My password has changed

[nutboy]

Somethings really wrong. My administrator password doesnt work anymore and I have no idea how it was changed..I dont know what to do.

[nutboy]

Any help?

[Slamman]

No, it's you dude, all you!

Passwords don't change. I have only encountered a similar problem with a combo bike lock. It refused to open with only 4 possible numbers!! I tried all I can think of in that case, and it's still stuck, years later.

 

As far as a PC or laptop, you'll have to try the CMOS battery password reset function, they are often found on the mobo via a pin with a black cover to make contacts closed.

 

Also pulling the battery resets BIOS defaults.

If it's a laptop, it may store on a hard to access flashROM chip, which, in the case of a Dell laptop, requires some painstaking shorting that can damage the mobo if not done right.

Edited November 13, 2008 by Slamman

[Rocketkiller]

Slamman, please go away because what you just said is completely useless.

 

And honestly, can't you use Google? This was the first result http://www.petri.co.il/forgot_administrator_password.htm

[Slamman]

No, it's the correct method to clear a password on the hardware end. Within Windows OS, it's harder...obviously. I know you'll suggest applications that run various numbers past them automatically. I don't think that's proven to work all the time, but I'm guessing on that front, having never used one.

 

I did crack into a password to log onto XP via the HINT section that WAS the password...kind of foolhardy, but there is still a Registry lock of some sort. I'd love to sort that out. When I run Real Player's installer it says I don't have permission to make a registry backup (as I recall), yet all four accounts on the laptop drive were Administrators. I took one of the accounts off, as I was able to log into the User section and make changes.

 

Looking over that webpage link, it suggests the Windows Restore point, but that typically is accessed WITHIN Windows....when I use it. You can also access a drive by connecting it to another computer, as mentioned, like external drives do. Make sure the OS is a match, the hardware does not have to be. I did this with an Intel based XP PRo format HDD on an AMD Athlon computer! It worked using the plug and play detection method. That requires you hit the toolbar arrow to disconnect a device found in My Computer. Once it does show up there, just right click, and explore it. that's the easier method. I'd personally like it if the passwords could be found in a Windows file cache or within the registry (accessed via RUN menu)

Edited November 13, 2008 by Slamman

[Rocketkiller]

Scroll down, there are a few programs. I'm not sure if they're good, but I remember reading about a really cut-down version of linux that can boot off a USB drive. All it's designed to do is recover windows passwords. I think it's called ophcrack.

[Saggy]

Scroll down, there are a few programs. I'm not sure if they're good, but I remember reading about a really cut-down version of linux that can boot off a USB drive. All it's designed to do is recover windows passwords. I think it's called ophcrack.

Yep, that's ophCrack, was going to suggest it.

 

It guesses english-based alphanumeric passwords in minutes, so unless your pass is just random numbers and letters, this will fix it.

[Rocketkiller]

Scroll down, there are a few programs. I'm not sure if they're good, but I remember reading about a really cut-down version of linux that can boot off a USB drive. All it's designed to do is recover windows passwords. I think it's called ophcrack.

Yep, that's ophCrack, was going to suggest it.

 

It guesses english-based alphanumeric passwords in minutes, so unless your pass is just random numbers and letters, this will fix it.

Does it actually guess? I thought it decrypted them from wherever they're stored.

[TwoZero]

 

Scroll down, there are a few programs. I'm not sure if they're good, but I remember reading about a really cut-down version of linux that can boot off a USB drive. All it's designed to do is recover windows passwords. I think it's called ophcrack.

Yep, that's ophCrack, was going to suggest it.

 

It guesses english-based alphanumeric passwords in minutes, so unless your pass is just random numbers and letters, this will fix it.

Does it actually guess? I thought it decrypted them from wherever they're stored.

It uses Rainbow Tables to look up known hashes and stuff.

It's a shame that something like that works on Windows really, I'd have expected it to use a dynamic salt that is different from system to system (based on hardware combinations or something), which would require the generating of an unique rainbow table for each system, but apparently it uses a known salt so the rainbow table is the same for every system (though different between OS versions like XP and Vista).

