Archive for the ‘Tips & Tricks’ category

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Forgot Admin Password for Your Dell PC with Windows 8 Pre-installed in UEFI Boot Mode

January 17th, 2013 by Admin

I just bought my eleven year old daughter a Dell laptop with Windows 8 pre-installed. She changed the admin password, but didn’t write the new password down, and can’t remember what she changed it to. I have tried many Windows password reset bootdisk and can’t get it to boot up the laptop. How to recover or reset the forgotten password?

Can’t remember your Windows 8 administrator password and get locked of your Dell computer? How to reset a lost password on Dell laptop with UEFI BIOS? All new Windows 8 machines manufactured by Dell, HP, Microsoft, etc. will always ship with UEFI BIOS. UEFI is meant as a replacement for the legacy BIOS present in all Windows computers we used before. As a result, most Live CDs will fail to boot off UEFI-enabled computer.

In this tutorial we’ll explain the procedure of resetting forgotten administrator password on a Dell PC which comes with a Windows 8 pre-installed. Just create a Windows password reset CD or USB drive and you can then use it to remove Windows 8 password easily. Here I’ll use a Kingston USB flash drive to demonstrate the password recovery procedure on a Dell Inspiron 660 desktop computer.

Step 1: Create a Bootable Windows Password Reset USB Drive

First, downloaded the Zip archive of Reset Windows Password utility on to an alternative PC which you have full access. Right-click on the download file and then choose Extract All from the context menu. After extracting, you’ll find the ResetWindowsPwd.iso file. Just copy this file to a CD or USB and it won’t work! You need to burn it to USB flash drive using ISO2Disc tool.

Step 2: Boot Your Dell PC from Windows Password Reset USB Drive

If Windows 8 came pre-installed on your computer, it almost certainly boots in UEFI mode. To get your computer to boot from Windows password reset bootdisk, you’ll need to switch the boot mode from UEFI to Legacy and then disable the Secure Boot option.

Insert the Windows password reset USB drive into your Dell PC. Power on the computer and press the F12 key to bring up the Boot Menu when you see the initial screen displaying the BIOS provider information. If using other models of Dell computer, try to press F2 or Del key instead of the F12 key.

Use the arrow key to choose the BIOS Setup option. Under BIOS Setup Utility, move to the Boot tab and disable the Secure Boot Control option.

Next navigate down to the Boot Mode option. Press Enter key to switch the boot mode from UEFI to Legacy. Press F10 to save your changes.

Once your computer restarts, press F12 to bring up the Boot Menu again. This time you’ll see your USB flash drive show up in the boot list.

Just choose the USB flash drive and press Enter. The computer will boot off the USB flash drive immediately.

Step 3: Reset Forgotten Windows 8 Administrator Password

After you’ve booted from the Windows password reset USB drive, the Reset Windows Password program will launch automatically. The program will also display a list of user accounts existing in your Windows SAM registry hive. If you’re using a dual/multi-boot computer, just select the one for your Windows 8 installation.

Next choose the administrator account and click Reset Password button. It will remove/unlock your forgotten administrator password immediately. Restart your Dell computer and remember to go back into the BIOS and switch the boot mode back to UEFI, then your computer will boot normally from Windows 8 and you can log in to the administrator account with a blank password. It’s that simple.

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Posted in Tips & Tricks, Windows 8

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Forgot Domain Administrator Password on Windows Server 2008

January 10th, 2013 by Admin

We are taking over a new company and nobody knows the administrator password to log on the Windows Server 2008 domain controller, we try with few users to see if they were administrator in the domain with no luck. no way to contact the person that set it up. Is there a way that we can change or reset the password? Thanks in advance.

I think it is a fairly common occurrence these days that IT Administrators forget the password of a domain controller after they have got back from a vacation or there has just been a situation where the previous system admin has left without leaving the server password.

There are lot of different Windows password recovery utilities that are available on the web. Some open source and some paid ones and it can get a bit confusing when deciding which one to go with.

There is one utility that you can rely on and believe it works on all Windows Server OS, including Windows Server 2012/2008/2003/2000. This is called Reset Windows Password. Once you have downloaded the ISO image, burn it on a CD and then boot the server of it. Resetting forgotten domain administrator password for a domain controller is a 2-step procedure.

How to Reset Forgotten Domain Administrator Password on Windows Server 2008?

First, you will need to download the Reset Windows Password utility on any PC that you can access. This can be your work PC, or a friend or your co-worker’s computer. After the download is complete, unzip the download file and you’ll get the ResetWindowsPwd.iso file.

Burn the ResetWindowsPwd.iso file to a CD using your preferred CD Burning software. If you don’t have one, you can use the freeware such as ImgBurn or ISO2Disc. If your domain controller doesn’t come with a CD/DVD-ROM, you can choose to burn the ISO image to a USB flash drive using ISO2Disc.

Put the CD into the CD drive of your domain controller, then change the boot order in BIOS to set the computer to boot from CD. Once the computer has booted, it will load the OS inside the CD drive and launch the Reset Windows Password utility.

