{"id":2052,"date":"2013-05-10T14:37:06","date_gmt":"2013-05-10T06:37:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/rmohan.com\/?p=2052"},"modified":"2013-05-10T14:48:27","modified_gmt":"2013-05-10T06:48:27","slug":"free-windows-password-recovery-tools","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mohan.sg\/?p=2052","title":{"rendered":"free-windows-password-recovery-tools"},"content":{"rendered":"

Windows password\u00a0recovery tools are used to recover, or reset lost user and\u00a0administrator\u00a0passwords used to log on to Windows\u00a0<\/span>operating systems<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Password recovery tools\u00a0are often called “password cracker” tools because they are sometimes used to “crack” passwords by hackers. Legally cracking or unlocking your own\u00a0Windows password\u00a0is certainly a legitimate practice!<\/p>\n

Note:<\/b>\u00a0Using a\u00a0Windows password\u00a0recovery program is just one of several\u00a0ways to find a lost Windows password<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Important:<\/b>\u00a0Please read my\u00a0Windows Password Recovery Programs FAQ<\/a>\u00a0for more information. I also have an easy-to-readcomparison of these programs<\/a>\u00a0too that might help.<\/p>\n

Need to Crack a Different Kind of Password?<\/b>\u00a0See my list of\u00a0free password crackers<\/a>\u00a0for free programs to crack PDF files, Word & Excel documents, RAR & ZIP archives, and more.
Here are the top 7 free\u00a0Windows password\u00a0recovery programs available. I also keep a list of\u00a0premium Windows password recovery tools<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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1.\u00a0Ophcrack<\/a><\/h3>\n
\"Ophcrack<\/a><\/q><\/div>\n
The Ophcrack\u00a0Windows password\u00a0cracker is by far the best free\u00a0Windows password\u00a0recovery tool available. It’s fast and easy enough for a first time\u00a0Windows password\u00a0cracker with a basic knowledge of Windows.<\/p>\n

With Ophcrack, you don’t need any access to Windows to be able to recover your lost passwords. Simply visit the site, download the free\u00a0ISO image<\/a>, burn it to a CD and\u00a0boot from the CD<\/a>. The Ophcrack program starts, locates the Windows user accounts, and proceeds to recover (crack) the passwords – all automatically.<\/p>\n

In a test on a\u00a0Windows 7\u00a0PC, Ophcrack recovered the 10-character password to my\u00a0administrator\u00a0account in 40 seconds. Ophcrack supports\u00a0Windows 7, Windows Vista, and\u00a0Windows XP.<\/p>\n

Ophcrack v3.4.0 Review and Free Download<\/a><\/div>\n
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2.\u00a0Offline NT Password & Registry Editor<\/a><\/h3>\n
\"Download<\/a><\/q><\/div>\n
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Offline NT Password & Registry Editor works differently than most password recovery programs in that it erases yourWindows password\u00a0instead of recovering it. You can think of it as more of a\u00a0Windows password\u00a0reset<\/i>\u00a0tool.<\/p>\n

Like Ophcrack, you boot to a burned CD created with the Offline NT Password & Registry Editor ISO file. After running the program, you can log in to your Windows account without entering a password at all.<\/p>\n

If you like this “password deleting” strategy then I highly recommend this program. Offline NT Password & Registry Editor works basically the same way as\u00a0PC Login Now<\/a>, listed below.
I tried Offline NT Password & Registry Editor on a\u00a0Windows 7\u00a0PC and it reset the password immediately without problem. It should work equally well with\u00a0Windows 7, Windows Vista, Windows 2000, and Windows NT. It should also work with 64-bit versions of these operating systems.<\/p>\n

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Offline NT Password & Registry Editor Review and Free Download<\/a><\/div>\n
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3.\u00a0PC Login Now<\/a><\/h3>\n

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\"PC<\/a><\/q><\/div>\n
PC Login Now is one of the better free\u00a0Windows password\u00a0recovery programs I’ve tested… even though it doesn’t actuallyrecover<\/i>\u00a0passwords.<\/p>\n

Instead of discovering and displaying your current\u00a0Windows password, PC Login Now deletes it, allowing you to access Windows without a password, after which you can create a new one.<\/p>\n

PC Login Now works just like the free and popular\u00a0Offline NT Password & Registry Editor<\/a>\u00a0(listed above) only it’s much easier to use.<\/p>\n

The trade-off with PC Login Now over Offline NT Password & Registry Editor is that PC Login Now causes Windows to detect a possible hard drive problem on the first reboot after deleting the password. I’ve never seen nor heard of a problem actually happening but it’s still a little bothersome.<\/p>\n

