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2 Options to Find Windows XP Product Key

May 8th, 2013 by Admin

Lost your Windows XP product key? Or the product key sticker has fadded out? Normally the product key is on a sticker on your computer or located with the manual that came with Windows XP. If you are unable to locate your product key, you’ll lose a valuable license. In this article we’ll describe two options which can help you find Windows XP product key from your Windows registry or original installation CD.

Option 1: Find Windows XP Product Key from Your Installation CD

If you have misplaced your Windows XP product key, you can still recover it from your original installation CD, by follow these steps:

  1. Insert the installation CD into your CD / DVD Drive.
  2. Explore the CD and navigate to the i386 folder.
  3. Open the file UNATTEND.txt and scroll down to the last line.
  4. You will find your Windows XP product key there.

Option 2: Find Windows XP Product Key from Windows Registry

The method above works only for certain OEM CDs. If you couldn’t locate your product key from the CD or the installation CD is inaccessible, then this option should be of help! With Product Key Finder program you can decrypt Windows XP product key which is stored in Windows registry.

To get started, download and install Product Key Finder on your computer. After installing, run the program. Click on “Start Recovery” button, it will display a list of recovery options. Choose the “From current system” option, the program will begin to find and recover your Windows XP product key in seconds!

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Posted in Product Key, Tips & Tricks, Windows XP

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How to Recover Windows 8 OEM Product Key Embedded in BIOS

May 7th, 2013 by Admin

I did a fresh install of Windows 8 on my PC, I was told the OEM product key will automatically supplied in the installtion. However, it did not happen in my case. Now I’m stuck with an unregistered Windows 8. I’m wondering, now, if there’s a way to extract the product key from my BIOS?

If you have recently purchased a Windows 8 laptop or desktop PC, you might have wondered where the product key sticker is. On the bottom or on the back of the machine? From now onward any PC that comes preloaded with Windows 8 will have its product keys embedded in the system’s BIOS. Product keys will no longer be printed on a sticker on the outside of the machine as has always been the case. This change was confirmed by Microsoft in its ‘Microsoft Answers’ website.

This has several advantages, both for Microsoft and OEMs as it is no longer that easy to “steal” product keys this way, and for users who do not have to worry about fading text or damaged labels on their computers. But it also has its own set of cons. For example, say you need to install Windows 8 on a new PC since the old one is fried, but the product key is embedded in the PC.

Luckily, there is still an easy way to recover Windows 8 OEM product key which is embedded in BIOS. Product Key Finder is a handy program that could helps you to extract Windows 8 product key from any laptop or desktop PC which comes with Windows 8 pre-installed. Let’s proceed.

How to Recover Windows 8 Product Key Embedded in BIOS?

  1. Download and install Product Key Finder on your Windows 8 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 quickly recover and display your Windows 8 product key, and serial numbers for other commercial software installed on your computer.

It’s necessary to backup your Windows 8 product key in advance before your computer is crashed or broken. With Product Key Finder you can find Windows 8 product keys for both OEM and retail versions of Windows 8.

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Posted in Others, Tips & Tricks, Windows 8

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How to Print Password-Protected PDF Document

May 6th, 2013 by Admin

A few days ago, I downloaded a PDF document. When I tried to print it out, I found the printing option is disabled. Without proper password, the document can not be printed. How can I get around the printing restriction?

Some PDF documents come with restrictions that limit our work. We can’t print, copy or edit the content of a password-protected PDF file. And this could be the case even when you have the legal right to modify or print the document (if you don’t have the legal right to do it then we won’t encourage you to do it either).

So in such situations, the best way out is to remove the printing restriction from the PDF document. And PDF Password Recovery does exactly that. This program works quickly in removing PDF permissions password. Just with a few simple steps, you can remove the printing/editing/copying restrictions imposed on your PDF document and then print it without any restriction.

How to Print Password-Protected PDF Document?

Step #1: Download and install PDF Password Recovery application on your computer. After installing, start the program.

Step #2: Click the … button to select your password-protected PDF document (*.pdf), then select the “Remove Owner Password” option. Click Next.

Step #3: The program will decrypt your PDF file instantly and save the decrypted file to the same folder with the original file. “_decrypted” ending is added to the decrypted file.

Step #4: Now you can print the decrypted PDF document without any restriction.

Note: If you can not open the PDF document, you need to use PDF Password Recovery program to recover the open password before removing the printing restriction.

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Windows 2003 Domain Administrator Password Recovery

May 6th, 2013 by Admin

I’ve forgotten the domain administrator password on my Windows Server 2003. I’ve tried the SRVANY trick but after rebooting 3 times into Directory Service Restore mode and tweaking the settings, I have not been able to log-in successfully. So, I’m not having much luck. I also saw a reference to Ophcrack, but it doesn’t support Windows Server 2003. How can I recover or change my forgotten domain admin password?

