How to Break Into a Windows PC (And Prevent it from Happening to You)
Whether you've forgotten your password or you have a more malicious intent, it's actually extremely easy to break into a Windows computer without knowing the password. Here's how to do it, and how to prevent others from doing the same to you.
There are a few methods to breaking into a computer, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. We'll go through three of the best and most common methods, and nail down their shortcomings so you know which one to use—and how to exploit their weaknesses to keep your own computer secure.
The Lazy Method: Use a Linux Live CD to Get at the Files
If you don't need access to the OS itself, just a few files, you don't need to go through much trouble at all. You can grab any Linux live CD and just drag-and drop files onto a USB hard drive, as you would in any other OS.
How it Works
Just download the live .iso file for any Linux distribution (like the ever-popular Ubuntu) and burn it to CD. Stick it in the computer you want to access and boot up from that CD. Pick "Try Ubuntu" when it comes up with the first menu, and it should take you right into a desktop environment. From here, you can access most of the hard drive just by going to the Places menu in the menu bar and choosing the Windows drive. It should see any NTFS drives just fine.
Note that depending on the permissions of some files, you might need root access. If you're having trouble viewing or copying some files, open up a terminal window (by going to Applications > Accessories > Terminal) and type in gksudo nautilus, leaving the password blank when prompted. You should now have access to everything.
How to Beat it
This method can give you access to the file system, but its main weakness is that the malicious user still can't access any encrypted files, even when using gksudo. So, if the owner of the computer (or you) has encrypted their files (or encrypted the entire OS), you won't get very far.
Sneaky Command-Line Fu: Reset the Password with the System Rescue CD
If you need access to the operating system itself, the Linux-based System Rescue CD is a good option for breaking in. You'll need to do a bit of command line work, but as long as you follow the instructions closely you should be fine. Hat tip to our friends at the How-To Geek.
How it Works
Just download the .iso file for the System Rescue Live CD and burn it to disc. Boot from the disc and hit the default option when the blue screen comes up. After everything loads and you're presented with a command-line interface, type fdisk -l to see the drives and partitions on your computer. Pick the Windows partition (usually the largest NTFS partition) and note the name, e.g. /dev/sda3.
Then, run the following command:
Make sure to replace /dev/sda3 with the partition you noted earlier. Next, cd to your Windows/System32/config directory with this command:
We want to edit the SAM file in this folder, so type the following command to get a list of users:
Note the username you want to access, and then type the following command, replacingWhitson Gordon with the username in question.
At the next screen, choose the first option by typing the number 1 and hitting Enter. This will clear the user password, making it blank. When it asks you to write hive files, hit y and press Enter. It should say OK, and then you can type reboot to reboot the computer. When you boot into Windows, you'll be able to log in to that user's account without a password.
How to Beat it
Once again, the weakness of this method is that it still can't beat encryption. Changing the password will disallow you access to those encrypted files, which, if the user has encrypted their entire OS, makes this method pretty useless. If they've only encrypted a few files, though, you'll still be able to access all the unencrypted stuff without a problem.
Brute Force: Crack the Password with Ophcrack
Where the other two methods are vulnerable to encryption, this method will give you full access to everything the user can access, including encrypted files, since this method relies on finding out the user's password instead of bypassing it.
How it Works
We've actually gone through this method before, but it doesn't hurt to have a refresher. All you need to do is download and burn the Ophcrack Live CD (use the Vista version if you're cracking a Windows 7 PC) and boot from it on your computer. It'll take a little bit of time to boot, but eventually it will bring you to a desktop environment and start attempting to crack passwords. This may take a while. You'll see the passwords pop up in the top pane of the window, though, when it finds them (or, if it doesn't find them, it'll notify you). You can then reboot and log in to Windows using those passwords.
How to Beat it
While this method works on encrypted OSes, it can't crack every password out there. To increase your chance of having an uncrackable password, use something complicated andgreater than 14 characters. The stronger your password, the less likely Ophcrack will be able to figure it out.
There are a lot of methods to break into a Windows computer (in fact, we've featured some of them before), but these are a few of the best and most widely useful. Apart from encryption, very little can stop the first two methods, and on those occasions you have Ophcrack to possibly fall back on. Got your own favorite method for getting into your computer without a password? Share it with us in the comments.
Send an email to Whitson Gordon, the author of this post, at whitson@lifehacker.com.
