EMERGENCY! (well, for me it is.)

[Joey]

Ok, I REALLY need help right now. My brothers and I have been going to the computer for too long of a time. My dad says we can only be on for like 2 hours, but we do more. So, he is going to password protect it for the summer. Now, during the summer, my dads not home, only my mom, and thats only sometimes, and im on the computer like 24/7.

so, does anyone know of a program or some kinda of way to find out passwords being used on your computer? i have win xp, and im gonna have to find out how to find out my dads password so i can use it when im home alone. please somebody, this is really important to me.

[Kon-Tiki]

Who says your dad's passwording it in XP and is not going to bios-password it? If he does the latter, there's no way of getting past it.

-Kon-Tiki-

[Joey]

i should have mentioned this. last time he password protected, he DID password protect bios, but i think he used the same password for bios with the screensaver one. hes gonna tell my mom the password, so when ever i wanna use it, she can type it in. but that will only be when shes home. so if she could type it in sometime when shes home, i can get in, use the program or whatever, and find out the password, that way when im home alone i can type in the password cause ill know it.

[Andrew_Baker]

Well, assuming he only has an administration account, I would create a new account when he's not home, take away his administrative powers, and create new passcodes for them all. Mwahahahahaaaaaaaa!

Or you can figure out which junkyard your local Computer Renaissance gets its computers from (They have a special recycling charter that allows them to buy cheapass computers from "Recycling Centers" which are invariably junkyards with weird-@$$ computer crap dumped from schools, hospitals, and government buildings, etc.). Usually, these kinds of places will let you work for them for a few hours in exchange for free hardware. That's how I used to score computer parts when I was broke.

Then, if you have your own computer, you could very politely direct your parents to "suck it" if they disapprove of your byte usage.

[Eero Ränik]

Braking BIOS passwords is easier than braking Windows XP's... If he does, then Joey, get your motherboard company's name and send me a private message.

[Kon-Tiki]

You can also try smearing something like Pritt on the keys and when your mom types the password and leaves, shine a blacklight (just take a flashlight and put something dark in front of it) and you can probably see which keys she has pressed. Then it's only a matter of putting them in the right order.

This only works when she only types the password, without any typos or corrections though.

-Kon-Tiki-

[gpm]

Assuming, of course, that she only uses each button ONCE. You could only hope to be so lucky as to have the password be 123456 (which I hear is one of the most common passwords)

[Kon-Tiki]

I bet the password is a word and not something like F3esD85ca. Such a password needs to be written down and thus loses its purpose. Now, if you've got all the letters that're pressed, you can puzzle out the meaning of them. If you can't, wait 'till the next time she types in the password and try to listen very carefully how many keys she presses (asuming that she's not a fast typer)

-Kon-Tiki-

[Joey]

last time, the password was a 4 letter word and i couldnt make anything out of it. im gonna try what eero is saying to do.

[Kon-Tiki]

4 letters? That's easy. Permutation's the answer when you have the given letters. Just put them in a possible order, like a switchcombination in a cheap game;)

e.g.
ABCD
ACBD
CABD
BCAD
CBAD
ABDC
ADBC
DABC
DBAC
BDAC
etc etc.
You'll find it eventually

-Kon-Tiki-

[Joey]

but i will have typed in so many words, i wont remember which one worked! ill just write down each set of letters while i type it in and then when i get the write one, ill have written it down so ill know.

[Kon-Tiki]

Yup, but don't forget to find out which letters first

-Kon-Tiki-

[rwfromxenon]

Try a Keyspy program. That way after you log out (Switch user, because the processes will cease), you can find out the password if your mom goes on the pc after you.

The tricky part is finding a suitable Keyspy program.

Good luck!

-Allen

[Rich_]

Why don't you just watch which keys she is pressing when she types in the password. Or setup a hidden camera to do so if she doesn't let you watch. (You can hide the camera in the closet or something, point it at the keyboard, press record a few minutes before you go get her to type in the password for you).

Here's another idea. The next time you're on, back-up all of your data. And then use the back-up discs to complete reformat your computer. When the option comes up, make yourself the administrator with your own password. Sure, you'll get busted by your dad when he's back but that's not until the end of the summer. Of course, your mom might find it fishy that you don't ask her to type in the password anymore. You'll have to figure out a way to snow her on that yourself.

Rich

[Joey]

haha. no. i think ill just try what eero told me. if i can find out the bios password, i can find out the screen saver password. plus i do kinda sneak and watch my mom sometimes when we used to have the password on. but so far so good. he hasnt put on a password yet.