Archive for the ‘Windows 7’ category

How to Crack Windows 10, 8 and 7 Password with John the Ripper

August 7th, 2017 by Admin

Forgot the password to your Windows admin account? There are a lot of different reasons why one would want to hack a Windows password. This tutorial will show you how to use John the Ripper to crack Windows 10, 8 and 7 password on your own PC.

Step 1: Extract Hashes from Windows

Security Account Manager (SAM) is a database file in Windows 10/8/7/XP that stores user passwords in encrypted form, which could be located in the following directory:
C:\Windows\system32\config

The first thing we need to do is grab the password hashes from the SAM file. Just download the freeware PwDump7 and unzip it on your local PC.

Open a Command Prompt. Navigate to the folder where you extract the PwDump7 app, and then type the following command:
PwDump7.exe > d:\hash.txt

extract-windows-password-hashes

Once you press Enter, PwDump7 will grab the password hashes from your current system and save it into the file d:\hash.txt.

Step 2: Cracking Passwords with John the Ripper

As you can see the password hashes are still unreadable, and we need to crack them using John the Ripper. John the Ripper is one of the most popular password cracking tools available that can run on Windows, Linux and Mac OS X.

Just download the Windows binaries of John the Ripper, and unzip it.

Open a Command Prompt and change into the directory where John the Ripper is located, then type:
john --format=LM d:\hash.txt

crack-password-with-john-the-ripper

It will start cracking your Windows password. In my example, you can clearly see that John the Ripper has cracked the password within matter of seconds.

Final Words

John the Ripper is probably the world’s best known password cracking tool. But its lack of a GUI interface makes a bit more challenging to use. Don’t use it for illegal purposes.

2 Ways to Hide / Show Navigation Pane in Windows Explorer

July 28th, 2017 by Admin

Navigation pane missing from File Explorer in Windows 10? By default, Windows Explorer will display the navigation pane in the left-hand column, which gives you quick access to the most frequently used items like This PC, Network, Quick access and so on. If you don’t like the navigation pane, it’s very easy to get rid of it. In this tutorial we’ll show you 2 ways to hide / show navigation pane in Windows Explorer (or File Explorer).

navigation-pane-in-windows-explorer

Method 1: Hide / Show Navigation Pane in Windows Explorer Using Ribbon

  1. Press the Windows key + E hotkey to open Windows Explorer.
  2. Click the View tab, and then click the Navigation pane button in the ribbon. In the drop-down menu, you can click to check or uncheck the “Navigation pane” option. When it’s unchecked, the navigation pane will disappear from Windows Explorer.

    show-hide-navigation-pane-in-file-explorer

Method 2: Hide / Show Navigation Pane in Windows Explorer with Registry Tweak

  1. Download one of the following registry files and save it on your desktop.

    hide-navigation-pane-in-explorer.reg

    show-navigation-pane-in-explorer.reg

  2. Next, right-click on the .reg file and select Merge. If prompted by UAC, click on Yes.
  3. Click on Yes to confirm that you want to add the registry keys.

    import-registry-settings

  4. Close all Explorer windows that are currently open, and re-launch Windows Explorer. You’ll see that the navigation pane is shown or hidden in File Explorer as you expected.

How to Check If Your Disk Uses MBR or GPT Partition Style

July 24th, 2017 by Admin

How can I determine if my disk is formatted as GPT or MBR? Since the release of Windows 8, GPT partition style is becoming a popular alternative as newer computers are shipping with UEFI firmware, and Windows 10/8 can only boot from GPT disk on UEFI-based computers. In this tutorial you’ll learn how to find out where your disk uses MBR or GPT partition style in Windows.

Method 1: Check If Your Disk Is MBR or GPT Using Disk Management Tool

  1. Press Windows key + X on your keyboard, and then select Computer Management from the pop-up menu.

    computer-management

  2. Click on Disk Management, which appears in the left-hand side under the heading Storage. Right-click on the hard drive available in the center of the window, then select Properties.

    disk-properties

  3. This will bring up the Device Properties window. Click the Volumes tab and you’ll see if the partition style of your disk is GUID Partition Table (GPT) or Master Boot Record (MBR).

    partition-style

Method 2: Check If Your Disk Is MBR or GPT Using Command Prompt

  1. Open the Command Prompt with administrative rights.
  2. At the Command Prompt, type following commands one by one, pressing Enter after each.
    diskpart
    list disk

    list-disk-cmd

  3. It will list all disks that are connected to your PC. If a disk uses GPT, you’ll see an asterisk character (*) under the Gpt column. As you can see in the screenshot above, disk 0 is a GPT disk while disk 1 is a MBR disk.

