How to Crack a Window's Password in 5 Minutes
February 11, 2009 at 06:02:15 AM, by Blair Mathis Rating: 4 out of 5
There are a number of reasons for needing to crack a Windows password: simply forgetting what the password is, working on a used computer, etc. No matter your reason for needing to, finding a Windows password is generally simple, and can be done in a very short period of time.
Items Needed:
- Blank CD
- Ophcrack
To find the Window's password, you'll need a program called Ophcrack. It is completely free, and works very well. Ophcrack is not really a program--it is a LiveCD that is burned to a blank CD (or a USB flash drive if using on a newer computer) and runs rainbow tables on a Slackware base.
Installing
Navigate to the official Ophcrack website at http://ophcrack.sourceforge.net/ -- download the Live CD ISO and save it to your computer. Once it is downloaded, you will need to burn the disc image to a blank CD. The software used will vary--if your system doesn't have burning software already installed, you can download a trial of Nero, or something free like ImgBurn. Burn it at a low speed.
Using
To use the software, insert the CD into the optical drive on the computer you wish to gain access to and hold the power button until it shuts down. Turn it back on and when the compute logo appears, press the button for the system to enter BIOS. Change the boot sequence to CD first, then Save and Exit BIOS.
##ADSENSE##
The Live CD will start and the rainbow tables will automatically start working at the password. For the average users password, it will likely take about five seconds to crack. For a longer alphanumeric password, it could take a few minutes, but that is the exception, not the rule.
Once it finds the password, write it down somewhere, then remove the CD and restart the system. Enter the password at login and then change/remove it to whatever you would like
.
Note: Common sense says that this should only be used on computers you are authorized to gain access to. If you use this to find the password to a computer that is not your, it is illegal. This article is for informational purposes only.
