In order to prevent someone from breaking into your Windows PC, the first thing to do is understand how one breaks in!! There are several ways of breaking in which I shall take you through step by step:
Command-Line Method: Reset the Password with the System Rescue CD
The Linux-based System Rescue CD is a good option for breaking in when one needs not only to access the files on the PC but also the Operating System itself. In this method, one needs to do a bit of command line work, but as long as the instructions are followed closely it should be fine.
Steps:
If you need to access just some files and not the OS itself, you don't need to go through much trouble at all. You can grab any Linux live CD and just drag-and drop files onto a USB hard drive, as you would in any other OS.
Steps:
Command-Line Method: Reset the Password with the System Rescue CD
The Linux-based System Rescue CD is a good option for breaking in when one needs not only to access the files on the PC but also the Operating System itself. In this method, one needs to do a bit of command line work, but as long as the instructions are followed closely it should be fine.
Steps:
1. Download the .iso file for the System Rescue Live CD and burn it to disc.
2. Boot from the disc and hit the default option when the blue screen comes up.
3. After everything loads and you're presented with a command-line interface, type fdisk -l to see the drives and partitions on your computer.
4. Pick the Windows partition (usually the largest NTFS partition) and note the name, e.g. /dev/abc.
Then, run the following command:
ntfs-3g /dev/abc /mnt/windows –o force
Make sure to replace /dev/abc with the partition you noted earlier.
Then, run the following command:
ntfs-3g /dev/abc /mnt/windows –o force
Make sure to replace /dev/abc with the partition you noted earlier.
5. Next, cd to your Windows/System32/config directory with this command:
cd /mnt/windows/Windows/System32/config
We want to edit the SAM file in this folder, so type the following command to get a list of users:
chntpw –l SAM
Note the username you want to access, and then type the following command, replacing Windows User with the username in question.
chntpw –u "Windows User" SAM
cd /mnt/windows/Windows/System32/config
We want to edit the SAM file in this folder, so type the following command to get a list of users:
chntpw –l SAM
Note the username you want to access, and then type the following command, replacing Windows User with the username in question.
chntpw –u "Windows User" SAM
6. At the next screen, choose the first option by typing the number 1 and hitting Enter. This will clear the user password, making it blank.
7. When it asks you to write hive files, hit y and press Enter. It should say OK, and then you can type reboot to reboot the computer.
8. When you boot into Windows, you'll be able to log in to that user's account without a password.
P.S.: You can get a detailed tutorial with screenshots from the How-To Geek website here.
Use a Linux Live CD to Get at the FilesIf you need to access just some files and not the OS itself, you don't need to go through much trouble at all. You can grab any Linux live CD and just drag-and drop files onto a USB hard drive, as you would in any other OS.
Steps:
1. Just download the live .iso file for any Linux distribution (like Ubuntu) and burn it to CD.
2. Stick it in the computer you want to access and boot up from that CD.
3. Pick "Try Ubuntu" when it comes up with the first menu, and it should take you right into a desktop environment.
4. From here, you can access most of the hard drive just by going to the Places menu in the menu bar and choosing the Windows drive. It should see any NTFS drives just fine.
5. Note that depending on the permissions of some files, you might need root access.
6. If you're having trouble viewing or copying some files, open up a terminal window (by going to Applications > Accessories > Terminal) and type in gksudo nautilus, leaving the password blank when prompted.
7. You should now have access to everything.
