password cracking program for MS Windows?

powernoodle

powernoodle

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Joined
Jul 21, 2004
Messages
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My 73 year old mother's Vista machine has spontaneous started asking her for a system password. She has no idea what it would be, and does not know why the machine started asking her this.

She took it to Best Buy, which - for free - seemed to take care of the problem. Now it has started again.

Query: since we have no idea what the system password is, is there a safe, cheap, easy (HA!) password cracker that we can use on her machine?

I am aware of hitting F8 as it boots up, to try to log in as an admin. We have not tried that yet, and I read that the admin function is off by default on Vista. She has no password disc, etc., which I know is the first approach.

thanks!
 
There is a free solution. Follow the directions carefully, though. You will need to have another computer to make a boot disk.

Also, once you clear the existing password, set a new one to keep anyone from changing it (if that is what is happening)
 
What happens if she just hits the enter key without putting in any password?

I'm not familiar with Vista, but earlier versions of Windows would sometimes pop up a window asking for a system password but if no password had ever been set you could just hit the enter key and continue.
 
Mr. Allen, we have not just hitting Enter.

I have found that muttering potty words does not work, though.

Thanks also, Mike.
 
Just out of curiosity, does this happen when you open Internet Explorer?
 
morrowj_98 said:
Just out of curiosity, does this happen when you open Internet Explorer?
Click to expand...

Well, it happens only at boot up. I don't think it happens when opening IE, but I'm not real sure as she is using Firefox.

Thanks Mr. Viking.
 
It sounds like it is just prompting for a password, which you don't have, that its a setting in control panel to prompt for password. BTW if you never put in password it still would prompt for one. It means its nothing and just hit enter.
 
mikeal said:
There is a free solution. Follow the directions carefully, though. You will need to have another computer to make a boot disk.

Also, once you clear the existing password, set a new one to keep anyone from changing it (if that is what is happening)
Click to expand...

If that one doesn't work then Google "emergency boot disk" from a working machine with a CD burner.

You'll need to be able to download and burn a disk image, but what you end up creating is a nifty little Unix (or maybe Linux, I forget) boot CD with a utility that can wipe the Amin password and replace it with one of your choosing. You boot into Unix from the CD, wipe the password then reboot in Windows.

Problem solved. I'm assuming the machine isn't on an Active Directory network, but if it is you'll want to unplug the network cable first.
 
Cougar Allen said:
I have not just understanding that....
Click to expand...

I am grumpy by nature, and that almost made me laugh. :)

A computer guy here in the real world who I trust, as compared to you people :p, gave me this link which I will try. Assuming the "just trying hitting Enter" thing does not work.

Thanks again everyone.
 
I don't mean to hassle you over a typo; I was just confused. Now I get it -- you haven't tried it yet.
 
Hi powernoodle -

As Cougar Allen pointed out, many times if it is Windows requesting a password, and none has been provided before, you can just hit enter and Windows will proceed.

It sounds like you have a bios/power on password issue, however.

If that is the case, you can usually fix the problem by removing the cmos battery (it is a little button battery that is on the motherboard). If you are willing to open the pc, assuming it is not a laptop, you can find that battery and just pop it out.

Make sure you unplug the ac cord to the pc before you remove the battery.

Then, when the battery is removed, put the ac power back in and power up the pc - it should go into the bios settings and allow you to save the default settings - make sure you specify no power on password. The menu will be different for each different bios/chipset, but they will have similar functions.

Once you have reset the pc, you can replace the cmos battery and should be good.

If that does not work, there are ways to clear the bios settings using the jumpers, but you will need to provide the exact pc model etc. so that we can find out what mother board etc.

Good luck and best regards -

mqqn
 
powernoodle said:
I am grumpy by nature, and that almost made me laugh. :)

A computer guy here in the real world who I trust, as compared to you people :p, gave me this link which I will try. Assuming the "just trying hitting Enter" thing does not work.

Thanks again everyone.
Click to expand...

Your computer guy is pointing you in the right direction. I'm not familiar with this product, but it resets the password the same way as the one I use.
 
Wait 8 minutes after removing the CMOS battery before you replace it. CMOS can retain its memory a few minutes without power.
 
>>> Wait 8 minutes after removing the CMOS battery before you replace it. CMOS can retain its memory a few minutes without power.

Is that exactly 8 minutes? :)
 
I'm not much of a techy when it comes to PCs, but I have Vista on this machine and it has always been buggy and unstable. Been using it for 3 years and I will be glad to get rid of it and try windows 7. The PC needs some new hardware and the tech will be upgrading it probably next month.

I had to change out that little button battery a few weeks ago, when the machine wouldn't boot up normally and I was constantly losing the time clock.
 
When you do finally get in setup a second user account with admin rights so you can change the password back the next time it happens.
 
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