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3 Free Burning Tools to Create PCUnlocker Live CD

June 23rd, 2015 by Admin

PCUnlocker can be created with almost any program that supports creating a CD from a disc image. Begin with downloading the PCUnlocker program (ZIP file) and unzip that file to extract the pcunlocker.iso image. You can then burn the ISO to a blank CD using one of the three best burning tools: CDBurnerXP, ImgBurn or InfraRecorder.

1. CDBurnerXP

CDBurnerXP is a lightweight and easy-to-use CD/DVD burning software, which can burn data discs (CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray), audio CDs and disc images, as well as creating video DVDs from folders, and there are some small but welcome extras. Here’s how to create a PCUnlocker Live CD with CDBurnXP:

  1. When you first launch CDBurnerXP, you can select a list of actions from the start screen. To make a live CD, pick up the Burn ISO image option and click OK.

    CDBurnerXP

  2. Click on the Browse button to open a window where you can navigate to the pcunlocker.iso file. When you have selected the file, click on the Open button. You will now be at the same screen, but now the ISO you wish to burn will be selected.

    burn-cd-with-CDBurnerXP

  3. Make sure you have a blank DVD/CD media inserted and that your target device is set to the correct drive. Then click on the Burn disc button. CDBurnerXP will now start to create a PCUnlocker Live CD.

2. ImgBurn

ImgBurn is a straightforward disc burning utility that can be used to create, burn and check disc image files with ease. The program supports a wide range of disc image formats include .bin, .cue, .iso and .img and it can be used in a number of ways. Here’s how to make a PCUnlocker Live CD with ImgBurn:

  1. Start the ImgBurn program and select Write image file to disc.

    imgburn

  2. Now select the PCUnlocker ISO file by clicking on folder icon given under “Source”.

    imgburn-select-iso

  3. Click on the big button at the bottom-left of the window to kick off the disc writing process. This will write the ISO image to your CD drive.

    burn-cd-with-imgburn

3. InfraRecorder

InfraRecorder covers almost any of your optical needs, including support for burning disc images, copying discs, creating quick audio CDs, writing video DVDs, erasing discs, and more. InfraRecorder is lightweight and decidedly bloat-free, and it’s even available as a portable app you can carry on your thumb drive to satisfy your burning needs no matter where you are. Here’s how to use it to create a PCUnlocker Live CD:

  1. When InfraRecorder opens click the Write Image button.

    InfraRecorder

  2. Select the PCUnlocker iso image file and click Open.

    InfraRecorder-select-iso

  3. In the dialog box that opened, you may choose the settings for how to burn the disk. If you don’t know what any of the settings mean don’t change them and just click OK to start the disc burning process.

    burn-cd-with-InfraRecorder

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FAQs for Password Reset Disk in Windows

June 22nd, 2015 by Admin

A password reset disk allows you to change lost Windows user password from Windows login screen, without needing to know your old password. In one of my previous posts we’ve covered how to create and use a password reset disk in Windows 7. Here we’ll try to answer the frequently asked questions about password reset disk in Windows 10/8/7/Vista/XP.

The use of password reset disk has actually protected many users against forgetting their logon passwords. And Microsoft recommends you to always create a password reset disk immediately after setting up a new user account. If you have a lot of users and do not wish to create a reset disk for each one, then you should at least create one for the administrator account on that computer. You can then use that administrator account to change any other user’s password.

FAQ: I’ve created a password reset disk for account A, can I use it to reset the password for account B?

No. Password reset disk is unique to an account (good from security point of view). That’s to say, even if you create a password reset disk for account A of Windows machine A, you cannot use it to reset the password for account B of Windows machine A, and you’ll got the following error message:

password-reset-error

FAQ: Can I create a password reset disk after forgetting my Windows password?

It’s too late to create a password reset disk. You have to create a password reset disk before you forgot the password. If you’ve already forgotten your Windows password and don’t have a password reset disk, you need to take use of the third-party live CDs such as PCUnlocker.

FAQ: Do I have to re-create a password reset disk after changing the password?

Your previously-created password reset disk will continue to work. No need to re-create the disk every time you change your user password.

FAQ: Can I create multiple password reset disks for one account?

