How to Reset Forgotten Root Password for Linux?

It happens sometime that you can't remember root password. On Linux, resetting root password can be done by booting Linux under a specific mode: single user mode. This tutorial will show how to boot Linux in single user mode when using GRUB or LILO and finally how to change forgotten root password.

If your boot loader is GRUB, follow the procedure below to reset your lost root password:

1. Select the kernel.


2. Press the e key to edit the entry.


3. Select second line (the line starting with the word kernel).


4. Press the e key to edit kernel entry so that you can append single user mode.


5. Append the letter S (or word Single) to the end of the (kernel) line.


6. Press ENTER key.


7. Now press the b key to boot the Linux kernel into single user mode.


8. At prompt type passwd command to reset password.

You need to mount at least / and other partitions:
# mount -t proc proc /proc
# mount -o remount,rw /

Change the root password, enter:
# passwd

Finally reboot system:
# sync
# reboot

If your boot loader is LILO:
At LILO boot loader type linux single and press [ENTER] key:
Boot: linux single

When you get the # prompt you will need to type passwd root to reset password:
# passwd

Reboot system:
# sync
# reboot

If you need to reset forgotten Windows admin/user password, please refer to this software: Reset Windows Password.

Forgot Mac Password? 2 Methods to Reset Your Mac Password Easily

So you forgot your Mac password… uh oh. Don’t worry, it happens and you aren’t out of luck. You’ll need to reset the forgotten password and there’s several ways to do this, we’ll focus on the two best methods; one does not require a Mac OS X installer CD and is a great hack, and the other is much more simple if you happen to have a Mac OS X DVD laying around.

Method 1: Reset Mac Password without a CD

Using a pretty nifty trick you can reset a forgotten Mac password without a Mac OS X installer CD/DVD. The steps may seem a little intimidating at first but I assure you it’s easy if you follow them exactly, here is exactly how to do this in three stages:

Step 1) Boot into Single User Mode and remove a setup file

1. Restart the Mac holding down the Command+S keys, this will take you into Single User Mode and it’s Terminal interface
   You’ll need to check the filesystem first:
   fsck -fy


2. Next, you must mount the root drive as writeable so that changes will save:
   mount -uw /


3. Now, type the following command exactly, followed by the enter key:
   rm /var/db/.applesetupdone


4. After removing the applesetupdone file, you need to reboot, type ‘reboot’ and hit enter.

Step 2) Create a New User Account upon System Boot
You aren’t finished, but the hard part is now over – no more command lines, you’ll now be in the familiar Mac OS X GUI to finish the password reset process. In this step we just create a new user account as if you just got a new Mac:

1. Upon reboot, you will be presented with the traditional “Welcome Wizard” startup screen just like when you first get a Mac.


2. Follow the welcome wizard and create a new user account – making the account name different from the account whose password you want to recover.


3. Continue on and boot into Mac OS X with this newly created user account, this new user account is an Administrator and has administrative access.

Step 3) Reset the Forgot Password via System Preferences
You are almost done, now you just need to reset the forgotten user account password using the Accounts control panel:

1. Once you are booted into Mac OS X, click on the Apple logo and then navigate down to “System Preferences”.


2. Click on the “Accounts” icon in System Preferences.


3. Click on the Lock icon in the lower left corner of the “Accounts” preference window and enter the newly created user credentials, this enables you to change other user accounts and reset other users passwords.


4. On the left side user panel, select the user account containing the forgotten password.
   With the user of the forgotten password account selected, click on the “Reset Password” button.


5. Enter a new password for that user, be sure to include a meaningful hint so you don’t forget it again!


6. Close System Preferences and reboot the Mac.


7. You can now login to the previously inaccessible user account using the newly reset password! All user files and settings are maintained as before the password was forgotten.

Optional: If you’d like, you can delete the temporary account you created to reset the users password. This is wise for security purposes.