Forgot Windows 2003 domain administrator password? It happens with many peoples especially those who constantly change passwords or haven’t logged on their server for a long time. In this tutorial I will teach you a step by step procedure on how to create a Live CD and then use it to change Windows 2003 domain administrator password. Immediately recover access to your server without data loss!

Windows 2003 Domain Administrator Password Recovery

In this tutorial we’ll talk about a program called Reset Windows Password, which is a handy recovery utility that runs from a Live CD or USB drive. Its most common use is to reset Windows local user password you’ve forgotten but it also allows you to change domain administrator password on Windows Server 2012/2008/2003/2000. Let’s see how can you use it to recover Windows 2003 domain administrator password easily!

Step #1: First of all you’ll have to download Reset Windows Password utility on another computer. Once the Live CD ISO is downloaded, burn it on a blank CD using ISO image burning software like ISO2Disc or ImgBurn.

Step #2: Now turn on your Windows 2003 Server you want to recover the domain administrator password of, insert the burned disc into your CD/DVD-ROM. Make sure you have set the boot sequence to CD-ROM first. If not, go to BIOS and set the boot sequence accordingly.

Step #3: Once the Live CD loads it will automatically start the Reset Windows Password program. Click on the “Reset Active Directory Password” option, the program will decrypt the Active Directory database (ntds.dit) and show you a list of domain user accounts existing on your Windows 2003 server.

Step #4: Choose the domain administrator account and then click on “Reset Password” button. Confirm your operation and the program will change your forgotten domain administrator password to Password123.

Step #5: Now you can take the Live CD out from the CD/DVD drive and start booting into Windows 2003. Type in the new password at the Windows logon screen, you can then successfully logged back into your domain administrator user account.

So that was how you can easily recover access to your Windows 2003 server after forgetting domain administrator password. This method will not recover your original password but it resets the password, so you can use it to unlock lost Windows 2003 server quickly, no matter how complex or strong your domain administrator password may be. The procedure of Windows 2003 domain administrator password recovery is instant and easy!

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Posted in Active Directory Password, Tips & Tricks

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How to Find Windows 8 Product Key

May 5th, 2013 by Admin

Lost or misplaced your Windows 8 product key? How can I find the product key that was used to activate Windows 8? If you have bought a PC that shipped with Windows 8 pre-installed you may have noticed that it did not come with Windows product key stickers anymore. In this tutorial we’ll show you how to easily find Windows 8 product key for your current Windows installation.

Product Key Finder is the only key recovery program that is fully compatible with Windows 8. It enables you to easily locate your CD key for your current working or crashed Windows 8 installation, and find the product key on any pre-installed version of Windows 8. Let’s see how can you find Windows 8 product key in just a few mouse clicks!

How to Find Windows 8 Product Key?

  1. Download and install Product Key Finder on your Windows 8 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 find and display Windows 8 product key, and serial numbers for other commercial software installed on your computer.
  5. Right-click on the recovered product keys and select “Select All”, then use Ctrl + C and Ctrl + V to copy them to a text file or a Word document for safe keeping.

So that was how you can find Windows 8 product key for your computer. You should always keep your Windows 8 product key noted somewhere so when you do a fresh-install, you can easily find it.

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Posted in Product Key, Tips & Tricks, Windows 8

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How to Break into Windows User Account with Windows Password Breaker

May 3rd, 2013 by Admin

Have you forgotten your Windows password and can’t log on to your computer? Just changed your Windows user account password a few days ago and now forgot it? Is there a way to break Windows password without data loss? With the help of a password breaker utility called Reset Windows Password, you can break into Windows user account easily after forgetting your password.

Reset Windows Password is one of the best Windows password breaker utilities out there. It runs from a boot disk and helps you remove forgotten Windows password instantly while leaving all of your files, documents, pictures, programs and settings as they were. Quickly obtain access to your locked-out Windows NT-based systems.

This article will walk you through how to break into Windows user account using the Windows password breaker mentioned above.

How to Break into Windows User Account with Windows Password Breaker?

Step 1:
First, download the Reset Windows Password utility on another PC in order to make a bootable Windows password breaker CD/USB drive. After the download is complete, extract the ISO image file from the zip and burn the ISO to a CD or DVD using your favorite ISO Burning program such as ISO2Disc or ImgBurn.

Step 2:
Now move to the locked computer with a Windows user account you need to break into, either insert the CD/DVD or the USB flash drive what you opted for and select it as the first boot device in computer BIOS.

