recovering password from another w2k on the same computer

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aa

I have forgotten the admin password (the only account set on this
installation) on w2k Pro.
I have another w2k Pro installed on another partition on the same computer.
Is there a way to recover the password from that second w2k installation?
Where exactly the pw is stored?
 
aa said:
I have forgotten the admin password (the only account set on this
installation) on w2k Pro.
I have another w2k Pro installed on another partition on the same computer.
Is there a way to recover the password from that second w2k installation?
Where exactly the pw is stored?
Click to expand...

No, you cannot recover Win2000 passwords. They
are stored in a file called SAM and they are encrypted.

You can reset the admin's password to a blank with
this boot disk:
http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/bootdisk.html
After doing this, consider treating your PC like your car:
Would you ever have one with only a single set of keys?
Create a second admin account for each of your OSs
and lock the passwords away in a safe place!
 
Thanks.
In a thread called Password below you advised:
"Control Panel / Users and Passwords / Untick the box that
requires users to enter a password"
Then the state of this box should be written somewhere inthe Registry, and
probably can be changed directly in the Registry from another w2k on this
computer - is this the case?
 
This is correct but it is irrelevant for you. When you untick
that box then you're prompted for the correct password,
which is then encrypted and stored somewhere. If you
were to untick the box by a direct registry hack then Windows
would attempt to log you on automatically and fail because the
registered password does not match the required password.

There is no shortcut - you must reset your password!
 
Just for clarity sake, the password is not stored in the SAM
in an encrypted form. Rather a hash of the password is (or,
if practices are not followed to shut of storage of the LM
hash also, then two hashes are) stored.
Hashes are not uniquely reversible whereas encrypted
storage would be, hence the password is not deterministically
recoverable from the SAM storage.
 
Thanks for the clarification.


Roger Abell said:
Just for clarity sake, the password is not stored in the SAM
in an encrypted form. Rather a hash of the password is (or,
if practices are not followed to shut of storage of the LM
hash also, then two hashes are) stored.
Hashes are not uniquely reversible whereas encrypted
storage would be, hence the password is not deterministically
recoverable from the SAM storage.
Click to expand...
 
WINDOWSXP HAS STORED A PASSWORD, AN INVALID ONE TO ONE OF MY ACCOUNTS. I
NEVER HAVE PASSWORDS STORED SO DON'T KNOW HOW THIS HAPPENED.

NOW TO LOG ON TO MY ACCOUNT I HQAVE TO DELETE THE ******** PASSWORD WINDOWS
THINKS IT HAS AND REENTER MY VALID PASSWORD. THEN WINDOWS ASKS IF I WANT TO
STORE THE NEW PASSWORD TO WHICH I ANSWER NO. THEN I GET ON BUT THIS OCCURS
WHENEVER I LOGON TO THIS ACCOUNT.

HOW CAN I GET RID OF THE WINDOWS PASSWORD?? I DON'T WANT IT AND I HAVE NO
OTHER WINDOWS RELATED PASSWORDS OTHER THAN MY ADMINISTRATOR PASSWORDS..

PLEASE REPLY TO (e-mail address removed) THANK YOU JAMES H. HOY SR
 
First thing is unstick that capslock key, then Ctrl-Alt-Del and choose
'Change Password'

--

Regards,

Dave Patrick ....Please no email replies - reply in newsgroup.
Microsoft Certified Professional
Microsoft MVP [Windows]
http://www.microsoft.com/protect

:
| WINDOWSXP HAS STORED A PASSWORD, AN INVALID ONE TO ONE OF MY ACCOUNTS. I
| NEVER HAVE PASSWORDS STORED SO DON'T KNOW HOW THIS HAPPENED.
|
| NOW TO LOG ON TO MY ACCOUNT I HQAVE TO DELETE THE ******** PASSWORD
WINDOWS
| THINKS IT HAS AND REENTER MY VALID PASSWORD. THEN WINDOWS ASKS IF I WANT
TO
| STORE THE NEW PASSWORD TO WHICH I ANSWER NO. THEN I GET ON BUT THIS OCCURS
| WHENEVER I LOGON TO THIS ACCOUNT.
|
| HOW CAN I GET RID OF THE WINDOWS PASSWORD?? I DON'T WANT IT AND I HAVE NO
| OTHER WINDOWS RELATED PASSWORDS OTHER THAN MY ADMINISTRATOR PASSWORDS..
|
| PLEASE REPLY TO (e-mail address removed) THANK YOU JAMES H. HOY SR
 
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