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How to Create A Bootable USB Drive for UEFI Computers

June 25th, 2013 by Admin

Nowadays, most of the new Windows 8 laptops, desktops or tablets use the UEFI replacement for the traditional BIOS, such as Surface Pro, Samsung Slate or other UEFI systems. The problem with UEFI-based computers is that they can’t boot from bootdisk with NTFS partition. UEFI system requires that your bootdisk resides on FAT32 partition.

Most USB burning programs will format your USB drive as NTFS, which includes the Microsoft Store Windows USB/DVD download tool. Luckily there is a free ISO burning software that lets you create a bootable USB with FAT32 file system only. It’s called ISO2Disc. But here I’m going to show you how to use the Command Prompt to create a bootable USB drive for UEFI computers.

How to Create A Bootable USB Drive for UEFI Computers?

  1. Open the Command Prompt with administrator privileges, then start the diskpart utility:
    diskpart.exe
  2. List all the disks and identify your USB drive:
    list disk
  3. Select the disk number that is your USB drive.
    select disk 1
  4. Remove all existing partitions:
    clean
  5. Convert the partition table from MBR to GPT:
    convert gpt
  6. Create a new partition, make it active and format as FAT32, then assign a drive letter:
    create partition primary
    select partition 1
    active
    format quick fs=fat32
    assign
  7. Type “exit” and press Enter to quit diskpart utility.

The final step is to copy all the files from your physical boot CD to the USB drive. For example, you can copy all files from either your Windows 8 installation DVD or ISO image to your USB drive. After that, you can use the USB drive to boot your UEFI computer and perform system repairing or installation for your own purpose.

If you still are unable to boot your UEFI computer from the USB drive, you may need to disable the Secure Boot option in the BIOS. In my Samsung Slate tablet PC, I have to disable the Secure Boot by following these steps:

  1. Press and hold Volume-Up and Volume-Down, then power up or reboot the slate. It should go into BIOS setup.
  2. In “Advanced Configuration”, change “Attempt Secure Boot” to Disabled.
  3. Press Volume-Up and Volume-Down to exit, then “Save Changes and Reset”.
  4. Power off the machine.
  5. Plugin USB drive to slate. Press and Hold Volume-Up button, then power up the machine. It should boot into USB drive now.

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How to Reset Forgotten Windows 8 Password on Dell Latitude Tablet

June 24th, 2013 by Admin

I am using a Latitude 10 tablet with the Dell factory release of Windows 8 pre-installed. I have forgotten the administrator password and don’t have a password reset disk. Is there a way to delete/reset the password so I can get into my computer?

Forgot Windows 8 password on your Dell Latitude tablet? How to reset lost Windows 8 password without performing a factory reset? Windows is getting more secure with every release but unfortunately a new feature of UEFI Secure Boot makes old password cracking methods to common problems obsolete. So here I’m going to walk you through how to reset forgotten Windows 8 password on Dell Latitude tablet.

How to Reset Forgotten Windows 8 Password on Dell Latitude Tablet?

Download the zipped ISO image of PCUnlocker on another PC you can access. Unzip the download file and burn the ISO image on a USB flash drive using ISO2Disc program.

After you have created a PCUnlocker Live USB drive, connect it to your Dell Latitude tablet which requires a password reset. Turn on the tablet PC and hit F2 from keyboard dock or volume- rocker at startup. In the BIOS, navigate to the System Configuration > USB Configuration and enable the Boot Support option, then go to Secure Boot > Secure Boot and disable the Secure Boot option. Apply settings and Exit.

dell-latitude-secure-boot

Hit F2 from keyboard dock or hold down volume+ rocker at power-on. Choose your PCUnlocker Live USB drive and press Enter. Your tablet will load the WinPE operating system from your USB drive. After a while, you’ll see the PCUnlcoker program. The program displays a list of Windows 8 user accounts existing in your Dell Latitude tablet.

Choose a user account and click on Reset Password button. The program will reset your lost Windows 8 password and also unlock/enable your user account when it’s necessary. Now click on Restart button to reboot the computer and remove the PCUnlocker Live USB drive.

After booting to the Windows 8 login screen, just leave the password box empty and you can log back into your Windows 8 user account immediately. It’s so easy to reset a forgotten Windows 8 password on Dell Latitude tablet PC.

