Archive for the ‘Tips & Tricks’ category

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Password Protect Your USB Flash Drive with Bitlocker

June 26th, 2012 by Admin

Data security on USB flash drives is a growing concern. USB flash drives, with the size no more than a pack of chewing gums, is always prone to theft or loss. Hence the security of data through USB data encryption is highly important.

There are many USB data encryption tools available, some are free and some are paid. However, did you know that starting from Windows Vista, Microsoft has added a free data encryption tool within the operating system. It is known as Bitlocker. In Windows Vista, it was only available for Business and Ultimate editions.

Bitlocker in Windows Vista was able to encrypt only the hard disks. But in Windows 7, Microsoft has extended the data encryption facility to USB flash drives also and rightly so, the encryption utility has been renamed as BitLocker To Go.

To use Microsoft BitLock to password protect your USB flash drive, please follow the steps below:

1. Right click on your USB flash drive.

2. Click on Turn on BitLocker….

3. Now the BitLocker feature starts encrypt the USB flash drive and its content.

4. Now we will be prompted to set a password or smart card protection for our USB flash drive.

5. Here you need to enter your password which need to to unlock the USB flash drive to continue. After enabling BitLocker feature you need this password to access data stored in the flash drive.

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Posted in Free Software, Others, Tips & Tricks, Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows Vista

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How to Regain Access to Your Computer When Forgot Windows XP Password

June 25th, 2012 by Admin

If you forgot Windows XP password, how can you recover it or otherwise how to start the computer without losing valuable information that is already stored in the system?

All of us have a password to protect our own computer.  If you find yourself locked out of a Windows XP computer because you lost or forgot your password, here is a tutorial that will help you reset Windows XP password, so you can easily regain access to your computer when you forgot Windows XP password.

There are many password recovery tools which could be used to recover Windows password, but most of them require that you can still log on your computer and get into Windows to install them. So if you are locked out of your computer and can’t log in using any administrator account, those tools are useless to you. The most effective and guarantee way is to create a password reset disk on another accessible computer, then use it to boot your locked computer and perform password recovery.

How to Reset Forgotten Windows XP Password:

  1. Download the zip archive of Reset Windows Password utility. Unzip it and burn the ISO image to a blank CD or USB stick.
  2. Insert the CD or USB stick into your locked computer and let your computer boot from it.
  3. After a while the bootdisk will launch the Reset Windows Password utility, which shows all user accounts available for your Windows XP installation. By default the Reset Local Admin/User Password option will be selected, the program will display a list of Windows local user accounts. The Reset Active Directory Password option is intended for resetting domain administrator password on domain controller. So we choose the first option.
  4. Choose the user account whose password you forgot, then click Reset Password button to remove your forgotten Windows XP password.

The last step is to remove the CD or USB stick, then restart the computer and you’ll be able to log in without a password and regain access to your computer immediately. No need to struggle to recall your password when you forgot Windows XP password next time.

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Posted in Tips & Tricks, Windows XP

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How to Change SQL Server Password

June 25th, 2012 by Admin

Forgot SQL Server password? A former employee forgot to leave you with the sa password for your SQL Server?  How to change the password or reset it? If you couldn’t fix this problem, you may have to reinstall SQL Server.  But if you have some very important data in the database, this may prevent you from reinstalling. Then, is there any effective way to recover or change SQL Server password?

This tutorial will explain how to change SQL Server password with SQL Server Password Changer, if you forgot sa password and can’t connect to your database using any user account. Once SQL Server is installed, a master.mdf file will be created and be used to stored the logins and passwords for all available SQL Server accounts. With SQL Server Password Changer you can easily change forgotten SQL Server passwords stored in the master.mdf database.

How to Change SQL Server Password:

  1. Download SQL Server Password Changer on your local PC, install and launch it.
  2. Click the Open File button. Select the SQL Server master database file (master.mdf). Typically it is located in the folder: C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.1\MSSQL\Data.Select the SQL Server master database file
  3. The program will automatically decrypt the master database file and display all user accounts in your SQL Server. Select the SA account, click the Change Password button. Type a new password and click OK.SQL Server Password Recovery
  4. The old password will be replaced with your new password. Now you are able to log into the SA account using your new password.