That’s it!

How to Hide Specific Control Panel Items in Windows 10 / 8 / 7

July 21st, 2017 by Admin

Control Panel is the centralized configuration area in Windows. It contains a collection of applets (System Properties, Administrative Tools, Add/Remove Programs, Date/Time, etc) that let you make changes to various settings of your system. If you share a computer with others, you may not want users to access certain applets in Control Panel.

hide-control-panel-items

In this tutorial we’ll walk you through the steps to hide specific Control Panel items (applets) and stop others from changing certain settings in Windows 10, 8 and 7.

How to Hide Specific Control Panel Items in Windows 10 / 8 / 7?

  1. After logging on, open the Local Group Policy Editor by pressing Windows + R keys and then typing gpedit.msc in the Run box.

    gpedit

  2. In the Local Group Policy Editor, navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Control Panel. Double-click Hide specified Control Panel items in the right pane.

    hide-specified-control-panel-items

  3. Select Enable and then click the Show button.

    hide-control-panel-applet

  4. Enter the canonical name of the Control Panel item you want to hide, and click OK. For instance, if you want to restrict users from accessing Administrative Tools, enter Microsoft.AdministrativeTools in the Show Contents dialog.

    disallowed-control-panel-items

    How to find out the canonical name of a Control Panel applet? Please check the list below.

  5. Close the Local Group Policy Editor and reboot your computer. Your specified item /applet will not show up in the Control Panel any longer.
Control Panel Item Canonical Name
Action Center Microsoft.ActionCenter
Administrative Tools Microsoft.AdministrativeTools
AutoPlay Microsoft.AutoPlay
Backup and Restore Microsoft.BackupAndRestore
Biometric Devices Microsoft.BiometricDevices
BitLocker Drive Encryption Microsoft.BitLockerDriveEncryption
Color Management Microsoft.ColorManagement
Credential Manager Microsoft.CredentialManager
Date and Time Microsoft.DateAndTime
Default Location Microsoft.DefaultLocation
Default Programs Microsoft.DefaultPrograms
Desktop Gadgets Microsoft.DesktopGadgets
Device Manager Microsoft.DeviceManager
Devices and Printers Microsoft.DevicesAndPrinters
Display Microsoft.Display
Ease of Access Center Microsoft.EaseOfAccessCenter
Folder Options Microsoft.FolderOptions
Fonts Microsoft.Fonts
Game Controllers Microsoft.GameControllers
Get Programs Microsoft.GetPrograms
Getting Started Microsoft.GettingStarted
HomeGroup Microsoft.HomeGroup
Indexing Options Microsoft.IndexingOptions
Infrared Microsoft.Infrared
Internet Options Microsoft.InternetOptions
iSCSI Initiator Microsoft.iSCSIInitiator
Keyboard Microsoft.Keyboard
Location and Other Sensors Microsoft.LocationAndOtherSensors
Mouse Microsoft.Mouse
Network and Sharing Center Microsoft.NetworkAndSharingCenter
Notification Area Icons Microsoft.NotificationAreaIcons
Offline Files Microsoft.OfflineFiles
Parental Controls Microsoft.ParentalControls
Pen and Touch Microsoft.PenAndTouch
People Near Me Microsoft.PeopleNearMe
Performance Information and Tools Microsoft.PerformanceInformationAndTools
Personalization Microsoft.Personalization
Phone and Modem Microsoft.PhoneAndModem
Power Options Microsoft.PowerOptions
Programs and Features Microsoft.ProgramsAndFeatures
Recovery Microsoft.Recovery
Region and Language Microsoft.RegionAndLanguage
RemoteApp and Desktop Connections Microsoft.RemoteAppAndDesktopConnections
Scanners and Cameras Microsoft.ScannersAndCameras
Sound Microsoft.Sound
Speech Recognition Microsoft.SpeechRecognition
Sync Center Microsoft.SyncCenter
System Microsoft.System
Tablet PC Settings Microsoft.TabletPCSettings
Taskbar and Start Menu Microsoft.TaskbarAndStartMenu
Text to Speech Microsoft.TextToSpeech
Troubleshooting Microsoft.Troubleshooting
User Accounts Microsoft.UserAccounts
Windows Anytime Upgrade Microsoft.WindowsAnytimeUpgrade
Windows CardSpace Microsoft.CardSpace
Windows Defender Microsoft.WindowsDefender
Windows Firewall Microsoft.WindowsFirewall
Windows Mobility Center Microsoft.MobilityCenter
Windows SideShow Microsoft.WindowsSideShow
Windows Update Microsoft.WindowsUpdate

