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How to recover lost Windows passwords

Security Windows

If you’ve lost your Windows password and you’re locked out of your computer, you can use the Ophcrack LiveCD to recover your password(s). This tutorial will guide you through doing just that.

  1. Start by downloading the Ophcrack Live CD. This is the longest part of the entire process, as it’s about 455MB.
  2. Burn the .iso file to CD. If you need help creating a boot CD from the .iso file, see this tutorial.
  3. After you’ve burned the .iso, set your computer to boot from your CD/DVD drive (make sure the CD is in the drive).
  4. You’ll be presented with the Ophcrack LiveCD menu. Leave the default selected and hit enter on your keyboard (or just wait 5 seconds for it to automatically boot).
  5. ophcrack live cd
    click to enlarge

  6. Slax, the version of Linux that is packaged with Ophcrack, will start up.
  7. ophcrack live cd
    click to enlarge

  8. Ophcrack will start on its own, and the passwords for each of your Windows users will be cracked and displayed on screen.
  9. ophcrack live cd
    click to enlarge

  10. Write down the password(s), remove the CD from your CD/DVD drive and restart your computer. Now you can log in to Windows again.

Posted in Security, Windows.

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10 Responses

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  1. Sn3ipen says

    Great. But do this work with all versions of windows??

  2. Carlos says

    Segui os passos, mas vejo que o tutorial está incompleto. Entre os itens 5 e 6 não existe nenhuma ação? Como faço para chegar na tela onde encontram-se os usuários e as respectivas senhas?
    Por favor, completem esse tutorial.

  3. nicole says

    When I run Ophcrack on my computer it says this
    Atapi 40x dvd rom drive
    uniform cd-rom driver devision 3.2
    lost interrut

    I have no clue what this means. If you have any ideas on how to fix it would be great! Thanks!

  4. Aurea says

    Como acionar o sistema anti furto, já que não estou localizando em meus e-mail a senha?

  5. happykaka says

    f you have neither other accounts with administrator rights nor passwords reset diskette, take use of the third part password reset tool. There are many related tools that can help to remove/reset/bypass widows passwords. Here, Windows Password Unlocker is highly recommended. It has been tested on all kinds of Windows Systems, and the performance is always perfect. However, it keep the whole data intact but the login password.
    1.Download Windows Password Unlocker from Password Unlocker Official site http://sn.im/wpu .
    2.Decompress the Windows password unlocker and note that there is an .ISO image file. Burn the image file onto an blank CD with the burner freely supported by Password Unlocker.
    3.Insert the newly created CD into the locked computer and re-boot it from the CD drive.
    4.After launched the CD, a window pop up with all your account names(if you have several accounts); select one of the accounts that you have forgotten its password to reset it. Just one press, you have removed the password.

  6. david walton says

    Hey, I also got locked out of my computer several days ago. I tried several free software. It took me two days and got quite messy. Unfortunately none of them work for me. Finally I made it work with password genius. The good news is that it works. The bad news is it is not free.

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