The Best Gadgets of the Year (So Far)
Technology's about a lot more than buying stuff—but let's be honest, we all love our gadgets. So we're here to help you find the best of the best—laptops, cameras, phones, and a lot more.
We know you don't want to blow that paycheck on merely the shiniest, or the the simply newest. So we've considered a balance of price, features, reliability—and above all, quality—to make sure you're choosing a gadget that isn't just great, but one that's sensible. We've updated our roster of Giz-approved gadgets, and below, you'll find these picks—the best tech tools 2010 has to offer.
Smartphones
We can geek out all we want, but the best way to choose is a phone is not just by the hardware or the OS, but the phone and the carrier. Here's the smartphone to pick on each...for now.
• AT&T—Apple iPhone 4
• Sprint—HTC Evo
• T-Mobile—G2
• Verizon—HTC Incredible
Computers
• Laptop: 15-inch i7 MacBook Pro, high rez matte screen, or if you go PC, the Toshiba Portégé R700 ...a 3lb Core i5
• Netbook: This market is commoditized, just buy something on this list or an iPad.
• Ultraportable: MacBook Air 11-inch
• 3D Laptop: Asus' G51Jx 3DE beat out the competition, and has a built-in IR emitter.
• Processors: Decide your budget, THEN pick a processor from this list.
• Desktop Graphics Cards: Anything based on the ATI HD 5970 chipset will be FAAAST, otherwise, decide your budget, THEN pick the card from this list.
• Mobile Graphics: Anything with Nvidia's GeForce 400M series will have serious gaming muscle
• Router: The Netgear RangeMax V1 emerged victorious from the Ultimate Router Battle
• SSD: Kingston's SNV425-S2 64GB drive stood out by delivering blazing performance on the (relative) cheap.
Tablets
• Tablet: Apple iPad
• eReader: Amazon Kindle DX
• Android Tablet: Barnes & Noble Nook Color
Cameras
• Budget dSLR: Canon T2i
• Midrange dSLR: Canon 7D
• 'Spensive dSLR: Nikon D3s
• Point and Shoot: Canon S95 or Canon SD4000...check prices.
• Pocket Camcorder: Flip Ultra HD, but only if you don't already have an iPhone 4. Otherwise, your smartphone's capturing better video than Flip's dedicated device—give your pockets some extra space.
• Phone Camera: iPhone 4
Home Theater
• 3DTV: Panasonic'sTC-P50VT20 topped the pile in our three-way shootout.
• Blu-ray Player: LG BD570 or PS3
• Receiver: Pioneer VSX-1020-K
• Game Console/Media Extender: Xbox 360
• Speakers: High quality sound doesn't need to cost a fortune—turns out there's a lot of great audio gear out there for less than $2,000. Audioengine's A5 speakers are $350 a pair, but pack serious sonic punch—and they're self-powered. Check out the rest of the roundup if you're looking to splurge a little mo
Time for another free gadget giveaway. This time, we’ve got a very cool prize, we’re giving away the new and latest, recently launched Apple iPod Nano. If you’re an Apple or iPod fan, you’ll know that the new iPod Nano has been completely redesigned into an iPod Shuffle like size device but with the added feature of a 1.54″ multitouch display.
ASUS and Lambo have recently worked together to start the engines on their latest newly designed lappie – the ASUS-Lamborghini Eee PC VX6 ultraportable 12.1” notebook weighs only 1.5kg, co-designed by Lamborghini and inspired by the superstar Murcielago LP640 Roadster.
Back in the old days, cartridges were the only way of transferring information, and if you want to use these old cartridges for transferring information again, you can with this modded Legend of Zelda cartridge. Read the rest of this entry »
Here’s LogicBUY’s latest gadget deal of the day for a Dell Inspiron 14r laptop. Featuring a fantastically design chassis and a choice of either Core i3 or i5. The 14R is capable of deal with everyday tasks or running resource intensive multimedia programs such as Adobe Photoshop.
The latest to join a growing number of devices entering the Android tablet market at the moment is Creative. The company will look to take advantage of its experience in audio tech by packing the new tablets with X-Fi tech and the apt-X audio codec, promising a premium audio experience whether it is via headphones or wirelessly with Bluetooth, using compatible apt-X speakers.
We know that robots can do many things nowadays, this latest robot though takes the conversation with people to a whole new level. In the past, there were robots that could talk to humans, but the latest conversation robot called SCHEMA and is the first robot that can talk with Read the rest of this entry »
Although iPhone 3GS users aren’t happy with the recording capabilities of their phone, they’ll be pleased to hear that there’s a way for them to record video in HD on their phone.