How to Backup / Restore Sticky Notes in Windows 10 / 8 / 7

July 5th, 2017 by Admin

How can I transfer old sticky notes to a new computer? Looking for a way to import the legacy sticky notes into the new Sticky Notes application? This tutorial will show you how to backup and restore Sticky Notes on any computer running Windows 10, 8 or 7.

Part 1: Backup Sticky Notes

  1. Before get started, you need to close the Sticky Notes application if it’s running.
  2. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run box. Copy and paste one of the following path and press Enter.
    • In Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10 version 1511 and earlier:
      %AppData%\Microsoft\Sticky Notes
    • In Windows 10 Anniversary Update (Build 1607) or later:
      %LocalAppData%\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftStickyNotes_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState

    open-sticky-notes-location

  3. Now, Windows Explorer will open the location where your sticky notes are stored. Just copy StickyNotes.snt or plum.sqlite to a backup location of your choice.

    StickyNotes.snt

Part 2: Restore Sticky Notes

If you need to restore your notes to another computer for whatever reason, you can easily copy the same file you backed up earlier to the same directory on that computer. Before you copy the file, make sure the Stick Notes app isn’t running.

Part 3: Import Old Sticky Notes (StickyNotes.snt) into Windows 10 Anniversary Update or Later

  1. First of all, close Sticky Notes application. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run box. Copy and paste the following path and press Enter.
    %LocalAppData%\Packages\Microsoft.MicrosoftStickyNotes_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalState
  2. This will open the LocalState folder in File Explorer.

    plum.sqlite

  3. From there create a new folder named Legacy. Copy and paste the backed up StickyNotes.snt file into the Legacy folder, and rename it to ThresholdNotes.snt.

    import-sticky-notes-into-windows-10

  4. Start the Sticky Notes app. It will read the legacy .snt file and transfer the notes to the database file plum.sqlite automatically. That’s it!

How to Change Power Button Action in Windows 10 / 8 / 7

June 29th, 2017 by Admin

How to change what power button does in Windows 10? Every desktop/laptop computer has a hardware power button without any exception whatsoever. By default, pressing the power button will put your computer to shut down, but in Windows 10/8 it just puts your PC into sleep. To shut down a computer running Windows 10/8, you might have to press the power button for long duration.

This tutorial shows you a simple way to change the default action of the hardware power button so that when it is pressed, Windows will go into sleep, hibernate, shut down, or even do nothing.

How to Change Power Button Action in Windows 10 / 8 / 7?

  1. Open the Control Panel in Large icons view, and then click Power Options.

  2. From the Power Options window, click the Choose what the power button does link from the left pane.

    choose-what-power-button-does

  3. Click on the Change settings that are currently unavailable link.

    change-settings-currently-unavailable

  4. You should see two drop-down menus to configure the default action when you press the power button. One is for when the laptop’s running on battery power, the other for when it’s plugged in.

    change-power-button-action

    Select the action you want (Do nothing, Sleep, Hibernate, Shut down or Turn off the display), and click Save changes.

  5. This change will take effect immediately. Press the hardware power button and it should now function as you expect. That’s it!