Only one password reset disk can be created for per account. When you try to create another password reset disk, you’ll get the warn message “There is already a password reset disk for this user account. Creating a new one will make the old one unusable. Do you want to continue?”

replace-reset-disk

If you click Yes, the previous password reset disk automatically expires, and Windows no longer recognizes it when the user tries to use it to reset the password. This is integrated in the operating system for security purposes.

FAQ: Why Windows say “this disk is not a password reset disk”?

A password reset disk is actually a USB drive that contains a single file named userkey.psw in its root directory. userkey.psw is an encrypted backup version of your password.

password-reset-disk

If you try to reset password using a USB drive that doesn’t contain the userkey.psw file, Windows will warn you that it’s not a password reset disk.

not-password-reset-disk

FAQ: Where should I store the password reset disk?

A password reset disk in the wrong hands could be used to reset the account password for whichever computer and user account for which it was created. Therefore it’s imperative to keep your password reset disk in a secure location, preferably away from the computer it was created with.

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Posted in Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Vista, Windows XP

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How to Reset Lost Windows Password on Mac OS X

June 11th, 2015 by Admin

I have a MacBook Air with Windows 7 in Bootcamp and need to recover the password. I normally use Offline NT Password & Registry Editor, but I couldn’t get it to boot from either CD or USB drive. How can I bypass the password?

Mac OS X normally uses EFI firmware that will stop you from using traditional bootable utilities to reset your Windows password. To boot a Mac from a CD or USB drive, you have to use a EFI-compatible password cracking tool such as PCUnlocker Enterprise. Here’s a walkthrough of using the PCUnlocker Live CD to reset lost Windows password on Mac OS X.

Part 1: Create A PCUnlocker Live CD from Mac OS X

Here are steps to create a PCUnlocker Live CD from within the OS X. If you’re also unable to access the OS X, you can create the disc from another Mac or Windows computer.

  1. Download the PCUnlocker Enterprise and save it to your desktop. Extract (by double-clicking) the downloaded .zip file to get a CD image named pcunlocker.iso.
  2. Open Finder and navigate to Applications -> Utilities and double-click Disk Utility.

  3. Once the Disk Utility is launched, click the Burn button at the top of Disk Utility in the toolbar.

  4. Choose the pcunlocker.iso file from the pop up window. Click on Burn and confirm your operation. The disc will be ready soon.

Part 2: Reset Lost Windows Password

  1. Power on your Mac and immediately press and hold the Option key on the keyboard. Keeping holding it, and about 10 seconds later, your Mac will prompt you to select the boot options: Windows, Macintosh HD and CD/DVD drive.
  2. Use the arrow key to select the DVD drive and press Enter. After WinPE loads, you’ll see the PCUnlocker program. It automatically searches the Windows SAM database on your Boot Camp partition, and lists all your Windows accounts.

  3. Select one of your accounts and click on “Reset Password” button. It will unlock / reset your forgotten Windows user password immediately. Eject the CD and restart your Mac. You can then log back in to your Windows without a password!

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2 Options to Reset Forgotten SQL Server 2012 Password

June 10th, 2015 by Admin

Forgot the SA password for your SQL Server 2012 instance? If you have tried to access the database too many times with wrong passwords, the SA account may be locked out. In this tutorial we’ll show you two options to take control of your SQL Server 2012 by either adding a sysadmin account or resetting the SA password.

Option 1: Reset SQL Server 2012 Password in Single-user Mode

  1. Launch the SQL Server Configuration Manager utility. Look for your SQL Server 2012 instance and stop the service.

    stop-sql-server

  2. Open a Command Prompt with admin privileges, run the following command to start SQL Server 2012 in single-user mode:
    net start MSSQL$SQLEXPRESS /m"SQLCMD"

    Be sure to change MSSQL$SQLEXPRESS to the service name of your SQL Server instance. Each instance has its own SQL Server service. The service name could be found within the Windows Services panel (services.msc).

    sql-server-service

  3. Use the sqlcmd command to connect to your SQL Server 2012 database locally. If your SQL Server is installed on a remote computer, make sure you substitute the . (dot) with the host name of that server.
    sqlcmd -E -S .
  4. Type the following SQL statement to create a new account and granting it any server-level permission.
    CREATE LOGIN tom WITH PASSWORD = 'P@ssw0rd'
    GO
    ALTER SERVER ROLE sysadmin ADD MEMBER tom
    GO

    add-sql-user

  5. Type exit to quit sqlcmd. Restart your SQL Server 2012 service to get out of the single-user mode. You can then connect to the database using the new login you just created.