Follow the steps above you can also change other user account passwords.  SQL Server Password Changer is a really useful utility and it can help you easily reset SQL Server passwords on SQL Server 2008/2005/2000.

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Posted in SQL Server, Tips & Tricks

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Forgot Administrator Password on Windows 7?

June 24th, 2012 by Admin

Need a way around password on administrator account in windows 7 new machine and during setup password was
entered accidentally and don’t know it. Data from old machine is transfered so I do not want to do a complete reinstall of operating system or i will loose data HELP!!!!!!!!!!

There are times we forgot the administrator password on Windows 7.  If the administrator account is the only user with administrative privileges on your computer,  you then can’t install any new software or even can’t log on your computer anymore.  So it’s important to find out a password recovery tool to recover or reset the password in order to regain access to the locked computer.

In this article we’ll explain a simple way to help you reset forgotten administrator password on Windows 7, no matter what reason you forgot the password. Reset Windows Password is the software we need to use to unlock Windows 7 password.  Let’s see the detailed steps:

How to Reset Forgotten Administrator Password on Windows 7:

  1. Download the zip archive of Reset Windows Password utility. Unzip it and burn the ISO image to a blank CD or USB stick.
  2. Insert the CD or USB stick into your locked computer and let your computer boot from it.
  3. After a while the bootdisk will launch the Reset Windows Password utility, which shows all Windows user accounts available for your Windows installation. By default the Reset Local Admin/User Password option will be selected, the program will display a list of Windows local user accounts. If you want to reset domain administrator password, please choose the Reset Active Directory Password option.Here we’re going to reset forgotten Windows 7 password, so we choose the first option.
  4. Choose the administrator account, then click Reset Password button. The program will quickly reset your forgotten administrator password as well as unlock the user account if it is disabled or locked out.

Now remove the CD or USB stick and restart Windows 7 system. You can then immediately log in to the administrator account without being asked for a password.  No need to worry about data loss if you forgot Windows 7 password next time.

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Posted in Tips & Tricks, Windows 7

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How to Reset Windows Server 2003 Password on Local and Domain Account

June 24th, 2012 by Admin

Forgot the administrator password on Windows Server 2003 and none of the users have administrative rights? How do you go about resetting the administrator login on Windows Server 2003 while you keep getting the password is incorrect? It is either that the password you have entered is incorrect or the administrator account is locked out or disabled.

With Password Recovery Bundle you can solve all of these problems above.  The software can help you reset lost or forgotten passwords to any local admin and domain admin account on Windows Server 2003, unlock any Windows account which is locked out, disabled or expired. This article mainly explains how to create a password reset disk (CD, DVD or USB stick) with Password Recovery Bundle, then use it to reset Windows Server 2003 password on local and domain account. Follow these steps:

Step 1: Create a Password Reset Disk

Download Password Recovery Bundle and save it on another computer you have admin access to. Install and launch Password Recovery Bundle, then click Windows Password button,  the pop-up dialog enables you to create a password reset disk  (CD, DVD or USB stick) .

Step 2: Set Your PC to Boot from Password Reset Disk

To make your locked computer boot off the password reset disk,  head over to the computer’s BIOS and make some changes: Set CD-ROM as the 1st boot device if you need to boot the computer from CD/DVD; or set Removable Device as the 1st boot device if you want to boot from USB stick.

Step 3: Reset Windows Server 2003 Password

  1. Insert the password reset disk you’ve created into your locked computer. Restart the computer. You’ll notice the boot screen is not the same as usual because it is loading from the password reset disk now.

  2. It takes a while to load some necessary files and launch the Reset Windows Password utility. On the main screen of Reset Windows Password utility, you can see the Windows SAM database file and a list of Windows local accounts on Windows Server 2003.