2 Methods to Disable Narrator in Windows 10, 8 and 7

June 22nd, 2017 by Admin

How to turn off Narrator permanently or disable Narrator shortcut key in Windows? When you accidentally press the Windows + Enter (or Windows + Ctrl + Enter in Windows 10) hotkey, this will open up the built-in Narrator app, which puts a blue box to the button or text with keyboard focus.

narrator-blue-box

If you want to quickly exit Narrator, press Caps Lock+Esc. In this tutorial we’ll show you 2 easy methods to turn off / disable Narrator completely in Windows 10, 8 and 7.

Method 1: Disable Narrator Shortcut Key

  1. Press the Windows key + R to open the Run box. Type regedit and press Enter.

    regedit

  2. When the Registry Editor opens up, navigate to the following key:
    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Narrator\NoRoam

    disable-narrator-shortcut

    Double-click the WinEnterLaunchEnabled value in the right pane.

  3. When the Edit DWORD (32-bit) Value dialog box opens, type 0 in the Value data field and click OK.

    WinEnterLaunchEnabled

  4. Now you’ve successfully disabled Narrator shortcut key. Try to press the Windows + Enter or Windows + Ctrl + Enter shortcut, it won’t start Windows Narrator any longer.

After disabling Narrator hotkey, you can still open Windows Narrator using other methods descried in this tutorial. If you want to turn off Narrator permanently, proceed to the next method.

Method 2: Turn Off Narrator Permanently

  1. Open Windows Explorer and navigate to the directory C:\Windows\System32.
  2. The Narrator.exe file is protected by system, and you need to take ownership of it before making any changes. If you don’t know how to change ownership, you can take use of the freeware TakeOwnershipPro.

    take-ownership-narrator

  3. Right-click on the Narrator.exe file and then select Properties from the context menu.
  4. When the Properties window opens, choose the Security tab and click the Edit button to change permissions.

    change-file-permissions

  5. Choose your own user from the list, and then deny the Read & Execute and Read permissions and click OK.

    deny-execute-narrator

  6. Now you’ve turned off Narrator on your Windows computer.

PCUnlocker – Best Alternative to Password Reset Disk

June 16th, 2017 by Admin

Password reset disk is a special disk that could be used to reset your Windows password if you forget it. Just go to Control Panel > User Accounts and Family Safety > User Accounts, you can click the “Create a password reset disk” link on the left pane to create such a disk.

create-password-reset-disk

A password reset disk contains a single file named userkey.psw, which is an encrypted backup version of your password. You can only make a password reset disk while you still know your password. The process of creating a password reset disk is just like writing down your password on a piece of paper. So, if you’ve already forgotten your password, it’s too late to create a password reset disk. Still have questions about password reset disk? Please check out this article: FAQs for Password Reset Disk in Windows.

What to do if you forget Windows password but you don’t have a password reset disk? This happens so many times because we only aware that a password reset disk must be created before we forget the password. Fortunately, there are several good alternatives to password reset disk. PCUnlocker is the best alternative that could hep you reset forgotten Windows 10 / 8 / 7 / Vista / XP password instantly.

When you’re locked out of your own computer, just use an alternative PC to download PCUnlocker and create a bootable CD/USB drive. Next, boot your locked PC from CD/USB and it allows you to bypass & reset lost admin password easily.

How to Disable Specific Windows Key Shortcut in Windows

May 18th, 2017 by Admin

How to disable a certain global shortcut key that conflicts with an application-specific hotkey? Sometimes or even frequently though, you may activate a hotkey accidentally? In this tutorial we’ll show you a simple way to disable specific Windows key shortcut in Windows 10, 8 and 7.

How to Disable Specific Windows Key Shortcut in Windows?

  1. Press the Windows logo key + R combination to open the Run box. Type regedit and hit Enter.

    regedit

  2. When the Registry Editor opens, navigate to the following key:
    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Advanced
  3. Right-click on the Advanced key in the left pane, and then select New -> String Value from the context menu.

    new-string-value

  4. Name it DisabledHotkeys, and set its value data to the characters of hotkeys you want to disable.

    DisabledHotkeys

    For example, set it to S. This will disable Win + S, Win + Shift + S, and other shortcuts that using Windows key and the disabled characters you specified.
    Set it to SA to disable both Win + S and Win + A hotkeys.
    And so on.

  5. Reboot your computer and the hotkeys you specified will become disabled. If you want to restore the original hotkeys to work, just delete the DisabledHotkeys value and you’re done.