Here’s how this works: by deleting the .applesetupdone file, you are telling Mac OS X to re-run the setup wizard, which by default creates a new user account with Administrative abilities, which can then reset the forgotten password of any other user on the Mac. This is a great trick and excellent troubleshooting technique if you don’t have a Mac OS X installer CD/DVD laying around, which is pretty much the norm as many people tend to lose or misplace the installer disks that come with their computers. I have used this exact method multiple times to restore various Macs with forgotten/lost passwords.


Method 2: Reset Mac Password with the installer CD/DVD

Resetting a forgotten Mac password is easier if you have an installer disk handy, we have covered this tip before on it’s own:

1. Boot from the Mac OS X installer disk by inserting it into the Mac and holding down the “C” key on boot.


2. Select your language preferences and then under the “Utilities” menu select “Password Reset” (it may say “Reset Password” instead, depends on the version of Mac OS X).


3. Select the hard disk that the forgotten password is on, then select the username of the forgotten password, you’ll then be asked to select a new password.


4. Reboot as usual from the hard drive, using your newly reset password as the login!

This is obviously an easier method but it’s of no help if you own a MacBook Air with no DVD drive, or if you just don’t have the installer Mac OS CD laying around. If you’re in that situation, the best alternative is to use the above method that does not require a CD to reset the password.

If you have forgotten Windows admin/user password, you can take advantage of the Reset Windows Password utility to remove your lost password easily and quickly! Learn more at http://www.top-password.com/reset-windows-password.html

How to Set up PIN Logon in Windows 8?

Windows 8 introduces two new ways of authenticating yourself other than just using a text password. Now you can use a Picture Password, which uses gestures, as well as PIN code. In previous post I covered the details of picture password. Now I'll show you how to set up PIN logon in Windows 8.

A PIN (Personal Identification Number) is almost the same as a password except you can only use numbers, and it must be 4 digits long—which doesn’t seem that secure, but there’s a chance they will allow longer PIN codes in future versions of Windows 8.

To setup a PIN, go to the Control Panel, click on Users, and then click on Create a PIN.


Now you will have input your password.


Now you will be asked what PIN you want to use, remember 4 DIGITS.


Now when you go to log in, all you have to do is input the 4 Digit number.


Keep in mind that you can continue using a text password to logon if you prefer. Even if you have forgotten the picture password, PIN digits or traditional text password, you can still take advantage of the Reset Windows Password utility to reset/remove the traditional text password. After log on your computer using the blank text password, you are allowed to setup a new picture password or PIN logon again.

How to Automatically Logon to Windows 8?

Personally, I find the feature of Windows 8 allowing users to disable the logon screen, as it was in prior versions. When you enter the password on the logon screen, it takes some time to load windows explorer and all startup programs. This can also be quite annoying and time consuming. So what is the solution?

There should be a way to automatically logon to Windows 8, so that when you hit the Power button and return a few minutes later, you won't need to enter your password and then wait for all those startup programs to load. let us see how.

Automatically logging into Windows 8:

1. Press Win + R to open the Run command, type netplwiz and press Enter.

2. Under the Users tab, uncheck the Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer option, click Ok.

3. Now enter the password in Automatically Log On dialog window, click Ok, restart your Computer.

You won't be prompted to enter your password again during login and no lock screen appears either.

How to Boot from USB Flash Drive on VMWare Workstation?

If you are using VMWare Workstation, you will notice that you can’t boot from USB Flash Drive. There isn’t any USB option in BIOS boot menu. But sometimes, you need to boot from USB Flash Drive, such as to test installation of pre-configured system, to boot your favorite operating system which comes in USB edition, etc. At this time, VMWare Workstation 7 isn’t officially support booting from USB Flash Drive yet, but there is a workaround which can help you boot from USB Flash Drive by using Plop Boot Manager.

1. Download Plop Boot Manager from Plop – Boot Manager. Navigate to Downloads. Click on plpbt-5.0.13.zip to download. At this time, the latest version is 5.0.13 as the figure below.


2. Once the download is finished, extract the downloaded file. You see the image file: plpbt.iso, which will be used in next few steps. This is the image file that will allow us to boot from USB Flash Drive.


