Windows Vista Passwords

[Loosehead]

I have been doing some research regarding VISTA passwords etc. if the Password is forgotten it can be necessary to reinstall Vista etc and lose all the data, however it seems there is some software available called Active@ which will enable reset from a boot disc created on another computer. So the question is how do you prevent someone from using such a disc to hack any computer running Vista? It seems that Vista has gone to a lot of trouble on security for it all to be undone by [email protected] I have done a lot of searching around and founf nothing on this. thanks

[rojash]

Where did you find this info? I've just looked at the Active@ site and there is no mention of such a facility there...

[rojash]

Ah, found it here: http://www.ntfs.com/boot-disk.htm

[ACtheTROLL]

for free use
http://home.eunet.no/pnordahl/ntpasswd/
(the usual linux/sata issues ... but works OK

to buy use
http://www.password-changer.com/
(this one kicks bottom!)

and finally ... if you have the presence of mind
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/305478/

[rojash]

Kicks what? :-)

[Loosehead]

Thanks but what I really wanted to know is how to stop it ie if my PW can be beaten by Active@ what's to stop malicious usage? Is there any way to make my PC secure?

[vehelpfulguy]

It is very hard to protect a hard disk with Windows on it. After all Windows is just a collection of files.

PCs can work with a number of hard disks. The main one in your PC (the one that contains Vista) is the "master", but it is also possible to have a number of "slave" hard disks.

Anyone could take your "master" hard disk (the one with Vista on it) out of your PC and connect it up as a "slave" on their computer.

They could then boot into Windows from their "master" hard disk and look at all the files on their "slave" (what was your Vista "master"), without the need to enter any passwords to access your Vista hard disk.

Some versions of Windows Vista do have encrypytion capabilities, but never having used encryption I am not sure how it works.

[vehelpfulguy]

The encryption in Vista is called BitLocker, but it is only available in Vista Ultimate and Vista Enterprise.

It works by encrypting the whole disk so nobody can do what I mentioned above (set a windows disk up as a slave and look at the files).

More here:

http://technet2.microsoft.com/WindowsVista/en/ library/ba1a3800-ce29-4f09-89ef-65bce923cdb510 33.mspx?mfr=true

You may be able to buy encryption software to add on top of Vista, but as I know little about encryption you will have to do the research yourself, or hope someone can give an answer.

[ACtheTROLL]

loose

I thought you wanted to rather than not
the only way you can truly secure a pc is not to have one.
the best you can ever do is hinder.
top notch encryption is complex
http://www.bitzipper.com/aes-encryption.html
256 bit aes .... would theoretically need about 54 years using a 3.6p4 processor.

the idea is that the contents are useless by the time you get to them.

even then ... if you're not careful the temp files windows uses could be recoverable

truecrypt does the same job as bitlocker - but it's free.

you can encrypt files or create encrypted "discs" you can even hide a Volume within a Vdisc
so by creating an encrypted disc .... install virtual PC into the Vdisc, install XP/Vista into VPC, and create your files from within the VPC you are hindering reasonably well.

but if you use the net .... you are wide open again.

your best defence is to be insignficant .... are you worth the effort?



rojash
I think it was rowan atkinson .... or maybe some other ass!

[OBonio]

There are two aspects of security with regard to computers. Their physical security (ie, having the machine in front of you) and the software / os security (encryption, password protection, ACL based file access etc).

If someone has physical access to your PC and the know how, there will be no stopping them getting information out of it. Admittedly BitLocker looks promising, but there have been rumours of backdoors to allow law enforcement agencies to bypass it. Which I'm sure will make their way into the wild sometime.

From the software perspective, Vista has made some improvements in security (namely, making the user say yes I'm sure I want to do this to everything). It's still not perfect, but nothing ever will be.

[Loosehead]

Well thanks all, really I was just curious as I do not actually have a need.