    There are two recovery options: Reset Local Admin/User Password and Reset Active Directory Password. If you forgot local user account passwords or Directory Services Restore Mode password, please choose the Reset Local Admin/User Password option; Or choose the Reset Active Directory Password option if you want to reset domain administrator password on Windows 2003 domain controller.

    Here we’re going to reset Windows local administrator password, so we choose the first option.

  3. Choose a user account whose password you forgot, then click Reset Password button. The program will reset your forgotten password and unlock the user account if necessary.
  4. Remove the password reset disk and restart the computer.

Now you’ve reset the forgotten Windows Server 2003 password. You can then successfully log on and regain full control over your computer.  With this password reset CD, you’ll never be bothered by a forgotten Windows Server 2003 password!

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Posted in Active Directory Password, Tips & Tricks

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How to Block a Website without Using Any Software

June 23rd, 2012 by Admin

Internet is so vast that any information you need is just a mouse click away. Yet the technology that helps us explore and use the web also makes it easy to expose our personal information to others. Hackers and spammers often use this phenomenon to their advantage, creating malicious websites, that when visited, can track your browsing habits, steal your passwords and credit card information, or can infect your computer with malicious softwares such as Viruses, Worms and Trojans.

The easiest way to protect ourselves or our family members from accessing such dangerous websites is to block them altogether. There are actually many softwares available on the internet which are pretty good in blocking websites on your computer, but they cost money and are sometimes difficult to operate.

In this article I will show you how to block unsafe websites on your Windows PC without investing in any additional software.

Note : Blocking harmful websites is not a complete security solution. It is still recommended that you run anti-virus software on your computer and be careful of the websites you visit.

How to Block A Website without Using Any Software:

1. Run Notepad as Administrator : For this go to Start  > All Programs > Accessories, right-click Notepad and select Run as administrator.

Note : If you are prompted for an administrator password or for a confirmation, type the password, or click Allow or Yes.

2. Within Notepad go to File > Open and select  All Files from the drop-down menu present near the bottom right corner of the window (check the screenshot).

3. Now type the following text in the File name field and click Open:

C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts

5.  The hosts file will open up. Go to the last line of the file and press the Enter key. Type 127.0.0.1 followed by the address of the website that you wish to block. For example, to block facebook.com, type :

Never add http:// at the start of the URL. Doing so will make the entry invalid. Also note that writing www is optional.

6. To block more websites, type 127.0.0.1 followed by the website address in every new line. You can block as many websites as you like.

7. Save and close the file.

Thats it! Now try to access the offending site(s) from your Web Browser. You’ll see that those specific website(s) will no longer be accessible.

In case you wish to undo the changes, follow Step 1-3 and delete the lines you had typed. You will again be able to open those sites.

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Posted in Others, Tips & Tricks

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How to Reset Windows Server 2008 Password

June 22nd, 2012 by Admin

I am running Windows Server 2008. I have forgotten my Windows Server 2008 password. I tried with many freeware, but no use. I have tried many other things also, but no luck. Is there any way to reset the password in Windows Server 2008? Please help me.

Forgot Windows administrator password on the server you haven’t logging on for a long time? Former system admin has left without leaving the Server password? How to reset Windows Server 2008 password without losing any file on it?

Windows 2008 R2 server is the latest and the most secure server operating system from Microsoft.  There are many free Windows password recovery software available on the net but none of them can work with Windows Server 2008. In this article,  I’ll explain a very simple way to reset Windows Server 2008 administrator password in two minutes.

Reset Windows Password is the software you required to reset Windows Server 2008 password.  The software comes as an ISO image and we need to write it onto a CD. It will be a bootable CD which will be used to boot the locked computer and perform password resetting.

