Log in problems

[Guest RickG]

We have a laptop with Windows 2000 Professional that we haven't used in quite

a while and have forgotten both the User name and Password. Any suggestions?

[Guest Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Re: Log in problems

 

 

"RickG" <RickG@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

news:BBC2E4E3-E911-4EFA-88F1-C124324615D6@microsoft.com...

> We have a laptop with Windows 2000 Professional that we haven't used in

> quite

> a while and have forgotten both the User name and Password. Any

> suggestions?

 

http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/bootdisk.html

 

The issue is a perfect illustration for the benefit of creating an extra

standardised admin account on each and every machine, with a standardised

password.

[Guest Roger Fink]

Re: Log in problems

 

 

 

Pegasus (MVP) wrote:

> "RickG" <RickG@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

> news:BBC2E4E3-E911-4EFA-88F1-C124324615D6@microsoft.com...

>> We have a laptop with Windows 2000 Professional that we haven't used

>> in quite

>> a while and have forgotten both the User name and Password. Any

>> suggestions?

>

> http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/bootdisk.html

>

> The issue is a perfect illustration for the benefit of creating an

> extra standardised admin account on each and every machine, with a

> standardised password.

 

Not to impugn the integrity of the poster (let alone the responder, who has

bailed me out of a few dozen jams), but that info gets you into a stolen

laptop.

[Guest Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Re: Log in problems

 

 

"Roger Fink" <fink@manana.org> wrote in message

news:ezzHWRHDJHA.1180@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...

>

>

> Pegasus (MVP) wrote:

>> "RickG" <RickG@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

>> news:BBC2E4E3-E911-4EFA-88F1-C124324615D6@microsoft.com...

>>> We have a laptop with Windows 2000 Professional that we haven't used

>>> in quite

>>> a while and have forgotten both the User name and Password. Any

>>> suggestions?

>>

>> http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/bootdisk.html

>>

>> The issue is a perfect illustration for the benefit of creating an

>> extra standardised admin account on each and every machine, with a

>> standardised password.

>

> Not to impugn the integrity of the poster (let alone the responder, who

> has

> bailed me out of a few dozen jams), but that info gets you into a stolen

> laptop.

>

 

True, but getting into a stolen laptop is child's play anyway, even without

the Nordahl boot diskette. All you need to do is to remove its disk, put it

into a 2.5" USB disk case and connect that case to another PC. This is

common knowledge.

 

It comes back to this well-known fact: If you can gain physical access to a

PC then you can gain access to its files, regardless of the operating

system. Unless, of course, the files are encrypted.

[Guest Roger Fink]

Re: Log in problems

 

 

 

Pegasus (MVP) wrote:

> "Roger Fink" <fink@manana.org> wrote in message

> news:ezzHWRHDJHA.1180@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...

>>

>>

>> Pegasus (MVP) wrote:

>>> "RickG" <RickG@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

>>> news:BBC2E4E3-E911-4EFA-88F1-C124324615D6@microsoft.com...

>>>> We have a laptop with Windows 2000 Professional that we haven't

>>>> used in quite

>>>> a while and have forgotten both the User name and Password. Any

>>>> suggestions?

>>>

>>> http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/bootdisk.html

>>>

>>> The issue is a perfect illustration for the benefit of creating an

>>> extra standardised admin account on each and every machine, with a

>>> standardised password.

>>

>> Not to impugn the integrity of the poster (let alone the responder,

>> who has

>> bailed me out of a few dozen jams), but that info gets you into a

>> stolen laptop.

>>

>

> True, but getting into a stolen laptop is child's play anyway, even

> without the Nordahl boot diskette. All you need to do is to remove

> its disk, put it into a 2.5" USB disk case and connect that case to

> another PC. This is common knowledge.

>

> It comes back to this well-known fact: If you can gain physical

> access to a PC then you can gain access to its files, regardless of

> the operating system. Unless, of course, the files are encrypted.

 

I didn't know it was that easy, not that I'm surprised.

