How can I change my user-account password from a Command Prompt?

Article by: Sambhu Pradhan(Analyser)
You can change a Windows User Account password that is on any Windows computer from any other Windows computer regardless of whether the User Account is on a workstation, a stand-alone server, or a Windows domain controller. Additionally, it makes no difference whether the password being changed from a workstation, a stand-alone server, or a Windows domain controller. This is true for any NT 4.0, W2K, XP Pro and Windows Server 2003 computer.
To change a user's password at the command prompt, log on as an administrator and type:
net user sambhu * /domain
(This is only an example, use your own username)
When you are prompted to type a password for the user, type the new password, not the existing password. After you type the new password, the system prompts you to retype the password to confirm. The password is now changed.
Alternatively, you can type the following command:
net user sambhu 123456 /domain
When you do so, the password changes without prompting you again. This command also enables you to change passwords in a batch file.
Note: If you type these commands on a member server or workstation and you don't add the /domain switch, the command will be performed on the local SAM and NOT on the DC SAM.
For example, to change the administrator's password type:
net user administrator 123456
Note: Non-administrators receive a "System error 5 has occurred. Access is denied" error message when they attempt to change the password.
HOWTO: Change your XP password via the command line[I tested myself and it Works ]
I submitted this quick tip to Lifehacker in the past. If you feel the need to change your Windows password, you don’t need to go through any Control Panel menus and whatnot. You can change any user’s password via the command line, as long as you have administrative access. A good example of when to use this tip would be after a fresh install of XP. One of the first things you should do is lo into the default Administrator account and set a password. That requires booting into Safe Mode as Administrator, setting a password, then booting back into Normal mode as your own user. Instead,
go to Start > Run > “cmd” [Enter], then enter:
net user
c:\Documents and settings\sambhu>net user sambhu password
The command completed successfully.
This will set the password you supplied as the password for the user you entered. You can also do:
net user *
c:\Documents and settings\sambhu>net user sambhu password*
Type a password for the user:
Retype the password to confirm:
The command completed successfully.

This will prompt you for a password, then have you confirm it.NOTE: you need administrator access to change the password via this command. However, if you are an administrator, you can change the password for any account on the machine. As you can see, this is a very powerful command, but it can also pose as a security threat.

How can I gain access to a Windows NT/2000/XP/2003 computer if I forgot the administrator's password? (सिक्यूरिटी फ्लाव्स)

Article by: Sambhu Pradhan
OK, so you say you forgot your Windows administrator's password, huh? Oh well, it doesn't really matter if you did or you just say you did. The fact is that you need to gain access to a computer and you cannot "remember" the administrator's password. How can you get out of this situation without formatting and re-installing the operating १
Dont worry my Dear,as i do have the same problem while i was first trying to access my own system.Below im going to describe some methods and security flaws of windows operating system and also tips and tricks how to avoid them from attackers.my personal analysis on security flaws of Microsoft system tells that microsoft is trying its best to improve its security but due to a very little commitment or we can say a minor leak in its work bring out the result of being accessed to files and folders by bypassing user control mode.Any how let me explain u what is it all about? but this article does not represent or mean to initiate hacker opinion rather it is to help people and make them familiar to take some major steps so that the system could be 100% sucure.

Method1

One method of gaining access to the system is by trying hard to remember the forgotten password, or a password of another user which has the same level of administrative rights. However I don't think this approach will help you, otherwise you wouldn't be sitting here reading article, would you?)

Method 2

Another method is by trying to restore a backed up System State (in Windows 2000/XP/2003) or a ERD (in NT 4.0) in which you do remember the password. The problem with doing so is that you'll probably lose all of the recently add users and groups, and all the changed passwords for all of your users since the last backup was made.

Method 3

A third method might be to install a parallel operating system on a different partition on the same computer, then use a simple trick to gain access to the old system.

Forgot the Administrator password - Alternate Method - The LOGON.SCR trick
This is another trick that will easily work in Windows NT 4.0 and some versions of Windows 2000. The principal is that you need to install a second instance of your OS to your HD, then manipulate the default screen saver (the one that's used if you don't move your mouse while the CTRL-ALT-DEL box appears) for the original OS.
Note: The information found on this page is valid ONLY for Windows NT 4.0, and for some earlier versions of Windows 2000 (prior to more advanced service packs). DO NOT ATTEMPT TO TRY THIS ON WINDOWS XP PRO MACHINES, you will only waste your time.