3. Attach the Plop boot manager image (plpbt.iso) as CD image.


4. To configure boot order in BIOS of your virtual machine. Click the VM menu, then select Power -> Power On to BIOS. The virtual machine will directly go to the BIOS Setup Utility.


5. Select Boot tab. Next, move the CD-ROM Drive to the top. Press F10 to save your changes. The virtual machine will then boot into Plop.


6. Attach your USB device to the virtual machine. On Plop's boot menu, select USB and press Enter
   


7. PLoP begins loading from the USB flash drive.

Restrict Logon Hours for Any Windows Account

One of my friends complained that his child spends too much time on his computer. He was very worried for his kid's health. He tried to talk with the child but you know how stubborn they are. It was almost impossible to convince a six-year-old kid that spending too many hours in front of the computer can have a bad influence upon his health condition. I am a person who sustains children should learn how to use computers but I am against excessive use.

Regarding my friend's problem, I advised him to try software applications that restrict access to computer for a defined time interval. He was reticent about this idea asking me if there was a costless solution. He didn't want to use software trying to avoid his child getting suspicious. He just wanted a trick to restrict access in Windows without additional software and at no cost.
I immediately thought that the net user command would be perfect for this issue.  Follow the steps outlined below to easily limit the user's logon hours:

1. Go to Start  menu.


2. Go to Run and Type cmd, press Enter to open a Command Prompt window.


3. Enter the appropriate net user command for the user(s) you wish to restrict access for.

Example 1:
Limits the user john to logon Monday- Friday between 8am and 5pm:
net user john /time:M-F,08:00-17:00

Example 2:
The same thing can also be expressed as above using the 12 hour clock :
net user john /time:M-F,8am-5pm

Example 3:
This shows the easiest way of setting limits that differ on multiple days.
net user john /time:M,8am-5pm;T,1pm-3pm;W-F,8:00-17:00

Example 4:
To remove time restrictions:
net user john /time:all

Windows accounts can be restricted from logging on to the computer at specific hours or days. You can only restrict when a user can log on to the system, but you cannot force a user to log off when their hours expire.

The next time when you try to log onto the same account, the operating system will check the time restrictions you set to determine if you are allowed to log into the  account. For restricted time periods, the system will required you to enter your password, even if you haven't set any password on that account. Furthermore, it will always reject you regardless if you enter a valid or invalid password.

 

Windows 8 now allows you to sign in via a picture password

Microsoft recently revealed yet another new feature of Windows 8 in a new Building Windows 8 blog post. This time, we learn about signing in via a picture password. Microsoft claims that this method of signing in is secure and also a lot of fun to use.

"The experience of signing in to your PC with touch has traditionally been a cumbersome one. In a world with increasingly strict password requirements—with numbers, symbols, and capitalization—it can take upwards of 30 seconds to enter a long, complex password on a touch keyboard. We have a strong belief that your experience with Windows 8 should be both fast and fluid, and that starts when you sign in," Microsoft stated in an official Building Windows 8 blog post.

The new picture password feature is comprised of two parts. First, it utilizes a picture of your choice. Second, there are a set of gestures that you can draw upon it. Microsoft has made it to where you can upload a personal picture rather than use a canned set of Microsoft images, to personalize the experience. As Microsoft puts it, "it increases both the security and the memorability of the password." Microsoft relates this experience with one's lock screen on their smartphone.

"At its core, the picture password feature is designed to highlight the parts of an image that are important to you, and it requires a set of gestures that allow you to accomplish this quickly and confidently," Microsoft stated.

Microsoft also stated that this new picture password feature is optional and not a replacement to the traditional text password. "To be clear, picture password is provided as a login mechanism in addition to your text password, not as a replacement for it. You should be sure to have a good hint and use safeguarding mechanisms for your text password, which you can still always use to sign in," Microsoft emphasizes.

Forgot Windows 8 picture password? You can also find the way to reset Windows 8 picture password when you forgot it.