PWL file

[ralph]

In Win 98 there was a pwl file that contained passwords and I would
regularly backup this file in case it got corrupted. I am now running Win XP
Pro and cannot find a pwl file. Does such a file (or its equivalent) exist
in Windows XP?
.........thanks

 

[Will Denny]

Hi

There is no such file in XP. All passwords are encrypted in a different
way.

 

[Shenan Stanley]

In Win 98 there was a pwl file that contained passwords and I would
regularly backup this file in case it got corrupted. I am now running
Win XP Pro and cannot find a pwl file. Does such a file (or its
equivalent) exist in Windows XP?
........thanks

No.
Windows 98 was insecure in that way.

 

[ralph]

Thanks for your reply.
Is there then no practical way to back up passwords?

 

[Shenan Stanley]

Thanks for your reply.
Is there then no practical way to back up passwords?

- Use passwords you can remember.
- Use a password protector/storage application (you still have to remember
at least ONE password.)

The great part about Windows 98 was the fact that the protection
(password/otherwise) of the OS itself was not real. "CANCEL" would get me
into the system as easily as a password on a default setup and I could erase
your PWL files afterwards (or back them up and crack them) if i wanted to.

Good passwords are those that meet these general rules
(mileage may vary):

Passwords should contain at least six characters, and the character
string should contain at least three of these four character types:
- uppercase letters
- lowercase letters
- numerals
- nonalphanumeric characters (e.g., *, %, &, !,

Passwords should not contain your name/username.
Passwords should be unique to you and easy to remember.

One method many people are using today is to make up a phrase that
describes a point in their life and then turning that phrase into their
password by using only certain letters out of each word in that phrase.
It's much better than using your birthday month/year or your anniversary
in a pure sense. For example, let's say my phrase is:
'Moved to new home in 2004'
I could come up with this password from that:
'Mv2n3whmN04'

 

[ralph]

Shenan:
Thanks for your help.
regards....ralph

- Use passwords you can remember.
- Use a password protector/storage application (you still have to remember
at least ONE password.)

The great part about Windows 98 was the fact that the protection
(password/otherwise) of the OS itself was not real. "CANCEL" would get me
into the system as easily as a password on a default setup and I could
erase your PWL files afterwards (or back them up and crack them) if i
wanted to.

Good passwords are those that meet these general rules
(mileage may vary):

Passwords should contain at least six characters, and the character
string should contain at least three of these four character types:
- uppercase letters
- lowercase letters
- numerals
- nonalphanumeric characters (e.g., *, %, &, !,

Passwords should not contain your name/username.
Passwords should be unique to you and easy to remember.

One method many people are using today is to make up a phrase that
describes a point in their life and then turning that phrase into their
password by using only certain letters out of each word in that phrase.
It's much better than using your birthday month/year or your anniversary
in a pure sense. For example, let's say my phrase is:
'Moved to new home in 2004'
I could come up with this password from that:
'Mv2n3whmN04'

 

[M]

Control Panel -> User Accounts -> right hand pane 'Prevent a Forgotten
Password' this launches a wizard to make a password reset disc.