Let’s assume that you, or someone you know, forgot their Windows password. The initial step someone usually takes when this occurs is to panic (understandably so). After all, none of us want to lose all of the information we have poured so much time into. The second step someone usually takes is to rummage through their drawers, trying to find any information written on a scrap of paper.
Assuming these two steps have been in vain, here is a useful third step to consider. Recover your password through the use of a free software application such as Ophcrack. We could go into detail about what Ophcrack is, and how it does it – but, truthfully, that is of minimal importance. Instead let’s look, step by step, how to use it.
Step by Step Guide on Using Ophcrack
1) Go to the Ophcrack site Download ophcrack LiveCD.
2) Select the XP LiveCD if you are using Windows XP. If you are using anything newer then select the Vista LiveCD. Within a few seconds you will be downloading the LiveCD ISO file.
3) In order to use the ISO file you need to burn it to a disk based media (CD or DVD). If you are using Windows 7, this feature is built in. If not, download and use a free ISO burning program – ISO Recorder is quite popular.
4) Restart your computer and enter the boot menu (likely by hitting F12 as your computer starts up). Making sure that your CD or DVD is in the computer’s drive, choose to boot from the CD or DVD.
5) When you see the ophcrack LiveCD screen select Ophcrack Graphic mode – automatic. In order to do this, you can simply hit the enter key (since this is the default option).
6) The Ophcrack Window will automatically load. Take a look at the leftmost column; this is where all the names of your user accounts are. For this demonstration, we have created a user account with the name “Dan”.
7) Wait as Ophcrack loads and attempts to discover your password. When it does, the password will appear in the right-hand column. For our demonstration, we had given “Dan” the password “DanTheMan” – which Ophcrack was able to discover.
8) Exit the Ophcrack environment. You can simply reset or shut your computer down at this stage.
Using the program in order to save yourself a great deal of grief is a great idea. The only thing that should be mentioned is that you should never use this type of program to access other people’s accounts. Ophcrack is designed solely as a helpful tool to get yourself out of trouble if you forgot your own Windows password.
Author Bio
Keith writes for Computer Repair Vancouver on many computer related topics including how to recover a lost password. This post was edited by James Yeang. If you wish to become a paid writer or guest post for friedbeef, please contact me.
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