Password Blues

[Yuriatin]

<span style="font-weight: bold"><span style="font-style: italic">For the love of Mary, somebody PLEASE help meeeeee!</span></span>



I have a computer from my old job.

Maybe around 3 years ago now, my old place was updating systems and throwing out the ‘old’ ones.

I asked for and got, one of the desktops.

Worked fine, like a dream. No problems.

I’d always log on just like I used to at my old employer: boot up, type in password and zip away to my work in Word, or on the web or whatever.

Now, about 3 weeks ago, I boot up one day, the password screen comes up, I type in the password and it tells me the password has expired.
Something about I need the system administrator to reset or redo or whatever, the new password.

<span style="font-weight: bold">HELLO</span> – there IS no administrator. Company no longer exists!

Have been looking around online and I see a few potential solutions but I don’t know if these are scams or what. One friend told me that I have to reinstall. I wanted to slap him.

<span style="font-style: italic">“Weren’t you listening?” </span>



I HAVE nothing to reinstall – I HAVE no discs!

Please help – am I totally out of luck?

[Dr.Dudd]

Re: Password Blues


tne problem is that you won't get the system admin.

Since it is a company machine.
It can be reset anyway,you just hav eto get in the BIOS and to do so without a password.
The easiest and cheapest way I know is to open the computer. And take a flash light and look for a button cell battery the size of a nickel. use a pen or pencil yo force sideways the little piece of metal infront of it.

It will jump out since it is spring loaded.
A good thing to do is take it and buy an identical one and replace it at the same time.

Since you will soon have to replace it anyway. .
Give it about 20 minutes and then replace the battery with the +side up.
Then close up the puter and turn it on.
It will go the set up page, or ask you to select. select set up. Then on the next page enter the current date.




<span style="font-size: 20pt">wallah </span>you will be able to operate with or without a password set it then or later.

andwhen you getit going th efirst thing you need to do is to make a boot dick from the software it has to do so. It will direct you how to do it.

[LinSkinny]

Re: Password Blues

Which password screen you at? The BIOS or the Windows one?

Sounds like it is the windows one if it is telling you about administrators and the truth is, you might be out of luck. There are utilities out there that can at least get you to the drive. You can also use the drive as a slave to get to the data. Once you're at the drive you might (I say might) be able to change the password and even adjust the expiration date. It depends on the security policies that were in place at the time. Even with those policies it might still be possible, but the main issue is that most corporate pc's use a Domain server to authenticate. If you no longer have access to that domain server, it is difficult to authenticate in situations like this. I've used fake domain controllers in the past, but newer versions of security fixes and software, prevents that now.

If you remember the name of the admin, look up the name in LinkedIn and see if they remember or are willing to help. Other than that, you're going to have to reload the operating system on it. Reloading removes the domain requirement and it becomes a stand alone pc. Reloading also erases any Microsoft office suite that was on there and your data.

It is also possible that your pc was compromised. I've seen some stories around the net about behavior like this. If that is the case, the person you wanted to slap was correct. Take the pc to someone who knows about pcs. I mean really knows about them. They will tell you what needs to be done.

[Yuriatin]

Re: Password Blues

<span style="font-weight: bold">Bios?

Slave?</span>

<span style="font-style: italic">Mercy faddah!</span>

Ok sorry - no clue what you're saying Skinny?

What is the Bios screen?

Tomorrow I'll log on and see exactly what the screen looks like and tell you.

The admin from my old job wont be able to help, unfortunately.

Question for you - so are you thinking I should skip - http://www.freedownloadscenter.com/l.../password.html - buying anything like this???

[j-kid]

Re: Password Blues

This utility may be of use to you. Give it ah shot.

Network domain password recovery:

http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/network_password_recovery.html

No guarantee's though, since you cant connect to the network at your your old job.

[LinSkinny]

Re: Password Blues

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Yuri_</div><div class="ubbcode-body"><span style="font-weight: bold">Bios?

Slave?</span>

<span style="font-style: italic">Mercy faddah!</span>

Ok sorry - no clue what you're saying Skinny?

What is the Bios screen?

Tomorrow I'll log on and see exactly what the screen looks like and tell you.

The admin from my old job wont be able to help, unfortunately.

Question for you - so are you thinking I should skip - http://www.freedownloadscenter.com/l.../password.html - buying anything like this??? </div></div>

Bios is logon is before the memory check on the screen and usually before you see something like Phoenix Bios v.xxx

Windows logon looks similar to this...

The third line on the logon screen is the domain info and should match what it used to be before. If you click the options button, the third line wont be there. You'll only have two lines.