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Posted in Others, Tips & Tricks, Windows 8

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How to Reset Lost Windows Password with PCUnlocker Boot CD

June 24th, 2013 by Admin

So you forgot your Windows password and can’t get into your computer? Hey, it happens. We’re supposed to make very complicated passwords so they’re difficult to guess but sometimes we make them so complicated that we forget them ourselves. There are many software that can unlock your password, but nothing beats PCUnlocker Boot CD which is extremely powerful CD. In this tutorial we’ll show you how to reset lost Windows password with PCUnlocker Boot CD.

Since you obviously can’t get into your computer right now because you’ve forgotten your Windows password, we need to make a PCUnlocker Boot CD on another computer that you have access to. Then you can use it to boot off your computer and it enables you to reset lost Windows 8/7/Vista/XP password easily!

How to Reset Lost Windows Password with PCUnlocker Boot CD?

Download the zipped ISO image of PCUnlocker Boot CD. Unzip the download file and burn the ISO image on a CD or DVD using your preferred software such as ImgBurn, BurnCDCC, ISO2Disc or InfraRecorder.

Once you’ve created a PCUnlocker Boot CD, put it into the CD drive of your locked computer. Turn on the computer and change the boot sequence in the BIOS to set CD/DVD-ROM as the first boot device. On a Windows 8 computer with UEFI BIOS, you also need to disable the Secure Boot option and change the boot mode from UEFI to Legacy.

After booting from the PCUnlocker Boot CD, the Computer will run a Windows PE operating system from the CD, it will NOT install anything. Just about one or two minutes, you’ll see the PCUnlocker program. The program should display a list of user accounts existing in your Windows SAM registry hive.

Choose a user account and click on “Reset Password” button. The program will reset your lost Windows password and also unlock/enable your user account when it’s necessary. Now click on “Restart” button to reboot the computer and remove the PCUnlocker Boot CD.

When you come to the Windows login screen, just leave the password box empty and you can log back into your Windows user account immediately. Done!

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

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How to Find Windows Administrator Password without Resetting It

June 22nd, 2013 by Admin

How can I find out Windows administrator password without changing or resetting it? That’s where Ophcrack comes in. Ophcrack is one of the more effective password cracking software that runs on a Live CD, and it can be used to find your original Windows password.

Since you obviously can’t get into your computer right now because you’ve forgotten the administrator password, we need to make a Ophcrack Live CD on another computer that you have access to. Then you can use it to boot off your computer and it enables you to find Windows administrator password without resetting it.

How to Find Windows Administrator Password without Resetting It?

  1. Put the Ophcrack Live CD in the CD drive of the computer you want to find the Windows administrator of.
  2. Have the computer to boot from Ophcrack Live CD. This shouldn’t be to hard. Depending on computer, enter the bios settings and change the boot settings to boot from a disc drive on first boot device.
  3. After the initial startup of your computer is complete, the Ophcrack Live CD menu should display. Select the Ophcrack Graphic mode option and press Enter.

    ophcrack

  4. The next screen is the Ophcrack Live CD software itself. Ophcrack will attempt to find the passwords for all of the Windows user accounts that it can find on your computer. This password cracking process is completely automated.

    ophcrack-program

  5. After Ophcrack recovers your password, write it down, remove the Ophcrack Live CD from your optical drive and restart your computer. You can then get to log on to Windows with your discovered password!

Ophcrack won’t find every password – some are too long and some are far too complicated. If Ophcrack didn’t do the trick just try some Windows password reset software. One of the most powerful software is PCUnlocker, which can help you reset lost Windows administrator password instantly. It always works no matter how long or complicated your administrator password is.

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

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Learn the Basics of Directory Services Restore Mode

June 20th, 2013 by Admin

Directory Services Restore Mode (DSRM) is a special boot option similar to Safe Mode in Windows. But this mode is only applicable to Windows Server domain controllers and it is used to restore or repair an Active Directory database. If there is a need to repair or restore Active Directory database, DSRM has to be used. Restarting in Directory Services Restore Mode takes the domain controller offline, meaning it functions as a regular server, not as a domain controller.

Boot into Directory Services Restore Mode

If you have physical access to a domain controller, you can access the Directory Services Restore Mode easily. Simply turn on or restart the computer and press F8 prior to the machine booting into Windows, the system will display the Advanced Boot Options.

dsrm

Choose the Directory Services Restore Mode from the menu and press Enter. The server will then boot into Directory Services Restore Mode.

Directory Services Restore Mode Password

Generally when you run the DCPROMO command to promote an individual server to a domain controller, the install wizard will prompt you to set a Directory Services Restore Mode password. This password is actually for the built-in local administrator account. In order to boot into Directory Services Restore Mode, you need to use the local administrator account along with the DSRM password to get past the Windows logon screen.

