PC login Now - How To Change a Windows XP Limited User Account Into a Computer Administrator
section: windows, for your questions: KezNews forum, 12.7.2008
One of the place that I work at has a few hundreds of computers and it is shared by students.
Each student has their own user account which is a limited user account. Sometimes the lecturer there will complain to me that the administrator password has been hacked and changed by the students. This can be easily done if they did not set a security password for BIOS and allows the student to boot up the computer with a CD that is equipped with a tool to reset any local user account’s password.
When the teachers reported to me that the students managed to turn a limited user account into a computer administrator, my guess was the students reset the administrator password, login as admin and changed the account type to administrator.
But I was wrong. It turns out that the students did not reset the admin password and they were able to do it without logging in to Windows as administrator. After a little searching, I found a free tool that can change a Windows XP limited user account into a computer administrator.
The most powerful feature PCLoginNow have is to support Syskey. SYSKEY is an optional feature since Windows NT 4.0 SP3. It is meant to protect against offline password cracking attacks so that the SAM database would still be secure even if someone had a copy of it. Even though the system registry is protected by Syskey, PCLoginNow can easily bypass this mechanism and reset the Windows passwords.
Only 4 simple steps are required to turn a limited user account into administrator.
1. Download PCLoginNow.
2. Burn the ISO image to a CD/DVD.
3. Boot up the computer with the CD/DVD.
4. Click the Next button when you see the message that says “PC Login Now! is ready to start, please click NEXT to continue…”
5. Select the Windows system that is found by PC Login Now program.
6. Select the user account that you want to edit, check “is Administrator” and click Next.
7. Reboot and the user is now a local administrator of the computer.
I find this tool amazing because it can turn a user from zero into hero. I understand that some students are adventurous and would like to install or configure the system the way they like it but they cannot do it with a limited user account.
Download:
PCLoginNowsource:
www.raymond.cc/
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Comments(17)
i've tried orphcrack and this program to try and change admin privleges on my company
owned pc. none of them work, even though the programs are suppose to boot before the bios
kicks in. if the pc bios is set up not to boot using the cd/dvd rom these programs won't
work even still. any ideas?
change the setup in the bios, geeeeez.
the bios is password protected...now, einstein, what's your suggestion???
if bios is pass-protected how can you set cd/dvd for boot and start this crack tool?
in this situation there aren't any ideas. you are locked out as you were intended to be
and probably for good reason. admins don't want people fiddling with settings and then
calling for help when something goes wrong.
request to install virtualbox and install your windows there.
happy?
i believe that solution is pointless. what makes you think the it department is going to
install vb, when they won't even allow me to install firefox? i have my own laptop,
which i can use. (and i have full admin control over it…duhh) however, i have control
issues and i want to be able to make changes and install programs n' shit. your solution
won’t allow me to do that…nice try though!
so your bios is protected.... whats the problem? days ago i received an email with a
bunch of default codes for the biggest brands of bios...
but hey if u don't want to
bother searching for it here, try out google.
there are other solutions, that are way
better than this one, if there is an admin behind the network of the machine you are
using, he will easily detect the modification to the account... search for a way to
discover the admin password
don't you think i've tried that already? got the same list and searched google as
well...default bios passcodes can be changed...the it dept left no stone unturned...any
one else have any brilliant ideas i haven't tried yet...????
open the case and find the jumper to clear the bios, which will also eliminate the bios
password.
that this is a tablet pc...a good idea, but probably not the best solution...(i'd feel
more comfortable if it was a desktop) that would be really difficult to explain to the it
guys, just in case i should pull the wrong jumper or some shit. common people...i remember
back in the day of win3.11 there was a simple little .exe file that displayed the user
passcode...why does everything have to be so complicated now? god, i miss those days.
is it possible to boot using usb flash disk/drive ? because some of the comp don't have
cd rom.
very humorousness, you are little hacker...
1. press f12 then ull get a menu to choose where u wanna boot from.
2. select
ide dvd then press enter.. then the cd/dvd will load.
can this software bypass the restore card?
open up the pc, and remove the cmos battery on the motherboard for couple of seconds,
then stick it back in. the password for bios will be cleared.
i agree with bios,but if you're on a notebook,forget it.
you may try to hack the
bios,by using a program on astalavista called h2o!
but shhh,you didn't hear it from
me! ;)
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Still Doesn't Work IF
By Vollen on 13.07.2008 - 05:07