Today’s LogicBUY latest gadget deal of the day features two models from the HP ENVY 14 ultra thin (1.1-inch) laptop range. First is the Core i7 high end variation of the ENVY 14 which comes with Intel Core i7-720QM Quad Core processor (1.6GHz, 6MB L3 Cache) with Turbo Boost up to 2.8 GHz Read the rest of this entry »
While iOS 4.2 may only be available to developers at this time, it doesn’t mean that as normal users we won’t get a chance to see what its like.
You’ll probably already know that it’ll have multitasking on board and email improvements courtesy of an integrated, universal inbox with conversation threading, but there’s more, such as the lock switch becoming a silencer Read the rest of this entry »
A few days ago, Sony’s PlayStation Phone / PSPhone myth was brought back to reality with the leak of its photo running Google Android and also featuring a system as Z-System, possibly a gaming platform. While we’ve had tons of concepts and designs in the past from PlayStation fans, it was very much so just ‘hope’ rather than definite confirmation from the manufacturer.
We’ve already seen several solar power devices over the years, but now, Logitech has unveiled a keyboard that is powered only by solar energy.
Here’s the latest deal of the day for a Lenovo IdeaPad U460 laptop. Featuring a 14-inch display, ultra-thin and super portable design, built-in light sensor, fingerprint reader and a chiclet-style keyboards.
This is now becoming a yearly tradition by our good friends over at Walyou. Halloween is coming up and if you still haven’t got a clue about what you would like your pumpkin to look like this year, its not too late. Check out the link below to gain all the inspiration you need to work out the perfect design for your pumpkin. Designs range from Star Wars, horror movies, video games, the Simpsons, Family Guy, South Park and lots and lots more geeky styles.
Until recently, we’ve only been able to see BlackBerry’s professional grade tablet device, the PlayBook Tablet behind a plastic box, however, at the Adobe MAX conference, this all changed. Why the collaboration between the two? You see, the user interface of the new OS for the PlayBook Tablet makes heavy use of Adobe AIR 2.5 – a new platform environment for developing apps, one which looks to extend its use among not just tablets but also different handheld devices like mobiles and even PCs and TVs.
Read the rest of this entry »
If you ever wanted to use Flickr, but you couldn’t, because you didn’t have Yahoo account, we’re pleased to announce that Yahoo and Google have decided to become partners.
Firefox has many users around the world, but users will be slightly disappointed because the release of the latest version of Firefox has been delayed. Director, Mike Beltzner announced that the release of Firefox 4 will be delayed due to certain issues. As you know, release of Firefox 4 was scheduled for late 2010, but this has now been postponed. Read the rest of this entry »
Here’s LogicBUY’s latest gadget deal of the day for a Dell XPS 15 laptop. It features anodized aluminium display back, brushed aluminium palmrest and diamond cut trim around the keyboard and touchpad area.
Late last year we covered briefly that Ferrari was to launch its own Ferrari themepark – Ferrari World quite possibly the only true haven for petrolheads, adrenaline junkies and theme park fans. Just opened yesterday, Ferrari World has been dubbed the next best thing to sitting in an actual Ferrari F1 racer, which I’m sorry to say many of us won’t have the opportunity to in our lifetime.
Since AMD is in charge of development of Radeon graphics cards, all Radeon and PC gamers will be pleased to know that AMD has announced the new gaming orientated RadeonHD6800 series graphics card.
Dell is releasing a new notebook for its Inspiron series, one which is not unheard of as I’m sure most will have seen the recent 15R notebook tv adverts, but this latest release is the Inspiron 15R Alloy Edition and it comes with a nice aluminum finish with Alloy Waves design.
There have been a lot of rumors and speculations about the mysterious Sony gaming handheld phone, we’ve had doubts but according to the latest news it seems that stories about PlayStation Phones are true.
Here’s LogicBUY’s latest gadget deal of the day for a Dell XPS 15 laptop. The new Dell XPS notebooks are available in 14″, 15″ and 17″ models. The laptops feature anodized aluminum display back, brushed aluminium palmrest and diamond cut trim around the keyboard and touchpad area.
It looks like the white iPhone 4 will remain to be only part of numerous rumours, leaks and exist as demo units rather than an iPhone that will actually go into production and reach the public – that is what BGR’s latest source has revealed. New information has reached the Boy Genius Report and apparently, Apple has absolutely no plans to ever launch the white iPhone 4.
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