Forgetting Windows password isn't just embarrassing, it also makes you
lose all access to your computer files all of a sudden. Things can get
even worse if you have no idea how to recover the password but you need
to use the computer urgently. Luckily there are some Windows password
recovery freeware which can help you get out of such situation. Here is a
list of 5 best free Windows password recovery tools that will help you recover forgotten Windows administrator or other user passwords.
1. Ophcrack
Ophcrack is the wonderful free tool to recover forgotten Windows password.
It's very easy to use Ophcrack software, Ophcrack support Windows XP,
Vista, Windows 7. Just download Ophcrack ISO image from its official
website and burn it to a CD and boot from the CD, well this amazing tool
automatically starts locating your user account and proceed to recover
your password.
2. John The Ripper
John
The Ripper is a fast password cracker based on dictionary attack with a
wordlist currently available for many flavors of Unix (11 are officially
supported, not counting different architectures), Windows, DOS, BeOS,
and OpenVMS. Its primary purpose is to detect weak Unix passwords.
Besides several crypt(3) password hash types most commonly found on
various Unix flavors, supported out of the box are Kerberos AFS and
Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 LM hashes, plus several more with contributed
patches.
3. Cain & Able
Cain & Able is a fast, free and effective Windows password recovery
utility. Cain & Able requires administrator account access to
Windows. You need to log in your system with admin account to install
this tool. You also need to download rainbow tables to work with this
tool. This tool is only working on Windows XP operating system.
4. LCP
LCP
is yet another free password recovery software tool for Windows. Like
Cain & Abel, LCP is a standard Windows program you download from
LCPSoft's website and install inside of Windows, meaning you'll need
access to a user account on the computer. LCP can be a little
intimidating to those new to Windows password recovery tools so some
prior knowledge is very helpful to avoid even bigger problems with your
PC.
5. Knoppix STD
G4TV has a good article on another Linux distro you can download and use to crack Windows password. Follow the detailed instructions he gives and if the password is not too long or difficult, it should be able to crack it!
Conclusion
There
free Windows password recovery tools might be a little too techie for
some people, but it's definitely worth it if you want to recover Windows
password for free. If you are not tech savvy, it's recommended to use
the paid option - Reset Windows Password, which allows you to instantly reset forgotten Windows 8/7/Vista/XP password by creating a bootable password reset CD/USB.
Showing posts with label windows password recovery tool. Show all posts
Showing posts with label windows password recovery tool. Show all posts
Monday, September 10, 2012
Friday, July 6, 2012
Ultimate Windows 7/Vista/XP Password Recovery Tools
Change your Windows 7 password and now can't remember the password? You
are given a spare computer but don't know the login password? The
administrator account is locked out after too many failed password
attempts? Is there a way to get around these password problems?
Windows encrypts user account passwords on your hard drive to provide better security. It even prevents any external tampering while Windows is running so that the only way to reset / recover Windows password would be through a boot CD. With the right boot CD you can circumvent Windows security restrictions and reset the password directly.
If you'd like to learn how to recover Windows password, there are multiple methods of doing so – some are easy and some are painstakingly difficult – but each of them comes with their own advantages and disadvantages. Here are 2 ultimate Windows password recovery tools for you to recover or reset forgotten Windows 7/Vista/XP passwords.
Method 1: Reset Windows Password (Recommendation)
We're going to start off with the easiest method of cracking Windows password and access a Windows PC, which is using a Windows password reset CD. All you need to do is download the ISO image of Reset Windows Password utility. Next, you will have to burn the ISO image file you just downloaded onto a CD. Boot the computer from the CD and The boot CD allows you to safely reset any pre-existing admin or user account password. You will then be able to reboot and quickly log back into Windows with an empty password.
This method is quite easy, which can help you instantly reset local admin/user passwords on Windows 7/Vista/XP. It can also reset domain administrator passwords on Windows Server 2008/2003/2000. One main flaw is that you can't access EFS encrypted files after resetting Windows password. But EFS is rarely used so this isn't a big concern.
Method 2: Recover Windows Password
If you're facing the challenge of an EFS-encrypted PC, the only option you have left is to use a brute force attack to crack Windows password. Now, this can take from a few hours to days, depending on the speed of your PC and the complexity of the password, so patience is a must. You will need to download and burn the Ophcrack Live CD and boot the computer from the CD. After it loads up all the files, you will be brought to a GUI, where you can start to crack your password.
Although this method works on EFS encrypted files and operating systems, there is still a big problem as it can't recover every Windows password, especially complicated passwords as that requires a few weeks or even months to crack a password. So you do have a small chance to recover the original password. Another problem is that Ophcrack Live CD doesn't support domain controller.
Conclusion
Method 1 should be able to solve all major problems of forgetting Windows password. It's also much easier to use and more effective than Method 2. But each of them has its own strengths and weaknesses. Which password recovery tool is better for you to unlock your computer? It all depends on your situation.
Windows encrypts user account passwords on your hard drive to provide better security. It even prevents any external tampering while Windows is running so that the only way to reset / recover Windows password would be through a boot CD. With the right boot CD you can circumvent Windows security restrictions and reset the password directly.
If you'd like to learn how to recover Windows password, there are multiple methods of doing so – some are easy and some are painstakingly difficult – but each of them comes with their own advantages and disadvantages. Here are 2 ultimate Windows password recovery tools for you to recover or reset forgotten Windows 7/Vista/XP passwords.
Method 1: Reset Windows Password (Recommendation)
We're going to start off with the easiest method of cracking Windows password and access a Windows PC, which is using a Windows password reset CD. All you need to do is download the ISO image of Reset Windows Password utility. Next, you will have to burn the ISO image file you just downloaded onto a CD. Boot the computer from the CD and The boot CD allows you to safely reset any pre-existing admin or user account password. You will then be able to reboot and quickly log back into Windows with an empty password.
This method is quite easy, which can help you instantly reset local admin/user passwords on Windows 7/Vista/XP. It can also reset domain administrator passwords on Windows Server 2008/2003/2000. One main flaw is that you can't access EFS encrypted files after resetting Windows password. But EFS is rarely used so this isn't a big concern.
Method 2: Recover Windows Password
If you're facing the challenge of an EFS-encrypted PC, the only option you have left is to use a brute force attack to crack Windows password. Now, this can take from a few hours to days, depending on the speed of your PC and the complexity of the password, so patience is a must. You will need to download and burn the Ophcrack Live CD and boot the computer from the CD. After it loads up all the files, you will be brought to a GUI, where you can start to crack your password.
Although this method works on EFS encrypted files and operating systems, there is still a big problem as it can't recover every Windows password, especially complicated passwords as that requires a few weeks or even months to crack a password. So you do have a small chance to recover the original password. Another problem is that Ophcrack Live CD doesn't support domain controller.
Conclusion
Method 1 should be able to solve all major problems of forgetting Windows password. It's also much easier to use and more effective than Method 2. But each of them has its own strengths and weaknesses. Which password recovery tool is better for you to unlock your computer? It all depends on your situation.
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