[Guest Pegasus \(MVP\)]

Re: Log in problems

 

 

"Roger Fink" <fink@manana.org> wrote in message

news:Oez0yjHDJHA.232@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...

>

>

> Pegasus (MVP) wrote:

>> "Roger Fink" <fink@manana.org> wrote in message

>> news:ezzHWRHDJHA.1180@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...

>>>

>>>

>>> Pegasus (MVP) wrote:

>>>> "RickG" <RickG@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

>>>> news:BBC2E4E3-E911-4EFA-88F1-C124324615D6@microsoft.com...

>>>>> We have a laptop with Windows 2000 Professional that we haven't

>>>>> used in quite

>>>>> a while and have forgotten both the User name and Password. Any

>>>>> suggestions?

>>>>

>>>> http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/bootdisk.html

>>>>

>>>> The issue is a perfect illustration for the benefit of creating an

>>>> extra standardised admin account on each and every machine, with a

>>>> standardised password.

>>>

>>> Not to impugn the integrity of the poster (let alone the responder,

>>> who has

>>> bailed me out of a few dozen jams), but that info gets you into a

>>> stolen laptop.

>>>

>>

>> True, but getting into a stolen laptop is child's play anyway, even

>> without the Nordahl boot diskette. All you need to do is to remove

>> its disk, put it into a 2.5" USB disk case and connect that case to

>> another PC. This is common knowledge.

>>

>> It comes back to this well-known fact: If you can gain physical

>> access to a PC then you can gain access to its files, regardless of

>> the operating system. Unless, of course, the files are encrypted.

>

> I didn't know it was that easy, not that I'm surprised.

 

Now consider the positive implications: If Windows refuses to start then

it's still quite easy to access your files, by connecting the disk to

another PC. Much better, of course, to back up your important files

regularly.

[Guest Roger Fink]

Re: Log in problems

 

 

 

Pegasus (MVP) wrote:

> "Roger Fink" <fink@manana.org> wrote in message

> news:Oez0yjHDJHA.232@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...

>>

>>

>> Pegasus (MVP) wrote:

>>> "Roger Fink" <fink@manana.org> wrote in message

>>> news:ezzHWRHDJHA.1180@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...

>>>>

>>>>

>>>> Pegasus (MVP) wrote:

>>>>> "RickG" <RickG@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message

>>>>> news:BBC2E4E3-E911-4EFA-88F1-C124324615D6@microsoft.com...

>>>>>> We have a laptop with Windows 2000 Professional that we haven't

>>>>>> used in quite

>>>>>> a while and have forgotten both the User name and Password. Any

>>>>>> suggestions?

>>>>>

>>>>> http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/bootdisk.html

>>>>>

>>>>> The issue is a perfect illustration for the benefit of creating an

>>>>> extra standardised admin account on each and every machine, with a

>>>>> standardised password.

>>>>

>>>> Not to impugn the integrity of the poster (let alone the responder,

>>>> who has

>>>> bailed me out of a few dozen jams), but that info gets you into a

>>>> stolen laptop.

>>>>

>>>

>>> True, but getting into a stolen laptop is child's play anyway, even

>>> without the Nordahl boot diskette. All you need to do is to remove

>>> its disk, put it into a 2.5" USB disk case and connect that case to

>>> another PC. This is common knowledge.

>>>

>>> It comes back to this well-known fact: If you can gain physical

>>> access to a PC then you can gain access to its files, regardless of

>>> the operating system. Unless, of course, the files are encrypted.

>>

>> I didn't know it was that easy, not that I'm surprised.

>

> Now consider the positive implications: If Windows refuses to start

> then it's still quite easy to access your files, by connecting the

> disk to another PC. Much better, of course, to back up your important

> files regularly.

 

Inasmuch as we've been around since the start of the mass-distribution PC

era, and have nothing else to compare it to, I think we've been inculcated

with the idea of accepting as normal how quirky, buggy, idiosyncratic,

unreliable and unsafe these beasts really are. In twenty five years, when

these things work like a TV or a refrigerator, people will laugh at all

this. Not now, however.