A slave drive means secondary drive on the pc. You can actually remove the hard drive and take it to another pc, configure it, and get access to the data on it. The only thing that will be different is the drive letter. Instead of it being c:\(whatever), it will be D:\ or E:\

And no, you don't need to pay for any password services. The site mentioned by J-kid is just one site that is very good and is actually blocked by some companies. Even the utilities there get fake positive alerts from some antivirus companies. Using some of the utilities available there, you might be surprised what it turns up, even after you think that you have deleted all traces of cookies, websites, etc.

There are other ways to get to the data also.

[j-kid]

Re: Password Blues

Yuri has been using this password off the network for three years, and it did not expire. Why now?

Passwords are usually set to expire in about 30 to 90 days, under normal conditions.


Lin, you kina jog my memory, and I am wondering.

If say, you never log back on to the internal company network, wouldn't the calendar be frozen in time, so to speak (even though it is past the date), since the system can't actually check?

Also, could Yuri have, by accident selected the WRONG domain name from the dropdown arrow in the selection field, which could be causing the problem?

[Leddih]

Re: Password Blues

Which operating system does your computer use? Is it XP?

[Yuriatin]

Re: Password Blues

<span style="font-size: 17pt"><span style="font-weight: bold">Yes Skinny! Yes!!!</span></span>


<span style="font-style: italic">
Same soh di screen look!</span>

Something like this.

It comes up with these 3 field you have pictured here.

I can't get anywhere to do anything because I can't get past this dialogue box you have here because my password no longer works.

[Yuriatin]

Re: Password Blues

Ok - I have a bit of errand running to do when I get home this eve - will check back in with you guys late tonite or tmrw!

Thanks.

[Yuriatin]

Re: Password Blues

Windows XP

So, no matter what I do, the logon message I get is
<span style="font-weight: bold">
<span style="font-style: italic">&quot;The security log on system is full. Only an adminstrator can log on to fix the problem.&quot;</span>
</span>
So it seem like I have to pay to take this some where to get fix after all.

Good heavens. Mi bruk bad bad.






<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Leddih</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Which operating system does your computer use? Is it XP? </div></div>

[LinSkinny]

Re: Password Blues

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Yuri_</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Windows XP

So, no matter what I do, the logon message I get is
<span style="font-weight: bold">
<span style="font-style: italic">&quot;The security log on system is full. Only an adminstrator can log on to fix the problem.&quot;</span>
</span>
So it seem like I have to pay to take this some where to get fix after all.

Good heavens. Mi bruk bad bad.</div></div>

Yeah, you bruk it, but it is a relatively easy fix for somebody who knows what they are doing. Yes you will need an admin sign in. The issue is that you don't have one.

So what to do? Well, since this is a public forum, I am not going to give you step by step, but I will point and 'suggest' where to look and what to do. You're going to have to either research it yourself or find somebody that know what them doing.

The main cause is that there is a security log that is full just like it says. Since you're not an admin, You'll need to modify the admin password so that you can logon. Even if this is a domain pc, you can still modify it and get logged in as a local admin. There are various free programs out there, The main one that can be used for this vintage pc uses either a linux boot floppy or CD. You basically boot off the floppy, mount the hard drive, make the modification, save it, unmount the hard drive, and reboot. It literally takes 10 seconds once the pc is booted. There have been patches written to prevent this easy fix, but many pcs have not yet been patched. You wont know until you try it. If it doesn't work, you can also delete or edit the log using that linux disk.

An alternate method is the take the hard drive to another pc, install it and you'll have access to the drive. You should be able to edit the log once installed, but sometimes when you try to do stuff through windows, the security blocks you and you have to find alternate programs to do what you want.

As for the cause of the problem. Somebody didn't check a box in the windows configuration. Basically that box says to overwrite the log when it reaches the preset size. On the Microsoft site, search on KB867860 and it will give you the same info I mentioned here, only they wont tell you the <span style="font-style: italic">linux</span> way of fixing it. This should <span style="font-style: italic">not</span> cost much to fix. Seriously.

Again, find somebody who know what they are doing and this will be fixed in no time.

[halfwaytree]

Re: Password Blues

That is very interesting!

Perhaps a PM to Yuri with specific step by step instructions would be helpful, I know it would be for me if I was having that problem.

I'm glad you posted this for all of us to read though as I have learned something new.

[Leddih]

Re: Password Blues

Do you have access to a CD burner and do you know how to burn ISO files?

[Yuriatin]

Re: Password Blues

Yes &amp; yes ...


<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Leddih</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Do you have access to a CD burner and do you know how to burn ISO files? </div></div>