Choose the Reset Active Directory Password option, the program will locate the ntds.dit file which is used to stored domain user login details on your domain controller.

Choose the domain administrator account and then click on Reset Password button, the program will change the forgotten/unknown password to Password123 by default, and also unlock/enable the account in case it is locked out or disabled.

The last step is remove the CD and restart the domain controller, you’ll be able to log in to your Windows Server 2008 using the domain administrator account. This is it!! You have successfully hacked your own server.

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Posted in Active Directory Password, Tips & Tricks

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Can Log in to Windows with Fingerprint But Forgot Administrator Password

January 9th, 2013 by Admin

I forgot my new password to my only account on my new Windows 7 laptop. Luckily, the laptop has a fingerprint reader, and I am able to log in that way. Is there a way to manually reset it without losing all my data or doing too much work? Thanks.

Most modern laptops are equipped with a biometric fingerprint scanner, which you can use to log in to your Windows machine in the place of a password. But if you login with fingerprint all the time, there is a great possibility that you will probably forget the administrator password. In this tutorial we’ll show you 2 options to reset forgotten Windows administrator password when you are in such a situation.

Option 1: Take Advantage of Fingerprint Logon

If you can still log in to Windows with fingerprint and the fingerprint logon is associated with a administrative account, you can open Control Panel -> User Accounts, and pick the administrator user account to change/remove its password. But for some security reasons you may be prompted to enter the current administrator password to proceed. In this case, you can try another alternative trick: create a new user account with admin privileges in Control Panel, and then log out of the computer. After logging in using the new user account, you can head over to the Control Panel and reset your forgotten administrator password easily.

Option 2: Reset Administrator Password with 3rd Party Software

If you still can’t reset forgotten administrator password using the trick above, or your fingerprint sensor stops working, here is a guaranteed way for you to reset/remove your Windows administrator password. Just follow this simple steps:

  1. First, you will need to download and install Password Recovery Bundle on any PC that you can access. This can be your work PC, or a friend or family member’s PC.
  2. Launch Password Recovery Bundle and click on Windows Password button, the pop-up dialog allows you to create a bootable password reset CD/USB.
  3. Next, insert the password reset CD/USB into your locked computer and boot the computer from it. If you don’t know how to set your computer to boot from CD or USB drive, please check out this guide: How to Boot A Computer from CD or USB Drive.
  4. The computer will load the mini operating system inside the password reset disc and open up the Reset Windows Password window as follow.Reset Windows Password
  5. Choose the administrator account and then click on Reset Password button. The program will remove your forgotten administrator password immediately.

Restart the computer and remove the password reset CD/USB, you should then be able to log in to your Windows administrator account with a blank password. The method works on Windows 8, 7, Vista and XP.

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

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How to Password Protect Your Android Phone

January 9th, 2013 by Admin

You never want your Android phone to get lost or stolen, but if it does, password protection can help keep unauthorized users from accessing your phone. This means that whoever finds or steals your phone won’t be able to make calls, view your files or use your apps. Password protection is just one type of security you can set on your Android phone.

While there are tons of apps out there you can use to lock and password protect your Android phone, I never trust passwords or protecting stuff using 3rd party apps because you never know which information is going out where and who has control over your stuff once you allow access on your phone.

Go into your Settings menu on your Android phone and navigate into the Location & security settings page. If you scroll about half way down, you can find the Set up screen lock option. Choose either a pattern (to draw on the screen), a pin (similar to one that you use for your debit card) or a password (like the one you have to sign on to your computer or email) and set that for your phone!

Now every time you choose to unlock your phone, it will now require a password. The lock is some what like a screensaver lock you see on the PC, it becomes active when the phone is idle or you put it into standby mode. Whenever someone tries to access the phone it asks for a password and effectively stops them from seeing what is inside.

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Reset Forgotten Admin Password for Any Windows Virtual Machine in VMware

January 7th, 2013 by Admin

I have a Windows 7 virtual machine running in VMware Player and I have forgotten the administrator password. How can I recover or reset the password?

Forgot the administrator password for a VMware guest operating system? How to hack into a VMware Fusion image whose admin password is not known? In this tutorial we’ll show you an easy way to reset forgotten administrator password for your Windows virtual machine running in VMware.

How to Reset Forgotten Admin Password for Any Windows Virtual Machine in VMware?

First, try to download the Reset Windows Password utility. After the download is complete, unzip the download file and you’ll get a bootable CD image file called ResetWindowsPwd.iso.

To mount the ISO image file in VMware Workstation or Server, go to your existing Virtual Machine. Double-click on the CD-ROM drive. By default, you are probably using the physical drive. To change that and use a disk image, click on Use ISO Image and choose the ResetWindowsPwd.iso file. At this point the ISO is ready for use by the virtual machine.

Power on the virtual machine. At the VMware BIOS screen, press the ESC key to bring up the boot menu. Select to boot from CD-ROM. It will load the mini operating system and next launch the Reset Windows Password program inside the ISO image. The program automatically search and display all local user accounts on your virtual machine.

