Windows 2000 Log in problems

[RickG]

We have a laptop with Windows 2000 Professional that we haven't used in quite
a while and have forgotten both the User name and Password. Any suggestions?

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

"RickG" <RickG@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:BBC2E4E3-E911-4EFA-88F1-C124324615D6@microsoft.com...
> We have a laptop with Windows 2000 Professional that we haven't used in
> quite
> a while and have forgotten both the User name and Password. Any
> suggestions?

http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/bootdisk.html

The issue is a perfect illustration for the benefit of creating an extra
standardised admin account on each and every machine, with a standardised
password.

 

[Roger Fink]

Pegasus (MVP) wrote:
> "RickG" <RickG@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:BBC2E4E3-E911-4EFA-88F1-C124324615D6@microsoft.com...
>> We have a laptop with Windows 2000 Professional that we haven't used
>> in quite
>> a while and have forgotten both the User name and Password. Any
>> suggestions?
>
> http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/bootdisk.html
>
> The issue is a perfect illustration for the benefit of creating an
> extra standardised admin account on each and every machine, with a
> standardised password.

Not to impugn the integrity of the poster (let alone the responder, who has
bailed me out of a few dozen jams), but that info gets you into a stolen
laptop.

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

"Roger Fink" <fink@manana.org> wrote in message
news:ezzHWRHDJHA.1180@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>
>
> Pegasus (MVP) wrote:
>> "RickG" <RickG@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>> news:BBC2E4E3-E911-4EFA-88F1-C124324615D6@microsoft.com...
>>> We have a laptop with Windows 2000 Professional that we haven't used
>>> in quite
>>> a while and have forgotten both the User name and Password. Any
>>> suggestions?
>>
>> http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/bootdisk.html
>>
>> The issue is a perfect illustration for the benefit of creating an
>> extra standardised admin account on each and every machine, with a
>> standardised password.
>
> Not to impugn the integrity of the poster (let alone the responder, who
> has
> bailed me out of a few dozen jams), but that info gets you into a stolen
> laptop.
>

True, but getting into a stolen laptop is child's play anyway, even without
the Nordahl boot diskette. All you need to do is to remove its disk, put it
into a 2.5" USB disk case and connect that case to another PC. This is
common knowledge.

It comes back to this well-known fact: If you can gain physical access to a
PC then you can gain access to its files, regardless of the operating
system. Unless, of course, the files are encrypted.

 

[Roger Fink]

Pegasus (MVP) wrote:
> "Roger Fink" <fink@manana.org> wrote in message
> news:ezzHWRHDJHA.1180@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>>
>>
>> Pegasus (MVP) wrote:
>>> "RickG" <RickG@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>>> news:BBC2E4E3-E911-4EFA-88F1-C124324615D6@microsoft.com...
>>>> We have a laptop with Windows 2000 Professional that we haven't
>>>> used in quite
>>>> a while and have forgotten both the User name and Password. Any
>>>> suggestions?
>>>
>>> http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/bootdisk.html
>>>
>>> The issue is a perfect illustration for the benefit of creating an
>>> extra standardised admin account on each and every machine, with a
>>> standardised password.
>>
>> Not to impugn the integrity of the poster (let alone the responder,
>> who has
>> bailed me out of a few dozen jams), but that info gets you into a
>> stolen laptop.
>>
>
> True, but getting into a stolen laptop is child's play anyway, even
> without the Nordahl boot diskette. All you need to do is to remove
> its disk, put it into a 2.5" USB disk case and connect that case to
> another PC. This is common knowledge.
>
> It comes back to this well-known fact: If you can gain physical
> access to a PC then you can gain access to its files, regardless of
> the operating system. Unless, of course, the files are encrypted.

I didn't know it was that easy, not that I'm surprised.

 

[Pegasus \(MVP\)]

"Roger Fink" <fink@manana.org> wrote in message
news:Oez0yjHDJHA.232@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>
>
> Pegasus (MVP) wrote:
>> "Roger Fink" <fink@manana.org> wrote in message
>> news:ezzHWRHDJHA.1180@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>>>
>>>
>>> Pegasus (MVP) wrote:
>>>> "RickG" <RickG@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>>>> news:BBC2E4E3-E911-4EFA-88F1-C124324615D6@microsoft.com...
>>>>> We have a laptop with Windows 2000 Professional that we haven't
>>>>> used in quite
>>>>> a while and have forgotten both the User name and Password. Any
>>>>> suggestions?
>>>>
>>>> http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/bootdisk.html
>>>>
>>>> The issue is a perfect illustration for the benefit of creating an
>>>> extra standardised admin account on each and every machine, with a
>>>> standardised password.
>>>
>>> Not to impugn the integrity of the poster (let alone the responder,
>>> who has
>>> bailed me out of a few dozen jams), but that info gets you into a
>>> stolen laptop.
>>>
>>
>> True, but getting into a stolen laptop is child's play anyway, even
>> without the Nordahl boot diskette. All you need to do is to remove
>> its disk, put it into a 2.5" USB disk case and connect that case to
>> another PC. This is common knowledge.
>>
>> It comes back to this well-known fact: If you can gain physical
>> access to a PC then you can gain access to its files, regardless of
>> the operating system. Unless, of course, the files are encrypted.
>
> I didn't know it was that easy, not that I'm surprised.

Now consider the positive implications: If Windows refuses to start then
it's still quite easy to access your files, by connecting the disk to
another PC. Much better, of course, to back up your important files
regularly.

 

[Roger Fink]

Pegasus (MVP) wrote:
> "Roger Fink" <fink@manana.org> wrote in message
> news:Oez0yjHDJHA.232@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>>
>>
>> Pegasus (MVP) wrote:
>>> "Roger Fink" <fink@manana.org> wrote in message
>>> news:ezzHWRHDJHA.1180@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Pegasus (MVP) wrote:
>>>>> "RickG" <RickG@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
>>>>> news:BBC2E4E3-E911-4EFA-88F1-C124324615D6@microsoft.com...
>>>>>> We have a laptop with Windows 2000 Professional that we haven't
>>>>>> used in quite
>>>>>> a while and have forgotten both the User name and Password. Any
>>>>>> suggestions?
>>>>>
>>>>> http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/bootdisk.html
>>>>>
>>>>> The issue is a perfect illustration for the benefit of creating an
>>>>> extra standardised admin account on each and every machine, with a
>>>>> standardised password.
>>>>
>>>> Not to impugn the integrity of the poster (let alone the responder,
>>>> who has
>>>> bailed me out of a few dozen jams), but that info gets you into a
>>>> stolen laptop.
>>>>
>>>
>>> True, but getting into a stolen laptop is child's play anyway, even
>>> without the Nordahl boot diskette. All you need to do is to remove
>>> its disk, put it into a 2.5" USB disk case and connect that case to
>>> another PC. This is common knowledge.
>>>
>>> It comes back to this well-known fact: If you can gain physical
>>> access to a PC then you can gain access to its files, regardless of
>>> the operating system. Unless, of course, the files are encrypted.
>>
>> I didn't know it was that easy, not that I'm surprised.
>
> Now consider the positive implications: If Windows refuses to start
> then it's still quite easy to access your files, by connecting the
> disk to another PC. Much better, of course, to back up your important
> files regularly.

Inasmuch as we've been around since the start of the mass-distribution PC
era, and have nothing else to compare it to, I think we've been inculcated
with the idea of accepting as normal how quirky, buggy, idiosyncratic,
unreliable and unsafe these beasts really are. In twenty five years, when
these things work like a TV or a refrigerator, people will laugh at all
this. Not now, however.