Logging Onto XP without password?

[AaronMcarthur]

How could I log onto a computer that has XP without knowing the person's password??? Are there any programs or tools I would need. Like when the computer is booting up, if you have it password-protected, how could I get the password?

 

[Dirk Diggler]

Hacking into someones computer ISN'T a good thing.

 

[AaronMcarthur]

I'm just wondering, i dont hack and i dont plan on wanting to go to jail......for safety reasons what would I have to do or if a friend needed this help?

 

[Dirk Diggler]

The best thing to do if your friend thinks he/she might forget their password is to write it down somewhere off the computer.

 

[AaronMcarthur]

Yeah true that.

 

[ordeth51]

i donno if you get this working for xp but you may want to try:

Windows login passwords:

During Windows startup press F8 key (i.e., before the startup
splash screen) and select ?command prompt only?. Go to c:\windows
directory and delete the password file(*.pwl ? where * is the
username) and restart the system. When the password dialog box
pops up, type the username and enter any password. Windows should
accept any password.

 

[AaronMcarthur]

Alrite, thanks..

 

[xsk8zerox]

Originally posted by ordeth51
i donno if you get this working for xp but you may want to try:

Windows login passwords:

During Windows startup press F8 key (i.e., before the startup
splash screen) and select ?command prompt only?. Go to c:\windows
directory and delete the password file(*.pwl ? where * is the
username) and restart the system. When the password dialog box
pops up, type the username and enter any password. Windows should
accept any password.

XP doesnt use pwl files. They use SAM files. Also why dont you just try making a password recovery disc?

 

[AaronMcarthur]

So instead of me typing in "*pwl". I should use SAM since it doesn't work for XP Pro?

 

[xsk8zerox]

if you want to.. it sounds like a bad idea but if you do just dont delete lmhosts.sam

 

[AaronMcarthur]

What is the lmhosts.sam file??

 

[xsk8zerox]

It has to do with the tcp/ip and netbios networking.

 

[scsa20]

Windows XP let's you make disks that lets you into a users account without the password....what you do is go into User Accounts>Choose a user>Pervent a Forgotten Password

what this does is to let you change anyone's password (this disk is also called "Password Reset Disk") and you only need to make the disk once.

 

[xsk8zerox]

Thats what i suggested a few posts up.

 

[scsa20]

really?? I didn't see it....maybe I eyes went off somewhere else

 

[xsk8zerox]

I called it the wrong thing... oh well the general idea is still there