It is very important to know what the DSRM password is. The DSRM password provides the administrator with a back door to boot into Directory Services Restore Mode for performing maintenance and recovery tasks. This account is often forgotten by most AD administrators, which results in a significant security risk. If exploited, this security risk can cause high impact.

The DSRM password should be changed on a regular basis. Because the DSRM password can be used to log on in Directory Services Restore Mode, and in this mode the tasks that can be performed are significant, an exploit of the DSRM account can be extremely detrimental to your AD DS forest.

But what to do if you forgot the DSRM password? In the event a DSRM password is forgotten, you can change or reset it easily by using the tricks described in this article: How to Change or Reset DSRM Administrator Password.

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How to Recover Lost Windows Vista Product Key

June 19th, 2013 by Admin

Two years ago I bought an Asus laptop with Windows Vista pre-installed. I now want to reinstall Windows and fully format the hard drive – however, the sticker with the Windows product key under the laptop is unreadable. How can I retrieve the product key? It seems stupid that it was only placed on the sticker that is destroyed after some time if you frequently hold the laptop on your lap.

If by any chance, you’ve lost your Windows Vista product key, no need to worry! Product Key Finder can recover it for you. It’s a great software that retrieves your Windows Vista product key from registry, giving you access to print or save it for future. It recovers keys for Windows 8/7/Vista/XP, Windows Server 2012/2008/2003/2000, Office 2013/2007/2003/XP, etc. It can also recover lost keys for many other applications as well.

How to Recover Lost Windows Vista Product Key?

  1. Download and install Product Key Finder on your Windows Vista computer.
  2. Installation is pretty simple. Just follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup and run the program.
  3. Click on “Start Recovery” button, it will bring up a list of recovery options: From current system, From non-booting system and From remote computer.
  4. Select the “From current system” option, the program will instantly decrypt and recover Windows Vista product key, and find license keys for other commercial software installed on your local computer.

After recovering your lost Windows Vista product key, you can save it in a plain text file for easy reference at some later date. Remember to create a backup of your product keys on a regular basis in case of system crash or re-installation of Windows.

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Posted in Product Key, Tips & Tricks, Windows Vista

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How to Create a Windows Live CD Using PE Builder

June 19th, 2013 by Admin

A Live CD is a bootable media that contains an operating system, along with software used for repairing, restoring, or diagnosing computer problems. It can save you a lot of trouble in case of a computer crash or malware infection on your PC. By using a Live CD, you can easily access these files on your unbootable computer and backup them to an external storage device. You can also use a Live CD to clean severe malware infections.

In previous post we’ve introduced 7 free system rescue discs. But most of them are based on Linux and many Windows users find they are very difficult to use. Here today we are going to show you how to create a Windows Live CD using PE Builder.

Requirements:

  • Windows XP installation disc
  • PE Builder
  • A blank CD and CD/DVD burner

How to Create a Windows Live CD Using PE Builder?

Download the latest version of PE Builder self-installing package from Bart’s site and run it. It extracts all the files to a folder (e.g. C:\pebuilder3110a) and creates a desktop shortcut to launch the PE Builder.

Double-click the PE Builder desktop shortcut. PE Builder will ask to search for windows installation files. Click No and specify the source path to your Windows XP installation disc.

pebuilder

Click the Plugins button, you’ll see a list of plugins that will be integrated into the Live CD. Plug-ins are nothing but a way to add additional software to your Windows Live CD. You can visit the Bart PE plug-in repository and add more software to your Live CD.

bartpe-plugins

After configuring your plugins, click on Close to return to the main interface. In the Media output section, select “Burn to CD/DVD” and then click the Build button.

If the build process completes without any errors, you have made yourself a Live CD. You can then use it to boot up your computer.

BARTPE

Congratulations. You have created a Windows Live CD, far more useful than the system repair disc created by Windows. With this Live CD, you can rescue files from your crashed computer, defragment the hard disk and even surf the Internet without leaving any traces!

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7 Free System Rescue Discs to Make Your Life Easier

June 18th, 2013 by Admin

What to do if your computer is infected with malware such as a virus, or won’t boot because Windows files are corrupt? There are lots of errors that can render your PC unbootable and your data inaccessible. A great way to fix computer problems is to boot from a system rescue disc. I would like to share with you 7 free system rescue discs that can be used to recover, rescue and repair your computer.

1. Ultimate Boot CD for Windows

Ultimate Boot CD is designed to troubleshoot Windows and Linux systems, and comes with a wealth of hardware testing, hard drive management, and partition troubleshooting and repair tools. With network support, the ability to modify NTFS volumes, recover deleted files, create new NTFS volumes, scan hard drives for viruses, etc. this software includes almost everything you need to repair your system problems.

