Forgot your windows password? Learn how to login still!

In this article, learn how to:
-Change windows password without logging in.
-Byepass windows security
-Login if you forget your password

Toughness level: Medium
Prerequisites:
Links at the end of the article.
-Pendrive with 512 MB space
-USB Disk Image of PartedMagic Linux OS
-Universal USB Installer software.
-A spare windows pc to prepare the USB Disk (Pen Drive)

Some basic info:
In this tutorial, we will attempt to login past the password screen of a windows pc ( works for XP, vista, 7 and 8) without knowing the actual password. We will utilise the live usb to gain access to our windows system files and modify them so as to use a few other tricks to walk past the windows login screen with ease.
Steps:
Step 1: Prepare a live linux USB drive or a live cd depending on your taste. (Which one we use doesn’t really matter since we will use the live OS to change a few files in our windows OS.)
1.1: Install and run Universal USB Installer on a spare windows machine
1.2: Choose the linux distribution you want to use, depending on the one you have downloaded. In our case we will be using parted magic lite.
1.3: Choose the pen drive you want to utilise in the process. Make sure to click “Format as FAT32”.
1.4: Let the process complete, do not remove the pen drive till the process is complete.
Step 2: Now that you have a bootable Linux OS installed on your USB Stick, we will run the linux OS from this USB.
[On the pc where the password is to be changed, plug in the USB and boot. If your pc is set to boot from USB, you will see a boot options menu. Just click “Enter” and wait for the OS to load.
If your pc is not set to boot from a USB , just go into the BIOS options(check your specific manufacturer for how to do this. Usually you need to hit F1,F2 or F9) and look for BOOT ORDER. Make sure USB Disk has the top priority.
Now restart.]
Step 3: By now you should be on the desktop of Parted OS. Look for the file manager on desktop. And in the left pane click on the partitions till you find the one that has a WINDOWS folder. Make sure this is your root folder. Go to Windows>System32
Now comes the main step. Find a file named: sethc.exe . Move it from this folder to any other folder. Really any other. Doesn’t matter where. You harldly use this file! Done? Ok next step!
Step 4: Find a file named: cmd.exe , this is the windows dos prompt. Rename it to sethc.exe.
Done? Well then shut the live os! You don’t need it anymore!
Step 5: Remove the pen drive and start your pc. You will boot into your windows PC.
Step 6: At your login screen press the “SHIFT” five times. This will open a black window. Don’t fret!! Its all part of the plan. Type in the following:
Net user “your windows username” *
[use your windows username in the quotes, no quotes though! ]
e.g: If my username is xyx, I would type in: net user xyz *
Done? Great! Your black window should now say: enter password:
That’s it! Just enter anything in here. This will be your new password! Type it in. It wont show anything you type but trust me it is actually typing! Hit “enter”
Type it in again.. Hit “Enter”.

Done! Expected more? Sorry to disappoint! Close the black window! Click on your user and type the newly created password..
This method leaves your system vulnerable till you rename the current “sethc.exe” back to “cmd.exe”. You can do it from within windows this time by changing the file permissions for it.
Cheers!

Tutorial: How to access files locked with WinMend Folder Hidden

A popular software for locking your personal files is WinMend Folder Hidden. The software has any advantages. It’s quick, free and doesn’t hog your system. Well I would say it secure, but then if it was I wouldn’t be writing this article!

Its amazing that long back I could bypass WinMend’s security in 5 different ways! But with time the software has improved. And today I could use 3!

I will share with you one of the three, which utilises a basic flaw of  WinMend, of how it hides the files. I won’t go into the details, but here we go:

Step 1:  Create a bootable Linux Live USB drive. Details: www.pendrivelinux.com

Step 2: Boot from the USB: Wih the USB plugged in , restart into Live USB.

Step 3:  Open File Manager. Browse to the partition that has you hidden files.  Click “Ctrl+H” to view all files.  Go To WinMend. Explore all the folders inside. One of the folder will contain your hidden files. Enjoy.

How to create a bootable USB Windows Installation disk using Command Promopt.

There comes a time when you are in need of installing windows on a system that doesn’t have a CD or DVD Drive. And more importantly, many of you might want to carry a setup of windows os in your pockets, for reasons best known to you! While its true that windows setup can be started from the installation files from within your pc, many a times situation arises where you cannot start the said PC or you want a clean install with option to format your hard disk. In such cases you need a bootable windows installation media. Since I am assuming that the DVD Drive doesn’t work, we will henceforth for such occasions make a Bootable USB with windows setup. So, instead of requiring a DVD Drive to boot into the installation you will use a thumb drive. Heres how:

Requirements:
Access to a working windows pc, Vista or above.
Windows setup files (Its basically the files on the installation dvd. Or can be an ISO format file)
Image mounting software (In case you are using the ISO file)
A Pen-Drive with atleast 4 GB Capacity.
Note: This method will not work for creating bootable installation media for Windows XP.
Procedure:
Insert the pendrive into a windows pc. Check the drive letter assigned to it by windows in My Computer.
Go to Start menu and type in CMD.EXE, right click on the result “Command Prompt” and choose “Run as administrator”. Accept the next warning by clicking “Yes”.
In the command prompt window type in: DISKPART and hit enter. Wait for CMD to show details about diskpart, ignore..
Next, type in : list volume. Note down the volume number associated with your pen drive. You can find out which one is your pen drive by either the drive letter associated to it or by the capacity. Lets say your usb drive is listed as Volume X (x can be 1,2,3 etc depending on your system. Remember this).
Next type select volume X, where X is your volume number.
Next type CLEAN and hit enter.
When the last step finishes, type in: Format FS=NTFS and hit enter.
Type: Create Partition Primary
Type: ACTIVE and hit enter.
Type EXIT.
For now keep the CMD screen open. Locate your windows installation files and put them in a folder on the desktop named “Windows”.
In the cmd windows, type in cd c:\users\YOURUSERNAME\desktop\windows\boot and hit enter. Remember to replace YOURUSERNAME in the command above to your own username.
Next, type in BOOTSECT.EXE /NT60 X: and hit enter, (where X: is the drive letter assigned to your pendrive. Check it from My Computer as before.)
You will see a message displayed in the Command Promt saying that the Target volume bootcode is successfully update. If so you have completed almost 90%. No type in EXIT to close CMD. No more typing.
Last step : Copy the contents of the folder we created on the desktop a few steps back into the pen drive. Remember, copy the contents of the folder. Don’t just right click on the windows folder and copy it to the pen drive.
After copying all the files into pendrive, the pendrive should have files like: Setup.exe and Folders like BOOT.If this is correct, then you have successfully copied the files. Now you are done! Your drive is ready. Just Plug it in to the system where you need to install windows and boot it! Your system will directly boot into the windows setup.
Note: You must have External Boot enabled in your bios configuration. To do that, enter your bios menu during boot process. And configure it. But very rarely will it be otherwise. So, mostly you are in luck.
Voila! Proceed with the setup as you always do! It will be much faster and reliable than a CD or DVD!