How to Reset Windows Server 2008 Password:

  1. Download the zip archive of Reset Windows Password utility. Unzip it and burn the ISO image to a blank CD or USB stick.
  2. Insert the CD or USB stick into your locked computer and let your computer boot from it.
  3. After a while the bootdisk will launch the Reset Windows Password utility, which shows all Windows user accounts available for your Windows installation. By default the Reset Local Admin/User Password option will be selected, the program will display a list of Windows local user accounts. If you want to reset domain administrator password, please choose the Reset Active Directory Password option.
  4. Choose a user account whose password you forgot, then click Reset Password button. The program will quickly reset the unknown/forgotten password as well as unlock the user account if it is disabled or locked out.

Now we’ve successfully reset Windows Server 2008 password. Next time you power on the computer, you’ll be able to log on Windows Server 2008 system without being asked for the old password you’ve forgotten.

Note: Don’t try to crack other systems with this CD. Use only to recover or reset admin password for your computers or the computers you are responsible.

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How to Show My Computer Icon on Windows 8 Desktop

June 22nd, 2012 by Admin

The latest Windows 8 is having a new Metro UI desktop and the older version of desktop also, but My Computer icon is missing on it. In earlier Operating Systems like Windows 7 or Windows Vista you can go to start menu and select ‘Show on Desktop’ option for My Computer. But, Windows 8 is missing the normal start menu also by default, so you don’t have option to select ‘Show on Desktop’ anymore. Here is the simple way on how to show my computer on desktop in Windows 8.

This will really make the life easy for accessing disk drives, computer management, device manager and properties in Windows 8.

How to Show My Computer Icon on Windows 8 Desktop

  1. Click on the Desktop in Metro UI (as shown below). This will bring the normal old desktop.
  2. Right Click on the blank space in desktop, select Personalize.
  3. In next screen Click on Change desktop icons. Here you can select the icons wanted to display in Windows 8 desktop. Select the tick box for Computer. Control Panel and Network icons also can be displayed on Windows 8 desktop by this method.

That’s it. Now you should have My computer icon on the desktop.

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Posted in Others, Tips & Tricks, Windows 8

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A Useful Workaround if You Forgot Windows Vista Password

June 21st, 2012 by Admin

Decided to change my Windows Vista password before the weekend to keep it safe from smaller hands and then went away for three days. On returning, I brought my PC back from hibernate/standby and did so continuously till today, where I shut it down. Problem is that I have NO clue what I set that password as, and I’m pretty sure I left a hint but it doesn’t seem to be showing up, so maybe I failed on that one.

So does anyone know any workarounds? maybe a bootable utility to remove the account password? I only have the one account on the computer, so I cant resolve this through another Admin.

So you forgot your password on a Windows Vista machine that you haven’t used in a while. You would never forget a password, right? And now you need to get into the machine and don’t want to blast away and install Windows fresh. If you use Windows XP you can just boot into Safe Mode and use the built in administrator account, but if you’re in Vista that account has been disabled by default.

There is an easy way to reset Windows Vista password, but it requires that you created a password reset disk before you forgot your password. You can follow these instructions to create one in case you forgot your password.

What to do if you forgot Windows Vista password and also don’t have a password reset disk? Luckily there’s a tool that will help you reset lost Windows administrator or user passwords on Windows 7, Vista and XP. It’s called Reset Windows Password.

How to Reset Forgotten Windows Vista Password:

  1. Simply download the zip file of Reset Windows Password utility which contains an .iso image file, burn it onto a CD with your favorite CD burning software.
  2. Pop the CD in the CD drive of your locked PC. It will boot up a copy of  Windows PE off the CD and launch the Reset Windows Password utility. This utility automatically detects your Windows Vista installation and show all user accounts available on your Windows Vista system.
  3. Select the user account whose password you forgot, then click Reset Password button to remove the password.
  4. Reboot your computer and remove the CD, you’ll be able to log on Windows Vista without being asked for a password, and regain access to your computer data and files in no time.

Reset Windows Password utility is a great life saver! As long as you have physical access to a machine that’s password protected, you can reset any Windows account password and get into Windows system easily.

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Posted in Tips & Tricks, Windows Vista

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