Option 2: Offline Reset SQL Server 2012 Password

SQL Server creates the user’s password hash, which is stored in the master database (sysxlogins). With SQL Server Password Changer you can unlock / reset SQL Server 2012 passwords for the SA and other user accounts. Here’s how:

  1. First of all, you need to stop your SQL Server 2012 instance from within the SQL Server Configuration Manager utility.
  2. Download and install the SQL Server Password Changer program.
  3. Start the SQL Server Password Changer program. Click on Open File button to browse for the master.mdf file. Usually the master.mdf file is located at C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL11.SQLEXPRESS\MSSQL\DATA.

    open-master-mdf

  4. Once you have clicked on the Open button, the program will display a list of user accounts for your SQL Server instance. Select the SA account and click on Change Password button.

    sql-server-2012-password

  5. In the pop-up window, type a new password and click OK. The new password can be as short or simple as you want, no need to meet the password complexity requirements.
  6. After resetting the SA password, start your SQL Server instance and you can then login to the SA account successfully.

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Fix the Error “Windows cannot complete the extraction. The destination file could not be created”

June 3rd, 2015 by Admin

Windows has built-in support for zip files. It can create, extract, browse through zip files which is a nice feature but this feature can also give you troubles in some situations.

When you try to open a .zip file you’ve downloaded using Windows Explorer, you might receive the follow error:

“Windows cannot complete the extraction. The destination file could not be created.”

error-open-zip

By default, Windows will extract the files into the temp folder when you double-click on a .zip file to open it for viewing. This error means there is a problem with the permissions of the temp folder.

Here is a workaround:

  1. Move the .zip file into one of your user profile sub-folders, like Downloads, Documents, Pictures, etc.
  2. Right-click on the .zip file and select “Extract All”. This allows you to decompress all of the files into a folder of your choice.

Actually this problem has been faced by lots of Windows users. If you open the zip file with some third-party tools such as 7-zip or WinRAR, every file could be opened without error.

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How to Fix “Your connection is not private” in Chrome

May 27th, 2015 by Admin

Whenever you try to login to Yahoo Mail, Facebook or YouTube using Google Chrome, you might get the ERR_CERT_COMMON_NAME_INVALID error:

Your connection is not private
Attackers might be trying to steal your information from site (for example, passwords, messages, or credit cards).

connection-not-private

After searching the web for solutions, most of which where pointing to system time not in sync. If your computer’s date and time is not correct, you’ll face this strange problem.

If you confirm the date is up to date, then check the anti-virus software installed on your computer which might block the website’s security certificate.

  • If you’re using Avast, you need to turn off HTTPS scanning in Avast: go to Settings > Active Protection > Web Shield > Customize, uncheck the “Enable HTTPS scanning” box.
  • For Bitdefender, open the main Bitdefender interface and go to Settings (upper right corner). From there, click on Privacy Control. Select the Antiphising tab. Switch Scan SSL to OFF.

For some situations, the problem might happen as the root certs were messed up. You have to clear all certs on your computer and rebuilt new once using Microsoft fix it tool.

Hope this helps others!

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How to Enable BitLocker Encryption without TPM Chip

May 17th, 2015 by Admin

BitLocker is a useful hard drive encryption feature in Ultimate and Enterprise versions of Windows 10/8/7/Vista, which allows you to encrypt an entire fixed drive. If you try to enable BitLocker on an old computer without TPM chip, you will receive one of the following error messages:

“A compatible Trusted Platform Module (TPM) Security Device must be present on this computer, but a TPM was not found. Please contact your system administrator to enable BitLocker.”

or

“This device can’t use a Trusted Platform Module. Your administrator must set the “Allow BitLocker without a compatible TPM” option in the “Require additional authentication at startup” policy for OS volumes.”