The LOGON.SCR trick
To successfully reset the local administrator's password on Windows NT and some versions of Windows 2000 follow these steps:
1.Install an alternate copy of Windows NT or Windows 2000.
You must install this instance of NT/2000 on a different folder than WINNT, otherwise you'll end up with the same bad situation. Use ALTWINNT for example.
It is best that you install the alternate instance of the OS into a different partition than the one you have your original installation. You'll delete this folder anyway, and it's best that you just format that partition after you're done. Formatting the partition will be much easier than deleting individual files and folders.
Also, if you lost your password on NT - install a new instance of NT, not Windows 2000, as doing so will ruin your old NT installation (because of the difference between the NTFS versions). Same goes for W2K, XP and Windows Server 2003. Always install the same OS.
Note: On Windows NT 4.0 machines that were installed out-of-the-box you do not have to install a fresh copy if you still have access as a regular user to the system. E.g. if you can log-on as a regular, non-administrator user, you can still manipulate the file's permissions. This is simply because NT's default permissions are set for Everyone - Full Control. This is not true on W2K/XP/ machine

2. Boot the alternate install.
3. Use Control Panel/System/Startup (for NT) or Control Panel/System/Advanced/Startup and Recovery for W2K to change the default boot instance back to your original install.
Lamer note: If you don't do that you'll end up booting into the alternate installation next time you turn on your computer. You don't want that, do you?
4. Open Explorer. Browse to your original Windows NT/2000 folder, navigate to the %systemroot%\System32 sub-folder.
Lamer note: %systemroot% is a system variable used to point to the folder where NT/2000 is installed, usually \WINNT in NT/2000, or \WINDOWS in XP/2003.
5. Save a copy of LOGON.SCR, the default logon screen saver, anywhere you like. Just remember where you've placed it. You can also just rename the file to something you'll remember later, I user LOGON.SC1.
Lamer note: To rename a file use the REN command in the Command Prompt window, or just select the file in Windows Explorer and press F2.
6. Delete the original LOGON.SCR from the %systemroot%\System32 sub-folder. It is not necessary to delete the file if you renamed it, you can leave it there.
Note: You might not be able to delete the LOGON.SCR file because of permission settings. Regular users can only read and execute the file, not delete it. If that is the case (and it is in W2K, XP and Windows Server 2003) then you need to take ownership of the file and give the EVERYONE group FULL CONTROL permissions.
Lamer note: In order to take ownership of a file right-click it, select Properties, select the Security tab, click Advanced, and then click on the Owner tab. Select one of the users found in the list, click ok all the way out.
In order to change the LOGON.SCR permissions follow the previous instructions, in the Security tab click Add and browse to the Everyone group. Add it and make sure you give it Full Control. Click Ok all the way out.
7. Make a copy CMD.EXE in the %systemroot%\System32 sub-folder. CMD.EXE is located in %systemroot%\system32.
Lamer note: In order to copy a file via GUI, select the file, right-click and chose Copy, then go to the destination folder, right click the folder name and select Paste. You can also use the keyboard by typing CTRL-C to Copy, CTRL-V to Paste.
8. Rename the copy of CMD.EXE to LOGON.SCR.
Lamer note: See step #5.
9. Shutdown and restart your computer. Boot into the original install.
10. Wait for the logon screen saver to initiate - around 15 minutes. Oh, and no, do NOT move your mouse while you wait, duh...
After the screensaver is initiated, instead of running the normal LOGON.SRC actual screensaver, it will run the renamed CMD.EXE file (which is now called LOGON.SCR), and will actually open a CMD prompt in the context of the local system account.
In step #7 you could have used EXPLORER.EXE instead of CMD.EXE, and in that case a My Computer window will pop up.
Note: As noted earlier on this page, there is a way to make the wait time shorter, but you'll need to dig into the Registry for that.
11. Open the CMD.EXE prompt (it should already be opened if you've used CMD.EXE in step #7) and type:
net user administrator 123456
This will reset the local administrator (or domain admin if you are doing this trick on a DC) password to 123456.
Lamer note: You can, of course, use ANY password you want...
12. Delete the LOGON.SCR from %systemroot%\System32.
13. Rename the saved default screen saver from step 5 back to LOGON.SCR.
14. If you wish to remove the alternate install:
Delete its' folder.
ATTRIB -R -S -H c:\BOOT.INI
Edit c:\BOOT.INI and remove the alternate install's entries.
If you've used a different partition to install the alternate install then now you can simply delete or format that partition if you don't need it anymore, plus edit c:\BOOT.INI and remove the alternate installation entries.
This trick has been tested a zillion times. Don't bother to tell me it doesn't work, it does (for Windows NT and some versions of Windows 2000), and that's a fact.

How to Become a Hacker

This article is based on an essay I Analysed in sep of 2007.(By sambhu pradhan)

Looking for advice on learning to crack passwords, sabotage systems, mangle websites, write viruses, and plant Trojan horses? You came to the wrong place. I'm not that kind of hacker or Knowledge Provider.

Looking for advice on how to learn the guts and bowels of a system or network, get inside it, and become a real expert? Maybe I can help there. How you use this knowledge is up to you. I hope you'll use it to contribute to computer science and hacking (in its good sense), not to become a cracker or vandal.

This little essay is basically the answers to all the emails I get asking how to become a hacker. It's not a tutorial in and of itself. It's certainly not a guaranteed success. Just give it a try and see what happens. That said, here's where to start:

Be curious
Take things apart. Look under the hood. Dig through your system directories and see what's in there. View the files with hex editors. Look inside your computer. Wander around computer stores and look at what's there.

