Help - administrator account locket out!

[Guest]

Hi folks and a happy new year!,

I have this strange problem. I was getting DCOM errors constantly on my
Win2K box. After searching the web, I found out what was causing this.

This started either after I changed the name on the machine or the admin
password. So I renamed the machine and changed the admin passwd (not wise to
make this change without restart between changes). I was going to change the
admin password back, when the electricity got off!

So, now I can't log in with the admin account. This is a standalone setup. I
have tried to use ERD commander, but it can't see the win partition with it.

I have some linux NT password change boot disk, tried that one, can't change
the password (even thoug it say's so) but I see that the admin account is
disabled or locked out. I have another users that I can log in to (non
admin's)

Can anyone help my with this one... I'm stuck and need to get into the
machine.

Thanks in adcanced fot any help!

Regards,
- Bjarni

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Hi folks and a happy new year!,

I have this strange problem. I was getting DCOM errors constantly on my
Win2K box. After searching the web, I found out what was causing this.

This started either after I changed the name on the machine or the admin
password. So I renamed the machine and changed the admin passwd (not wise to
make this change without restart between changes). I was going to change the
admin password back, when the electricity got off!

So, now I can't log in with the admin account. This is a standalone setup. I
have tried to use ERD commander, but it can't see the win partition with it.

I have some linux NT password change boot disk, tried that one, can't change
the password (even thoug it say's so) but I see that the admin account is
disabled or locked out. I have another users that I can log in to (non
admin's)

Can anyone help my with this one... I'm stuck and need to get into the
machine.

Thanks in adcanced fot any help!

Regards,
- Bjarni

Your Linux (Nordahl) boot disk can change any password
to a blank. If the account is locked then it will unlock it. You
may have to download the latest version.

Your initial mistake was actually a lack of planning. When you
get a new car then you insist on getting at least two sets of
keys. When you set up your Windows box then you create
at least two admin accounts - it's common sense!

 

[Guest]

Hi Pegasus and thanx for your reply.

I finally could use the Linux disk, but I had to resett the password on both
disks (mirror). I could not use the newest one (strange huh).

Propably was this a lack of common sense, on a domain u have of course at
least two admins, but I don't see the point on a standalone box. With more
than one admin, you have more security risk. This one have been up and
running since the year of 2K, never had any problems until know.

On this box, admin is almost never used (unless to patch).

But, I'm back in, that's the good news. ->

Cheers!

Regards,
- Bjarni

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

I finally could use the Linux disk, but I had to resett the password on both
disks (mirror)

Propably was this a lack of common sense, on a domain u have of course at
least two admins, but I don't see the point on a standalone box. With more
than one admin, you have more security risk.

I have seen hundreds of posts from the owners of stand-alone PCs who
locked themselves out of their machines. I have not seen a single post
where a second admin account caused a security problem. Let the
numbers speak for themselves!

A machine with a single admin account represents a "Single Point of
Failure": You need only one thing to go wrong and you're history.
Avoiding this Single Point of Failure is so easy, yet most people
live happily with it until they get hit.

 

[Guest]

I have seen hundreds of posts from the owners of stand-alone PCs who
locked themselves out of their machines. I have not seen a single post
where a second admin account caused a security problem. Let the
numbers speak for themselves!

It's different when talking about servers and pc's. It's sure thing to have
more than one admin on a standalone pc. In fact, most of the users that are
using standalone pc give them self admin rights on the pc so they have full
rights to install software etc..

Of course you see a lot of posts from ppl who have locked them self out.
There out there thousands of ppl that have no computer skills and are
using/buying boxes with windows (and now redhat because of the easy setup).

If we say that 100 ppl have been having security risk because of too many
admins, how many of them do you thing would post info about it in this
newsgroup?

And how many ppl of 100 that have been locked out, would post?

Don't let this numbers fool you.

A machine with a single admin account represents a "Single Point of
Failure": You need only one thing to go wrong and you're history.
Avoiding this Single Point of Failure is so easy, yet most people
live happily with it until they get hit.

A machine with one disk is a "single point of failure". There are so many
things that can make a machine a single point of failure.

I have backup, so I'm not history ;-)

It was silly making two big change's without restart, I admit that.

I'm still living happily and will continue to do so (;->

Regards,
- Bjarni - mcp

 

[lforbes]

password on
both


I have seen hundreds of posts from the owners of stand-alone
PCs who
locked themselves out of their machines. I have not seen a
single post
where a second admin account caused a security problem. Let
the
numbers speak for themselves!

A machine with a single admin account represents a "Single
Point of
Failure": You need only one thing to go wrong and you're
history.
Avoiding this Single Point of Failure is so easy, yet most
people
live happily with it until they get hit.

Hi,

There is a way to create a password disk for XP. Go into the Users
Control Panel. Pick an Administrator and click the "change". Then
from the left list choose "Prevent a Forgotton password".

By the way, there is always a hidden Administrator account in
non-domain standalone XP machines. It won’t let you use it as a
regular user. The default logon is administrator and the pwd is blank.
Therefore there are always two admin accounts eg. one you create and
the default "administrator".

Cheers,
Lara