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| Overcome Password Problems |
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System & Software November 2000 • Vol.6 Issue 11 Page(s) 117 in print issue |
Overcome Password Problems | ||
 There are three types of password protection you can use to protect your computer and data: CMOS, Windows, and data file. In this article, we will tell you what to do if you forget any of these passwords.  CMOS Password. Many computers allow you to set a CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) password. This password must be entered before the computer will boot. Think carefully before using this, as dealing with a lost password is difficult. Once you realize you cannot remember your CMOS password, you should call the PC's maker. Some manufacturers have a default password (called a backdoor), and they may be willing to give it to you if you can prove you are the rightful owner. If that does not work, try calling the maker of the motherboard and BIOS (Basic Input/Output System). Some common backdoor passwords include "ami," "award sw," "cmos," and "password." These are case sensitive, so try both lower and upper case. If this does not work, you will have to reset the CMOS password. Many system motherboards have a jumper to do just this. If your system lacks a password reset jumper, you will have to erase the entire CMOS. This will also erase the hard drive type, date, time, and power settings so you will have to re-enter these, though most CMOS programs will auto-detect the hard drive setting. If your program shows this information before prompting for a password, write it down. To reset the CMOS, you must unplug the system and remove the internal battery for several hours in order for the charge to drain out of the CMOS circuitry. If the battery is soldered in, there may be a jumper to disable it. Set the jumper to disable the battery while the CMOS drains. If the battery is soldered in, and there is no disable jumper, you will have to take your PC to the shop so someone can unsolder the battery long enough to drain the CMOS. Go ahead and have the person put in a new battery now to avoid having to replace it later. Windows Password. The Windows password simply controls access to an account that lets you store personalized Desktop and menu settings. You can bypass logging in by clicking Cancel in the dialog box. Doing so means that the menu and Desktop you see may not have all the settings you expect, but all the programs will run, and you will be able to open all the data files. You can erase an account and all its passwords by deleting the associated PWL file in the Windows subdirectory. While you cannot unlock a password-protected screen saver without knowing the password, you can reboot, and the computer will restart without the screen saver engaged. You can then disable it without knowing the password by using Regedit.exe to search for the key. Go to Start, Run and enter regedit in the Open: window. Work your way down the folder tree until you find: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Control Panel\Desktop Double-click the ScreenSaveUsePassword value in the right-hand panel and change its value from 1 to 0 to remove the password from the screen saver. Data File Password. Many programs allow you to password protect your data files. For example, in Microsoft Excel, you click the Options button in the Save As dialog box to enter a password. This is a weak form of password protection that is easily bypassed.To understand why this protection is weak, you must understand the difference between encryption and password protection. With encryption, the password is used to scramble all of the file. When you decrypt, the program simply uses the password you supply to reverse the scrambling process. Provide the wrong password, and you get nothing useful out of the decryption process. Most programs want to be more user friendly, and they tell you when you enter the wrong password. That means the program must be able to read or figure out the password used when the file was saved. If the original program can do this, a password cracking utility can too. For example, the Password Recovery Kit (http://www.lostpassword.com) can read a data file and figure out the password for all Office programs, Lotus 1-2-3, Microsoft Money, Paradox, Project, Quicken, WinZip, and many more. Other shareware programs can do the same, so you may wish to check your favorite source. On one hand, it is comforting to know that there are ways to recover your lost passwords. However, it is also disquieting to know that an intruder can use these same techniques to gain access to your computer or your private data files. Your only true protection is to store your data files on removable media that you lock up or to use an industrial strength encryption program to encrypt all your sensitive data files.  by Ronny Richardson
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