Actually the easiest way is to use F8 during boot up, and you can go into safe mode as admin and change your passwords.
So yes, basically if anybody has physical access to your M$ box they can get access.
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Actually the easiest way is to use F8 during boot up, and you can go into safe mode as admin and change your passwords.
So yes, basically if anybody has physical access to your M$ box they can get access.
i prefer the bootable cd as many new boxs don't have floppies. it has not failed me yet. works for 2k, xp and 2k3Quote:
Originally Posted by ashuznish
Actually Ted~ that software does support floppies and CDs. It is just that its origins are back in the days of NT 3.51 and 4.0 when floppies were the norm.
:)
How can you change the admin pass from F8 if it's set to something you don't know? Surely you can't just "get into safe mode as admin" without the password?
I think they are refering to an XP Home machine...OEM install where the admin password is left blank.
Most OEM machines are installed like this...
If there is a password on the admin account...then no...they will need the admin password...even in safe mode or the recovery console.
or a boot disk to access the data
MLF
Yes - like I said, you might have a problem if you don't have access to at least one admin account on the system. It's unbelievable that anyone would leave their PC so insecure if it came with Windows pre installed - but then it had never occured to me that the admin pass was left blank and probably wouldn't to a number of people, particularly the people who buy PCs that have Windows pre installed with Home. I've always installed Windows myself and use the Pro version anyway.
ahhh
That is the difference between us and them... ;)
I find most people could care less about security on thier computer. :eek:
Just as long as they can surf and get the mail.............all is well.
My boss will bring in his home computer to me about every 6 months...just chalk full of spyware, trojans amd all round crap.....and he pays me to clean it for him...he wont trust anyone else with it.....I told him to take it to the local shop....but he wants me to fix it at twice the cost..min :rolleyes:
I usually will give the speach about antivirus updates, OS hotfixes, good practices, etc....and I am sure i sound like Charlie Browns teacher
wahwahwahwahwhawhahahhwah
I visualize him sticking his fingers in his ears and repeating "I am not listening"
I find it the same with most users.....
MLF
3 words
"bios boot password"
Most bios' can be set this way
it's a PITA but prevents (mostly) even local access linux boots and the like
yes you can open the box and yes you can reset the bios with jumper j14 or whatever (unless you have something like my dell optiplexs with the tamper guard case open schtick) but you -really- got to want to
btw...any laptop without a bios pwd set is justing asking to be a identity theft victim (at minimum...E&Y, the VA are you listening)
edit: btw...don't want to sound like a bios pwd is a 100% fix ...there are ways around like flashing or even just removing the battery but it is one more layer...
more info on defeating what I just said ;0 here... http://www.elfqrin.com/docs/biospw.html
Or even better
Seagates encrypted harddrives...dont lose the password though :eek:
http://www.technewsworld.com/story/54004.html
MLF
Or better still - just set an admin password. A BIOS password can be a mixed blessing, I once had one on a PC which I completely forgot, and as you say the only option there is to reset the CMOS. I tried removing the battery but that didn't work, so I had to fiddle around with jumpers.