XP initial logon PW problem

[cmajor12]

I did an upgrade from an OEM XP Home Edition. I bought the XP Pro upgrade and did the install. After several install attempts, the upgrade finally completed and took me to the "Setup Pro" page, where I answered questions about did I want to set up an internet connection, want to register, etc. During this process, a prompt asked me who will be using the computer. I put in my name and my wife's name. After a few minutes, up came the Windows login page with my name and the wife's name showing w/icons next to the names. In the Home edition we both had PW's set. When I clicked my name, I was prompted to enter a PW. I tried the one I was using w/Home XP. Unfortunately, I got an error saying that I could not be logged on to the domain it was unrecognized, etc. I tried the wife's and the same result.

After calling MS and them trying several things with me, their only recourse is for me to do a system recovery from the CD that shipped w/the computer. When I start that process, the recovery wants to reformat and create C: and D: drives and therefore all my data is lost.

The one option that MS used to try and help was for me to look in my setupact.log and look for the line "Random password for user xxxxx..." etc. That is found in KB article: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;318026

I looked in setupact.log file (suggested in the previously mentioned KB article) and no such line about a "Random password...." etc is in there. I even copied the setupact.log file to a floppy and went to my wife's desktop computer and used windows search for the words (in notepad) and the words random, password, nor administrator appear. [As mentioned earlier, I had trouble with the install and several attempts at the install were made -- so in the KB article it mentions about random PW's being assigned when XP install doesn't complete.]

I've also tried logging on in safe mode and the login screen comes up w/an administrator account and my name account. However, hitting enter (w/out a PW) or no password I try works to let me in as administrator.

I don't want to lose my data, since I don't have anyway of saving my data to a mass sotrage device (w/out paying for it). Can anyone help me? Is there not a file or directory that stores PW's in XP Pro that can be deleted and then the upgrade disk be used to do a reinstall and in hopes that random Passwords would not be assigned again?

Please respond as soon as possible and thank you in advance.

 

[mrdinkel]

User accounts control panel?

Well, you said you were in safe mode, with administrative power and no password, right? When you are in administrator logon, you can access other's passwords and reset them. Just click on User accounts in Control Panel. It will look like either one of these...

The second one you can access by going to start|Run| and type control userpasswords2. Either way, you CAN reset passwords. That, or in XP Pro, I believe you can just stay on as Administrator. Or, delete the accounts altogether and remake the accounts.

Whoops, I don't know how you get it to show up, rather than having to download...

 

[cmajor12]

mr dinkel,
the problem is I cannot log onto the system and receive the desktop view. When I go through safe mode, the logon window comes up w/2 names as possibilities for loggin onto windows: Administrator and Jim

Well, no matter what I try, blank entry and hit enter, previous PWs I've used, etc., nothing works for either. So, I do NOT have the ability to go to control panel. I'm still outside the door, in other words.

Any other suggestions would be appreciated!

Jim

 

[mrdinkel]

Can anyone help me? Is there not a file or directory that stores PW's in XP Pro that can be deleted and then the upgrade disk be used to do a reinstall and in hopes that random Passwords would not be assigned again?

The Password list is stored inside a SAM security file, with an NTDIS.dll file used for unencrypting it. The problem is, that since you can't login, you can't even use the recovery console to delete that file, as it requires an Administrator logon.

Have you tried putting in the XP Pro CD and tried repairing the installation?

 

[mrdinkel]

Stupid question Microbell, but has there been anything added on to the encyrption of the SAM Files since 2000? Because I've read in 2000 you've got the NTDIS.dll(may be incorrect) and the SAM files. I thought they would have been more deeply encrypted.

 

[cmajor12]

Microbell, I'm not sure what you mean by the "computer's name that I chose at the install...". If you could be more specific, I'd give that try for sure.

At this point, I've copied the Sam.sav file to a floppy and plan to go to another computer and do some search on the internet to find a prog to decrypt the file -- per someone elses suggestion. The PW is stored in the SAM as we all have stated and think at this point.

Anyway, if you have any thoughts on that idea, please let me know...thanks!

 

[cmajor12]

Micro, I understand. This info, of course, is dating back to an August, 2002 post in this forum as a reply to someone w/virtually the same problem as myself. The reply was to copy the SAM file and then find a program that can decrypt the file and let you see the PW. The replier did mention this could take a 1/2 day and as long as a couple of days. But, it's worth another try to me, since I don't have the Win 2000 CD that will allow me the work around this situation.

Supposedly one can boot up the XP machine w/a Win 2000 CD, get around the administrator logon, log in to desktop, edit, add, delete, etc., user accounts, including the administrator. This is all done through the Recovery panel. Figured if I can find one of those CDs, then it's worth a try, before I lose data.

Thanks for responses, keep 'em coming in hopes to a different solution if there is one out there.

Jim

 

[cmajor12]

er.....Microbel, in a previous post you mentioned that I should "use the computer' name that I chose at the beginning of the install"

could you possibly explain what you mean by that? I'll try, but don't understand it :-(

Jim

 

[cmajor12]

Micro,
I made a setup disk from my ME compute and have been able to boot to a DOS prompt to do DOS type editing.

I'm unable to copy to a floppy in recovery console, per the construction of the encryption security in XP.

Any other thoughts, I'm still willing to try. I d/l'd a crack that allows you to edit the PW's for those users listed in the SAM file. However, after setting them all to "blank password" and then rebooting, no go.

I'm doing research not to see if I really need Syskey. For what I can tell it's for deep protection of PWs and hopefully securing a computer. However, I don't need that at home, so if I turn off the Syskey -- the author of the crack software says in XP that can be bad, but allow you to enter the computer -- but the syskey may be lost forever. What is the Syskey and do I really need it? Do you or anyone else know that answer?

Thanks for your help.

Jim

 

[mrdinkel]

What syskey does is it puts the codes for getting XP to initialize on a disk, so that you have to be present to logon. The bad deal about this is the short shelf-life of a 3 1/2 " floppy.