In a test on a\u00a0Windows 7\u00a0PC, PC Login Now deleted the 15-character password to my user account instantly. PC Login Now supports\u00a0Windows 7, Windows Vista, and\u00a0Windows XP.<\/p>\n

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PC Login Now v2.0.1 Review & Free Download<\/a><\/div>\n
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4.\u00a0Kon-Boot<\/a><\/h3>\n
\"Download<\/a><\/q><\/div>\n
Kon-Boot is yet another free password reset program, much like\u00a0ONTP&RE<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0PC Login Now<\/a>. Just burn the program to a disc, boot to it, and you’re off.<\/p>\n

Kon-Boot works differently than the two password reset tools above, so if you have problems using them, give Kon-Boot a try. It’s very, very easy to use and probably the fastest password reset, and certainly password recovery, tool available.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, Kon-Boot 1.0 does not work with 64-bit versions of Windows.<\/p>\n

I used Kon-Boot v1.0 to successfully delete the password on a Windows Vista PC and then also on a\u00a0Windows XP\u00a0PC. Kon-Boot is reported to also reset\u00a0Windows 7\u00a0passwords but I was not able to make it work on two different\u00a0Windows 7\u00a0PCs.<\/p>\n

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Kon-Boot v1.0 Review & Free Download<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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5.\u00a0Cain & Abel<\/a><\/h3>\n
\"Cain<\/a><\/q><\/div>\n
Cain & Abel is a free, fast and effective\u00a0Windows password\u00a0recovery tool.
Unlike Ophcrack and other popular\u00a0Windows password\u00a0hacking programs, Cain & Abel requires access to Windows under anadministrator\u00a0account. Due to this fact, Cain & Abel is a valuable resource to recover passwords to accounts\u00a0other<\/i>\u00a0than the one you’re using.<\/p>\n

Add that to the fact that Cain & Abel is a bit more complicated to use than other password recovery apps and you have what is, in my book, a pretty advanced tool.\u00a0Check it\u00a0out if you think it might be useful to you.<\/p>\n

Cain & Abel was able to recover the 10-character password to the\u00a0Windows XP\u00a0“Administrator” account in ten seconds. I couldn’t get it to work properly Windows Vista. One user said\u00a0it works\u00a0great with\u00a0Windows 7.<\/p>\n

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Cain & Abel v4.9.36 Review and Free Download<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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6.\u00a0LCP<\/a><\/h3>\n
\"LCP\"<\/a><\/q><\/div>\n
LCP is yet another free password recovery software tool for Windows.<\/p>\n

Like Cain & Abel, LCP is a standard Windows program you\u00a0download from\u00a0LCPSoft’s website and install inside of Windows, meaning you’ll need access to a user account on the computer.<\/p>\n

LCP can be a little intimidating to those new to\u00a0Windows password\u00a0recovery tools so some prior knowledge is very helpful to avoid even bigger problems with your PC.<\/p>\n

I haven’t been able to get LCP to work for me. If you’ve successfully used LCP and would like to share your experiences, pleaselet me know<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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LCP v5.04 Free Download<\/a><\/div>\n
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7.\u00a0John The Ripper<\/a><\/h3>\n

John the Ripper is a very popular free password recovery tool that can be used to find Windows account passwords.<\/p>\n

While the password recovery application itself is free, the wordlists used by John the Ripper to discover passwords do cost and are required for the software to work.<\/p>\n

Note:<\/b>\u00a0I’m told there are free wordlist alternatives that work with John the Ripper which is why this\u00a0Windows passwordrecovery tool is still listed as free. However, I have not tested any of them.<\/p>\n

John the Ripper is operated at the\u00a0command\u00a0line making it a password cracking tool reserved for the very advanced user.<\/p>\n

If you have experience with John the Ripper that you would like to share, please\u00a0let me know<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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John The Ripper Free Download<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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Windows Password Recovery Tools Aren’t Necessary if You’re Proactive!<\/h3>\n

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These\u00a0Windows password\u00a0recovery tools are great if you need them, but there’s a much easier way to access your account if you forget your password – a password reset disk!<\/p>\n

How To Create a Password Reset Disk<\/a><\/p>\n

A password reset disk is a special disk you can insert in your PC during the logon process that will allow you to change yourWindows password\u00a0without knowing your current password. You will need to create this disk\u00a0before<\/i>\u00a0you lose access to your account!<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Windows password recovery tools are used to recover, or reset lost user and administrator passwords used to log on to Windows operating systems.<\/p>\n

Password recovery tools are often called “password cracker” tools because they are sometimes used to “crack” passwords by hackers. Legally cracking or unlocking your own Windows password is certainly a legitimate practice!<\/p>\n

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