 

What's even easier than using ophCrack is a simple utility that doesn't recover the password, but simply overwrites it with a hash of a known password. Example of such tool would be ntpasswd. Won't recover the current password, but lets you set a new one. Assuming you don't have an encrypted filesystem that is, the windows encryption uses your password as the key, you will need to recover the original password if you want to get that data back.

 

@Slamman, referring to your first post, he was quite obviously talking about the Windows administrator password (or something similar, but certainly not a boot or bios password), read before you post.

Edited November 13, 2008 by TwoZero

[Slamman]

The point of my first post is passwords don't change without you signing on to do so. That's my belief until proven otherwise.

I also would suggest writing them down on paper. I keep a notebook, standard size, with my passwords. I used to write them on junk mail envelopes, but who wants a collection of those anyway??

 

@TwoZero, you've boned up on password encryption, obviously, so can you tell me what I am missing with regard to my registry updating errors? I suspect this maybe reason to the Service Pack 3 not working... in fact, the more I think about it, they could be the same.

If nothing else, the passwords should be stored in the Registry part of the OS. But I assumed the System section as well.

Edited November 13, 2008 by Slamman

[TwoZero]

 

@TwoZero, you've boned up on password encryption, obviously, so can you tell me what I am missing with regard to my registry updating errors? I suspect this maybe reason to the Service Pack 3 not working... in fact, the more I think about it, they could be the same.

If nothing else, the passwords should be stored in the Registry part of the OS. But I assumed the System section as well.

Windows passwords are not stored in the registry, they're stored in the SAM database file located in c:\windows\system32\config\.

 

I don't see how the password stuff is related to registry errors, or installing SP3, try searching the Microsoft Knowledge Base for possible solutions to registry/installation errors.

If you need to edit the registry, or the password database of Windows (without it complaining with permission erors and 'file in use' errors), try using the ntpasswd boot cd.

 

This is kind hijacking the topic though, so to get back on the original subject, nutboy, who has access to your computer and who might have changed it? Or was caps lock on? I don't think there are logs kept of password changes, so it'll be hard to figure out how/when it happened.

[Slamman]

Well, it says that I ask about this problem with the System Administrator, as Access is Denied is part of the errors resulting. The application THEN has to un-install which is a large waste of time because SP3 is not a simple install to begin with. I've sat thru this error a few times, and it rolls everything back again.

 

I'll likely make use of that ntpassword utility, but of course, all the OSes that are NT based (NTFS, File System, are not covering OS 9X or Fat/FAT32 based Windows 95, 98, and ME.

Those also can be using log on passwords where a different solution is needed.

Edited November 13, 2008 by Slamman

[nutboy]

Thanks Il; try these out. I even found the viruses but cant delete them due to not having administrator access.

[Slamman]

Do what I did with this laptop in question... I ran a number of things on it, and that's advisable. Just run then one at a time.

I took pics of my SP3 error, will have those uploaded soon.

[Fozzy Fozborne]

Wait a minute. This is your PC which has an administrator password on it and you didn't give yourself administrative rights and instead only limited rights? Now you're saying you forgot/the password was changed on the administrative account. Pardon me, but this certainly sounds fishy.

 

If it is indeed your computer, from now on I'd suggest giving yourself administrative privileges and protect that account with a password. Then, if you forget your account's password or it changes randomly, it's incredibly easy to log into the administrative account and change your account's password.

 

Also, what operating system are you using? I searched the whole topic, but I couldn't find a mention of XP or Vista.

Edited November 16, 2008 by Fozzy Fozborne

[Slamman]

What up wit dat?

 

I know in my example, 4 people were logging on and they all had seemingly...Admin rights listed, still, the Registry changes in the loading of software is issuing me Access Denied. I initiated several Office 03 apps that list specs and who owns what. When I added my name to the users, running MS's WORD shows me as licensed owner, which I am rather happy to see.

[nutboy]

Im using a dell inspiron 1525 with vista i have 1 admina and one limited acount The admin password changed.

[Fozzy Fozborne]

You said you have one administrative account, but is it Vista's administrative account or is it simply another account you set up?

 

If you simply set up two accounts, then follow these instructions. If you changed Vista's administrative account password, then don't bother.

 

*Scratch that, it only worked in the beta versions of Vista*

 

Hope it helps.