However, not all computers include TPM and you can’t add a TPM chip to a computer. Luckily there is a group policy that allows you to configure BitLocker to work without a TPM chip. Here’s how:

  1. Press the Windows key + R to bring up the Run box, type gpedit.msc and hit Enter to open the Group Policy Editor.
  2. Go to Local Computer Policy > Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > BitLocker Drive Encryption > Operating Systems. Double-click on “Require additional authentication at startup“.

  3. In the radio buttons at the top, select Enabled. Check the box marked “Allow BitLocker without a compatible TPM“.

  4. Click OK and close out of Local Group Policy Editor.
  5. Now we will need to force the policy to take effect on your PC, to do this press the Windows + R key combination. When the Run box opens, type gpupdate /force and hit Enter.

Now you can use BitLocker to encrypt your system drive without having a TPM chip in your computer.

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Posted in Tips & Tricks, Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Vista

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Parallels Desktop: Reset Lost Windows VM Password

May 16th, 2015 by Admin

If we forget the Admin password for a Windows virtual machine running on Parallels Desktop, is there an easy way to reset it? With PCUnlocker you can reset lost Windows password and regain access to your Parallels VM. This is considerably faster than destroying and rebuilding your VM.

This tutorial will take you step by step through resetting a Windows login password inside a Parallels Desktop virtual machine running on your Mac.

How to Reset Windows VM Password on Parallels Desktop?

  1. Click here to download and save the PCUnlocker self-extracting Zip file on to your Mac. Once the download is complete, double-click on the .zip file and Archive Utility should appear and automatically extract your files. Open the folder you extracted to and you can see a CD image: pcunlocker.iso.

  2. Start Parallels Desktop but do not start your virtual machine. Right-click on your Windows virtual machine and choose Configure.
  3. In the Virtual Machine Configuration dialog, choose the Hardware tab and select CD/DVD 1. Make sure that Connected option is checked. From the “Connected to:” drop-down list, select “Choose an image file” and locate the pcunlocker.iso file you downloaded in step 1.

  4. Go to Hardware tab and click Boot Order. Move CD/DVD to the first place in the Boot order.

  5. Start your Windows virtual machine and it will boot directly to the PCUnlocker program which lists all user accounts on your Windows system.
  6. Select a user whose password you would like to reset and click on “Reset Password” button to clear the user’s password. The program should now alert you that the password was cleared.

  7. You can now power off your virtual machine. Be sure to go back to the Virtual Machine Configuration and change the boot order back to hard disk. Start the VM and you should be able to log into Windows without typing a password!

Besides resetting Parallels Desktop password, you can also use PCUnlocker to bypass the passwords for Windows virtual machines running in Parallels Workstation, VMware Workstation, VirtualBox, Hyper-V, Virtual PC, ESX/ESXi, and other virtualization software.

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Posted in Tips & Tricks, Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Vista, Windows XP

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Extend Windows 10/8/7/Vista Trial Period from 30 to 120 Days

May 14th, 2015 by Admin

During Windows installation, you can skip the product key screen to continue installing the OS for evaluation purpose. By default, you can use it for 30-day trial period. If your trial has run out before you’ve decided whether or not to purchase a license key, you can extend the trial period from 30 days to 120 days.

In this article we’ll show you how to renew the trial period once it has expired with just a simple command. This method works regardless of what edition of Windows you’re running, including Windows 10, 8, 7, Vista and Windows Server 2012, 2008.

How to Extend Windows 10/8/7/Vista Trial Period from 30 to 120 Days?

  1. Open up a Command Prompt in Administrator mode.
  2. Type slmgr.vbs –rearm at the Command Prompt, and press Enter. In Windows 10 or 8.1, use slmgr.vbs /rearm instead.
  3. After a couple of seconds it will show you the message window that the command has completed successfully.
  4. Restart your computer and you can use the trial version for another 90 days for free. If you want to enjoy exact 120 days, run above mentioned command on the last day when your Windows trial period is going to expire.
  5. You can check how many days are left in your trial period, by running slmgr.vbs -dli in the Command Prompt.

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Posted in Tips & Tricks, Windows 10, Windows 7, Windows 8

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