Forgotten Password in Vista

Symptoms:

It had been quite a while since I had logged into my desktop, and I couldn't remember the password.

Gathering Information:

I searched online for a possible solution. I found a few using UBCD (Ultimate Boot CD), but was unable to bypass the password. I finally found a .ISO file for a boot CD called Kon Boot, which is used to bypass the login password. It does this by modifying the kernel on-the-fly while booting.

.

Hypothesis:

H1 Burn ISO to CD, then boot from the CD into Windows Vista.

Results:

While booting using the Kon Boot CD, the following screen appears

:

Press any key to continue. The next screen looks like this:

It then boots into the Vista login screen:

Type anything you want to in the password text box, and login.

It worked wonderfully! I was unable to reset or change the password using this boot CD, but I was able to access and back up any files I needed before re-installing Windows Vista.

Reflection:

This is a great tool for those of us who are a bit forgetful. I must admit that I find it a little unsettling that a person would be able to bypass my password so easily. There are ways to harden against person using Kon Boot on your computer such as TrueCrypt or requiring a smart card to log into your computer.