Step 3:
Once you have booted into it you will see that the computer is loading the Windows PE operating system inside the CD/USB drive. After one or two minutes, the Reset Windows Password program will open up and automatically detect the SAM registry files for all your Windows installations.

Step 4:
Choose the SAM registry file for your Windows installation, it will show you all the user accounts that are associated with your Windows system. Select the user account you forgot password of, and then click on “Reset Password” button. It will break/reset your forgotten Windows password instantly!

Step 5:
After you are completed with all the above steps successfully, remove the Windows password breaker CD/USB drive and restart the computer. you can then happily log back into your computer without a password.

As you can see, if you have lost or forgot administrator password for your system, all is not lost. The Windows password breaker utility possesses the ability to penetrate locked out systems and restore access to user accounts and data. The tool should only be used only on systems for which you possess complete ownership and/or administrative authority.

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

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Recover Lost Administrator Password with Windows Password Recovery Freeware

May 2nd, 2013 by Admin

Lost administrator password and now you cannot log into Windows? It can happen to anyone especially those who constantly change passwords or haven’t used their computer for a long time. There is a useful password removal software called Reset Windows Password, which can help you instantly remove lost Windows 8/7/Vista/XP password. However, if you insist on recovering the original password, there is another easy method to crack your password by using the most popular Windows password recovery freeware: Ophcrack Live CD.

Ophcrack is a Linux Live CD using which you can boot your computer and it will automatically crack Windows login passwords for all your user accounts. Here is how you can recover Windows administrator password you have forgotten using the Ophcrack live CD.

How to Recover Lost Administrator Password with Windows Password Recovery Freeware?

Step #1: First of all you’ll have to download Ophcrack. Once the Live CD ISO is downloaded, you’ll need to burn it on a blank CD using a software like ISO2Disc or ImgBurn.

Step #2: Now when ever you forget or lose your Administrator Password. On system restart, insert the burned disc into your CD/DVD-ROM. Make sure you have set the boot sequence to CD-ROM first. If not go to BIOS and set the boot sequence accordingly.If every thing works, you should see a loading screen immediately.

Step #3: Once the Live CD loads it will automatically start working on the passwords, using rainbow tables and some pre-calculated data stored in memory, it will crack the password depending upon the length and complexity. For average passwords of length 6-10 letters it can take up to 3-7 minutes. In case you have more than one account, you will have to choose from a list of accounts.

Step #4: Note down the cracked password once its displayed. After recovering your lost administrator password, you can take the Ophcrack CD out from the CD/DVD drive and start booting into Windows. Type in the recovered password at the Windows logon screen, you can then successfully logged back into Windows.

Ophcrack Live CD can really help those who forgot Windows administrator password on regular basis. However, it does not crack strong passwords. If your password uses only numbers and letters (both lowercase and uppercase letters), then you have a better chance of the password recovery.

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

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How to Recover Lost Windows Password

May 1st, 2013 by Admin

I get many questions from our customers about how to recover a lost Windows password. Sometimes busy day makes you forget a few things such as your windows password. What to do if you forget your password? And the password hint is not helping your brain to remember the password. You have to recover Windows password in order to log back on your computer.

There are several ways to recover a lost windows password. Hidden administrator account method and third party software are some of the methods you can try.

Hidden Administrator Account Method

In Windows 8/7/Vista/XP, there is a built-in administrator account that is hidden from the Windows logon screen. By default, this user account is not password protected. If you haven’t created a password for the hidden administrator account, you can use it to log on your computer and then reset any user account password easily!

There are two options to access the hidden administrator account: one is to start up the machine in the Windows welcome screen and pull up the classic login dialog. Press Ctrl+Alt+Del twice in order to do this. The classic log on dialog will display an editable user name and password field. In the User name field, type in Administrator, leave the Password field empty, and log into Windows. The second option is to boot the machine into safe mode by tapping the F8 key as the computer first started, then logged in as Administrator with a blank/empty password.

Recover Lost Windows Password with Password Recovery Bundle

Recovering lost Windows password is not as difficult as imagined. All you really need is just a bootable password recovery CD/USB drive. Password Recovery Bundle allows you to create a Windows password recovery CD or USB flash drive which could be used to boot your locked computer and recover the lost password easily. Follow these steps:

Step 1:
First, download Password Recovery Bundle on another PC in order to make a bootable Windows password recovery CD/USB drive. After the download is complete, install it. Launch Password Recovery Bundle and click on Windows Password button, a new dialog will appear which enables you to create a bootable recovery disc.

Step 2:
After the recovery disc is created, move to the locked computer with a Windows password you want to recover, either insert the CD/DVD or the USB flash drive what you opted for and select it as the first boot device in computer BIOS.

Step 3:
Once you have booted into it you will see that the computer is loading the Windows PE operating system inside the CD/USB drive. After one or two minutes, the Reset Windows Password program will open up and automatically detect the SAM registry files for all your Windows installations.