Read everything in sight
If you can afford it, buy lots of books. If you can't, spend time in libraries and online. Borrow books from friends. Go through tutorials. Read the help files on your system. If you're using Unix/Linux, read the main files. Check out the local college bookstores and libraries. And as you're reading, try things (see next paragraph).

Experiment
Don't be afraid to change things, just to see what'll happen. Do this long enough, of course, and you'll wipe out your system (see next paragraph), but that's part of becoming a hacker. Try command options and switches you've never tried before. Look for option menus on programs and see what they can do. In Windows, tweak your registry and see what happens. Change settings in .INI files. In Unix, dig around in the directories where you don't normally go. On the Macintosh, play around in the system folder.

Make backups
If you start mucking around with system files, registries, password files, and such, you will eventually destroy your system. Have a backup ready. If you can afford it, have a system you use just for experimenting, ready to reload on a moment's notice, and do your serious work (or serious gaming!) on a different computer.

Don't limit yourself
Who says a computer or network is the only place to hack? Take apart your telephone. Figure out your television (careful of the high voltage around the picture tube - if you fry yourself, it's not my fault) and VCR. Figure out how closed captioning works (that was a plug for my CaptionCentral.com Web site). Take apart your printer. Pick up the latest issues of Nuts & Volts and Midnight Engineer (you've obviously made a good start if you're reading Blacklisted! 411). Take apart the locks on your doors. Figure out how your radio works. Be insatiably curious and read voraciously. There are groups you can learn from. There are whole Web sites devoted to hacking TiVo units, for example.

Get some real tools
You can't cut a board in half with a screwdriver. Well, maybe you can, but it'll take a long time. Dig around and find the proper tools for the operating systems you're using. They're out there on the Web. You can get some pretty good stuff as shareware or freeware (especially on Linux). The serious power tools often cost serious money. What kinds of tools? Hex file editors. Snoopers that analyze system messages and network traffic. Compilers and APIs for programming. Scripting tools. Disk editors/formatters. Disassemblers. When you get good, write some of your own.

Learn to program
If you want to be a hacker, you're going to have to learn to program. The easiest way to start depends on the operating system you're using. The choice of language is very individual. It's almost a religious thing. Suggest a programming language to a beginner, and someone will disagree. Heck, you'll probably get flamed for it in a newsgroup. In Unix, I'd suggest getting started with Perl. Buy a copy of the camel book (Programming Perl) and the llama book (Learning Perl). You'll have the fundamentals of programming really fast! The best part is that the l anguage itself is free. In Windows, you can get started quickly using a visual development environment like Visual Basic or Java. No matter what the system, if you want to get serious, you'll eventually need to learn C (or C++ or C# or some other variant). Real hackers know more than one programming language, anyway, because no one language is right for every task.

Learn to type
Hackers spend a lot of time at their keyboards. I type 90+ wpm (according to the Mavis Beacon typing tutor). HackingWiz (of hackers.com and Hacker's Haven BBS fame) says he can type 140+ wpm. The typing tutor may be boring, but it pays off.

Use real operating systems
Windows 95/98/Me is a shell on top of a 32-bit patch to a 16-bit DOS. Get some real operating systems (Linux, Windows NT, Mac OS, OS/2...) and learn them. You can't call yourself a linguist if you only know one language, and you certainly can't call yourself a hacker if you only know one OS. Linux is a hacker's dream. All the source code is freely available. Play with it, analyze it, learn it. Eventually, perhaps you can make a contribution to Linux yourself. Who knows, you might even have a chance to write your own OS.

Talk to people
It's hard to learn in a vacuum. Take classes. Join users groups or computer clubs. Talk to people on IRC or newsgroups or Web boards until you find people to learn with. That can take a while. Every third message on n ewsgroups like alt.hack* is "teach me to hack." Sigh. The best way to be accepted in any group is to contribute something. Share what you learn, and others will share with you.

Do some projects
It's important to pick some projects and work until you've finished them. Learning comes from doing, and you must follow the project through start to finish to really understand it. Start really simple. Make an icon. Customize your system (the startup screen on Win95, or the prompt on Unix). Make a script that performs some common operation. Write a program that manipulates a file (try encrypting something).

Learn to really use the Internet
Start with the Web. Read the help for the search engines. Learn how to use Boolean searches. Build up an awesome set of bookmarks. Then move on to other Internet resources. Get on Usenet. Find some underground BBSs. Get on IRC. You'll f ind useful information in the strangest places. Get to the point where you can answer your own questions. It's a whole lot faster than plastering them all over various newsgroups and waiting for a serious answer.

Once you've gone through these steps, go out and contribute something. The Internet was built by hackers. Linux was built by hackers. Usenet was built by hackers. Sendmail was built by hackers. Be one of the hackers that builds something.

Thanks:Author-sambhu Pradhan
Please send me comments so that i could help u more Widely