I have a Sony Vaio laptop from 2008 that I used in my last job. When I left 3 years ago, the IT guys told me just keep it as it was too old to worry about as it was running Vista Business. It still had the Admin master login that the IT guy cant remember. So I could not add or delete programs or change anything on it. This is the system I wanted to use as my surveillance system ( Software/PC based Video surveillance | Survival Monkey Forums ) I could get to the user section cuz of the fingerprint scanner, but I could not get to the admin system level console to kill all of the admin crap that kept me from doing what I want. As I mentioned I call ed the IT guy(we are still friends and I got him a part in AA Going Homes Series. For those of you who have read them, its Jeff on the Harley) He tried to remember the passwords but did not have them from 2011. So I did what every other determined monkey would do,....... I did a Google Search. Well after about 1/2 hour I found the holly grail of PC Admin cracking videos. Followed the instructions and I am not restoring the Vaio back to the factory setting via the recovery partition. So if you have lost a password for your system this will work perfectly. The only thing you need other that remember DOS prompts to change directories, is any 2000+ year model of a Windows disk, I used a Windows 7 Home addition to make this work. Now you dont install the new operating system from the disk, I just lets you in the Command prompt mode to do the work behind the scenes. Warning DONT USE THIS METHOD FOR BAD THINGS
@AD1 If you have Windows 7 Home OS I don't understand why you just didn't wipe the disk and load the OS instead of waltzing around trying to crack the password? Cleaner install.
Challenge to find a way into it. Now its back ot OEM, i am cloning the drive and I may reformt it and put Linux on it to try it.
Will you be trying to use the Linux OP Sys to run the survalence system? Would be interested in how that works out..
For the older laptops especially, I would go straight to a fresh Linux install. Probably plenty of open source software for video surveillance, too. I haven't checked the repositories lately. It is cool that you got into the Win OS though. I used to use OPHCrack to hack into Win systems (of my own) back in the day. Today, I just carry a bootable USB drive w/ Linux Liberte or another secure flavor. Pop it in, enter BIOS and make USB 1st boot, restart, you're in like Flynn.
This method is pretty simple as it uses the Ease of Access button that no one looks at to give you an on screen keyboard. This keyboard is actually at the system level. Then you rename the on screen keyboard exe to the cmd.exe prompt so that when the systme boots you are arpt the system level cmd prompt, then navigate using those old dos commands to the system32 level and change the admin password to one you choose. Reboot, enter the new password, and you are now signed in as the system admin
practice makes perfect Never have messed with Linux before. Another Monkey is offering suggestions on doing a linux system. it will be a new learning curve for me.
if it's access to a file on the disk you're after, you don't have to install Linux, just boot to a live CD or flash drive. It runs from the CD giving you access to the hard disk without modifying it. There's an ISO image you want to get, called "Hiren's Boot CD". Make a disc from that image and keep it around. It gives you many choices to boot to.
I've done this with Windows 2000 before Hiren Boot CD was out. Works about 90 percent of the time in my book. Being in IT is has saved my a** a few times. Will have to look at @AD1 version - I read your summary, sounds like something Msoft should have thought about.
It was pretty slick. The hardest part was remembering the dos commands to get to the system 32 file Once there it was easy, >C: cd windows >windows>cd System32 ren osk.exe osk.exe.old ren ose.exe cmd.exe