a silly statement, since, again, what you say is
true - if the OP's PC is stolen for its data, he/she is toast.

But, my comment stands: it is trivial to get past the classic
oxymoron of the computer age - "Microsoft security." What you
describe is expensive, difficult, and annoying for ordinary
people who only want to write an occasional letter or look at
their digital pictures.

--
ATM, aka Jerry

"Gentleman, you can't fight in here, this the War Room!" -
From the movie 'Dr. Strangelove or How I Learned to Stop
Worrying and Love the Bomb'

 

[Malke]

All Things Mopar wrote:

(snippage)

But, my comment stands: it is trivial to get past the classic
oxymoron of the computer age - "Microsoft security." What you
describe is expensive, difficult, and annoying for ordinary
people who only want to write an occasional letter or look at
their digital pictures.

Again, the issue at hand has nothing to do with *Microsoft* security. I
am using SUSE Linux and you can get into any of my Linux boxen just as
easily. If you want to make a slam at Microsoft, you need to find a
different topic because this issue of being able to access a computer
is *not* operating system dependent. There are other areas where a
Microsoft operating system is not as secure as others, but this thread
is about the specific subject of a forgotten password and how to get
into the system, not a general comment about Windows' security.

People who write "M$" are making cheap, puerile digs that contribute
nothing to the technical knowledge of users. If you want to post cheap,
puerile digs, go over to COLA.

Malke

 

[Jupiter Jones [MVP]]

It may be "expensive, difficult, and annoying for ordinary people"
But these issues are not unique to Microsoft as you suggest, it is the
nature of computers with any operating system.

Without encryption or some other similar security measures, all data can be
safely assumed to be compromised regardless the operating system.

Your credentials etc, are irrelevant and seem to be intended to blur the
relevant facts.

By continuously naming Microsoft, you seem to suggest others may be secure
if stolen, which is clearly not the case.

 

[All Things Mopar]

Today Jupiter Jones [MVP] commented courteously on the
subject at hand

It may be "expensive, difficult, and annoying for ordinary
people" But these issues are not unique to Microsoft as you
suggest, it is the nature of computers with any operating
system.

Without encryption or some other similar security measures,
all data can be safely assumed to be compromised regardless
the operating system.

Your credentials etc, are irrelevant and seem to be
intended to blur the relevant facts.

By continuously naming Microsoft, you seem to suggest
others may be secure if stolen, which is clearly not the
case.

I blur nothing except your obvious bias and elitist attitude,
here. Why don't you explain your point-of-view to the OP and let
the normal customers alone? And, I'll call microcrap whatever I
want, OK shill? Another one for the bit bucket that adds yet
another data point on my opinion of MVPs. What is sad is there
really are some good ones, who get overshadowed by legend-in-
their-own-mind "experts".

Rant on, nobody is listening.