2. Hiren’s Boot CD

Hiren’s Boot CD is aimed at repairing Windows systems, and includes a wealth of tools to that effect, including antivirus tools to scan your hard drive, anti-malware utilities to clean out spyware and adware, even rootkit detection tools. Hiren’s BootCD can also help you repair, adjust, or re-flash your system’s BIOS or wipe your CMOS, clean out temporary files and folders, securely erase files, back up your data to another hard drive or to the network, update and back up hardware drivers, scan your system for hardware failures, repair lost or damaged partitions, and much much more.

3. Trinity Rescue Kit

Trinity Rescue Kit is a free command-line Live CD Linux distribution created especially for rescuing Windows PCs. It can run on a CD (or a USB stick if you prefer) and once booted gives you tools to reset lost Windows password, scan hard drives for viruses and malware, clone drives, recover lost partitions, even open up the drives as network shares so you can get files off of them and to other computers on your network.

4. Emergency Boot CD

Emergency Boot CD is a self-contained bootable OS on live CD, intended for system recovery in the case of software or hardware faults. It is able to create backup copies of normally working system and restore system to saved state. You can use also use it to restore access to your PC when you forgot Windows password, fix various boot related problems, create/format/delete and wipe partitions.

5. Ubuntu

Ubuntu can be an extremely effective tool for repairing and working on computers. It gives you access to your computer and back up all of your files in ways Windows can’t – or when Windows is completely broken. Ubuntu Live CD also comes with GParted, which is a pretty amazing drive partitioning program. If you’re looking to re-size your Windows partition, or turn some empty space into a secondary partition, this is the tool you’re looking for.

6. BartPE

Bart’s PE Builder helps you build a BartPE (Bart Preinstalled Environment) bootable Windows CD-Rom or DVD from the original Windows XP installation/setup CD, very suitable for PC maintenance tasks.

It will give you a complete Win32 environment with network support, a graphical user interface and FAT/NTFS/CDFS filesystem support. Very handy for burn-in testing systems with no OS, rescuing files to a network share, virus scan and so on.

7. Knoppix

Knoppix is a Debian-based Linux distribution and one of the first Linux live CDs that was available. It lets you restore your boot loader to your master boot record, back up hard drives, and repair file systems. It even works as a great Windows recovery CD, as you can read and write to all the major Windows file systems, including FAT, FAT32, and NTFS. It can restore corrupted system files, back up documents and settings, scan the system for viruses, and even edit the Windows Registry.

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Posted in Free Software, Others

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How to Reset Lost Windows Password on Compaq Presario Laptop

June 18th, 2013 by Admin

My sister forgot the password to her Windows Vista Compaq computer, and it is the only account on the computer. Is there anyway to unlock or reset it? She doesn’t have a password hint or a password reset disc. Thanks in advance.

Forgot Windows 7, Vista or XP password on your Compaq Presario laptop? Can’t access an old laptop which you haven’t used for a long time? The only method that most people will think of is re-installation of Windows but it will mean loss of important data and settings. Fortunately, now there are programs which make it easy for us to reset Windows admin/user password easily. Here I’ll walk you through how to use a password removal CD/USB drive to reset lost Windows password on Compaq Presario laptop.

Requirements

  • An alternate computer you can use to make a password removal CD/USB drive
  • A blank CD or USB flash drive

How to Reset Lost Windows Password on Compaq Presario Laptop?

First, download the Reset Windows Password utility and save it on your alternate computer. Unzip the download file and you’ll find a bootable CD image file: ResetWindowsPwd.iso. Burn the ISO image to a blank CD or USB flash drive using ISO2Disc program.

Now you need to use the password removal CD/USB drive to boot your locked Compaq Presario Laptop. Connect the CD/USB drive into the computer and turn it on. You may see a screen that says, “Press XXX for Boot Menu”. This indicates the key you need to press to enter the Boot Menu.

Choose the CD/DVD-ROM Drive or Removable Device from the Boot Menu, the computer will try to load the operating system inside the password removal CD/USB drive. After a while, you’ll see the Reset Windows Password program, which displays a list of local accounts existing in your Windows SAM database.

Select your Windows account and then click on “Reset Password” button. The program will prompt you to confirm the operation. After confirmation, it will remove your Windows user password in no time.

Now you’ve already reset lost Windows password on your Compaq Presario Laptop. Restart the computer and remove the CD/USB drive, you can then log into your Windows user account without a password. Enjoy it!

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

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