Choose the administrator account and then click on Reset Password button, it will remove your forgotten administrator password instantly. In case the administrator account is locked out or disabled, the program will also unlock/enable the account in background. Now re-configure your virtual machine to boot from virtual hard drive, you’ll be able to log in to the administrator account without being asked to enter a password.

Reset Windows Password utility could be used to reset forgotten administrator passwords of Windows 8, 7, Vista and XP. It works for both physical machines as well as virtual VMware images.

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How to Burn a Windows Bootable Disk on a Mac

January 4th, 2013 by Admin

I have got a Windows 7 laptop that has crashed and needs to be rebuilt. I no longer have the installation CD, but have downloaded the ISO. As my happy and friendly reliable Macbook is working I thought it would be a simple case of creating a bootable Windows installation disc. Unfortunately I can’t find a Mac app that will let me create a bootable disk. Please help!!!

All Mac computers running the OS X operating system come with the Disk Utility application by default. Disk Utility allows you to manage your computer’s hard drive and removable media, including CD and DVD. If you want to make a copy of a Windows bootable disk, like an installation CD, you can use Disk Utility on a Mac to burn a Windows bootable disk easily.

How to Burn a Windows Bootable Disk on a Mac?

  1. Insert a blank writable DVD into your Mac’s SuperDrive.
  2. Right-click your Windows installation ISO image file and select Open With, then Disk Utility.
  3. This should add the image file to the list on the left side of the Disk Utility window.

  4. Right-click the Windows image and select Burn.
  5. The computer will begin burning the image file onto the DVD, and when the process finishes, the DVD can be used as a bootable disk in Windows.

Note: The disc will only be bootable if the image is set up that way. Not all images translate to a bootable DVD, so check to make sure you have the right type of image file first.

This is a great way to reinstall Windows on a machine with a broken or missing optical drive, or which has suffered some catastrophic nightmare. If you forgot the administrator password for your Windows PC and can’t login, you can also create a bootable Windows password reset disk on a Mac, and then take the disk to reset your forgotten Windows password.

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Posted in Others, Tips & Tricks

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How to Remove Windows 8 Password When You are Locked Out

January 2nd, 2013 by Admin

I got a brand new Windows 8 machine, installed the operating system, created one account and forgot its password. What can I do? I already tried to remember passwords and tried all candidates with all possible combinations but no luck. Is there any way to remove the password without re-installing Windows 8?

Forgot Windows 8 account password and you are locked out of your computer? Getting into a password-protected computer can be a lot easier than you think. You don’t even have to be computer savvy! In this tutorial we’ll show you how to remove Windows 8 password with a CD or USB drive in case you lost or forgot the login password.

How to Remove Windows 8 Password When You are Locked Out?

First, you need an alternative computer with CD burner and a blank CD in order to make a bootable Windows 8 password reset disk. To do that download the Reset Windows Password utility, unzip the download file and you’ll get an ISO image: ResetWindowsPwd.iso. Burn the ISO image to a CD using your favorite CD burning software. If you don’t have a CD burner, let’s say you have a netbook PC, then you can do a Windows 8 password reset USB instead.

After you have created a bootable Windows 8 password reset disk or USB as mentioned above, go and boot the Windows 8 PC you want to reset its password with this reset disk or USB. Once the PC starts to boot, it will load the operating system inside the password reset disk and launch the Reset Windows Password program.

Choose a user account and then click on Reset Password button. It will remove your forgotten Windows 8 password and unlock the user account immediately.

Now take out the password reset disk and restart the computer. You can then log in to Windows 8 without being asked to enter a password. No need to worry about data loss when you forgot Windows 8 password or you are locked out. Just follow the instructions above carefully you can remove Windows 8 password quickly and easily.

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Posted in Tips & Tricks, Windows 8

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How to Turn Off App Notification in Windows 8

December 31st, 2012 by Admin

Windows 8 displays app notifications in the Metro-style Start Screen for installed apps, Calendar events, new email, and other app events. But you might not be interested in getting notifications for all apps, in such cases you can configure which apps can sent out notifications for you. In this article we’ll show you how to turn off app notifications in Windows 8.

How to Turn Off App Notification in Windows 8?

  1. Access the Charms bar by pressing Windows + C or moving your mouse to the bottom right of the screen and slowly moving the mouse up. When the Charms bar appears, click on the Settings.
  2. Click on More PC Settings link at the bottom of the sidebar.
  3. In the PC Settings screen, navigate to Notifications section in the left pane.
  4. In the right pane, there are ‘Show app notifications’, ‘Show app notifications on the Lock Screen’ and ‘Play notification sounds’ toggles. In order to complete turn off notifications for all apps, just turn off the Show app Notifications option.

  5. Other than turning off notifications for all installed apps, you can do so selectively as well. The lower part of the Notifications settings screen allows you to turn off notifications for individual apps of your choice.

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Posted in Tips & Tricks, Windows 8

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