Step 4:
Choose the SAM registry file for your Windows installation, it will show you all the user accounts that are associated with your Windows system. Select the user account you forgot password of, and then click on “Reset Password” button. It will remove/reset your lost Windows password instantly!

Step 5:
After you are completed with all the above steps successfully, remove the Windows password recovery CD/USB drive and restart the computer. you can then immediately log back into Windows without a password.

It’s so easy to recover a lost Windows password! It’s illegal to recover others’ Windows passwords without permission. This tutorial is designed to recover only Windows password on your own computer when necessary. If you worry about others using it to recover your password, make sure you are the only person who have physical access to your machine, or go to BIOS > change the boot sequence > HDD first > and then set a BIOS password, so others are unable to boot your computer from a CD/USB drive.

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

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Password Expired and Can’t Log into Windows?

April 28th, 2013 by Admin

Hi! It seems that my windows 7 account password has expired. When I typed the password as usual, the following message appeared: Login Failed:Your password has expired. Is there any way of me logging in? Just to be clear I am not asking how to disable password expiration but rather my password has expired and I cannot log in. Also I can’t log in to safe mode either.

password-expired

Password expired and can’t log into Windows? This usually happens when you haven’t used a computer for a long time so you forgot the password. Sometimes, even if you can remember the old password, you’ll also fail to change the password and still get stuck at the logon screen. In this tutorial we’ll explain how to fix the issue of Windows password expiration so you can log back into Windows.

Password Expired and Forgot the Current Password

If you’ve forgotten the existing password on your computer, you are unable to change the expired password from the logon screen. In this situation, Reset Windows Password utility can be of help! Download a copy of the Reset Windows Password utility and burn to a blank CD from another PC, then boot from this CD and there is a password removal program on it to reset your password. This program also helps you disable the password expiration of your user account.

Password Expired and Know the Current Password

For some unknown reasons, some computer users will get the error message such as “access denied” when changing the expired password from the login screen. In other words, your password is expired but Windows doesn’t allow the user account the privilege of changing its password! If you have run into this issue, try to roll back the BIOS clock. Boot the machine into the BIOS setup mode, then set the BIOS clock back by one or two months until the password is not expired.

Once you’ve change the expired password successfully, you might also want to disable Windows password expiration so you won’t be forced to change the password from now on, then proceed to the next section.

Disable Windows Password Expiration

Once you’ve managed to log into Windows, you can then turn off Windows password expiration easily, by following these steps:

  1. Open the Local Users and Groups administration panel by typing in lusrmgr.msc into the start menu search box. (or the Run box on XP) Select “Users” in the left hand pane, and then double-click your user account in the list.
  2. On this screen you’ll find the “Password never expires” checkbox.
  3. Just make sure the box is checked and you won’t be forced to change your password anymore.

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

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2 Options to Turn off Password Expiration in Windows 8/7/Vista/XP

April 27th, 2013 by Admin

When booting up to the logon screen, Windows may notify you that your password will expire in a number of days and ask whether you want to change it now. This behavior can start months after your initial installation of Windows. Its purpose is to help enforce password policies in a business environment, but if you don’t need that enforcement, it can be very annoying. In this tutorial we’ll show you two options to turn off password expiration in Windows 8/7/Vista/XP. The steps are quite simple!

Note: If your password expired and couldn’t remember your Windows password, you need to use a password cracking bootdisk such as Reset Windows Password utility to remove your forgotten password, before following this guide to turn off Windows password expiration.

Option 1: Turn off Password Expiration Through GUI Interface

  1. Press Windows + R key combination to bring up the Run box. Type netplwiz or control userpasswords2 and press Enter. The User Accounts dialogue box will appear.
  2. Click on Advanced tab in the user account.
  3. Click on Advanced button in the Advanced user management window and it will open Local User and Group.
  4. Double click the Users Folder in the Local User and Group.
  5. Select your user account from the list. Right click on it and then select Properties
  6. It will open another window, click on General tab and check the option of Password never expires.
  7. Click Apply and then OK.

Option 2: Turn off Password Expiration Using Command Prompt

Open up a Command Prompt as administrator (type “Command Prompt” in the Start search box and instead of just pressing Enter as normal, you right-click the menu item for it and select “Run as administrator”) and type the following command at the prompt:

net accounts /maxpwage:unlimited

and press Enter. That should do it. (If you get access error 5, you didn’t run Command Prompt as administrator.)

Note: If you don’t know how to open up a Command Prompt as administrator in Windows 8, please refer to this article: http://www.top-password.com/blog/how-to-run-an-application-as-administrator-in-windows-8/

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

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