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HOW2 reset 2 day old Win8.1 disaster?



 
 
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  #1  
Old August 26th 16, 07:07 PM posted to alt.comp.hardware
[email protected]
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Posts: 3
Default HOW2 reset 2 day old Win8.1 disaster?

Paul,
my X86 system was stolen. Fortunately I've got the backup disks.
Since Win7 crashed 2 years ago, I only use Linux.

In order to get on-line with a 3g-modem, which would not connect
via my RPi [which I WAS able to use with a previous model G3-modem]
I decided to buy a laptop. A 'Proline' was twice the hardware for the
same price as I paid for a smaller [Win7] HP, 5 years ago.

But I'm shocked at the recent developments of PCs !!
After familiarising a bit, I decided to login to a M$ mail account.
The Proline vendor had logged into the W8.1, because I insisted on
a demo/proof that it could drive the G3-modem.

The main-login had no password. The password that I chose for the
M$-mail: I noted in the *Proline* with my log-notes.

At the next boot-login the thing wanted my ***.M$.com password !!
Which was recorded in my notes INSIDE !!
So the intended *MAIL* password, had become the login password,
and was "hidden" inside !

The conventional *nix solution is to live-CD and use *nix to
examine the notes file with the logged password.
But NO! the partitions are no longer arranged as previously,
where the BIG user's-data-parition is the last, which would be
still mostly empty; so that *nix could use the tail of that
BIG, last artition to install itself.

Now M$ has put the data partition inside [#4] and put a partition
of executables at the end: #5.
If you mess this 5th partition, you can expect the PC to be unbootable.

By the time I had installed the *nix to partn-2 of a USB-stik, I had
apparently reset M$ to clear the users files. The running *nix which
could show all partitions & files didn't find my notes.

During the forced research, I discovered that command.exe is
available [without a Win8.1 login]. Which is able to read/write
any files. I wrote some. So where's the security then ?!

Following the sequence: shift / powerup / F2 ? F7 which leads to
reinstall from a DVD prompt, I took the thing back to the vendor,
who seemed to be trying to re-install from the net, and was on the phone
to the agent -- after 2 days. And still I couldn't collect it.

What a disaster.
I read your post about BIOS SLIC table.

How do I make this M$ garbage usable?
My gmail is problematic with the RPi. that I'm also using to write/send
this with.

==TIA.

  #2  
Old August 26th 16, 09:02 PM posted to alt.comp.hardware
Paul[_28_]
external usenet poster
 
Posts: 1,467
Default HOW2 reset 2 day old Win8.1 disaster?

wrote:
Paul,
my X86 system was stolen. Fortunately I've got the backup disks.
Since Win7 crashed 2 years ago, I only use Linux.

In order to get on-line with a 3g-modem, which would not connect
via my RPi [which I WAS able to use with a previous model G3-modem]
I decided to buy a laptop. A 'Proline' was twice the hardware for the
same price as I paid for a smaller [Win7] HP, 5 years ago.

But I'm shocked at the recent developments of PCs !!
After familiarising a bit, I decided to login to a M$ mail account.
The Proline vendor had logged into the W8.1, because I insisted on
a demo/proof that it could drive the G3-modem.

The main-login had no password. The password that I chose for the
M$-mail: I noted in the *Proline* with my log-notes.

At the next boot-login the thing wanted my ***.M$.com password !!
Which was recorded in my notes INSIDE !!
So the intended *MAIL* password, had become the login password,
and was "hidden" inside !

The conventional *nix solution is to live-CD and use *nix to
examine the notes file with the logged password.
But NO! the partitions are no longer arranged as previously,
where the BIG user's-data-parition is the last, which would be
still mostly empty; so that *nix could use the tail of that
BIG, last artition to install itself.

Now M$ has put the data partition inside [#4] and put a partition
of executables at the end: #5.
If you mess this 5th partition, you can expect the PC to be unbootable.

By the time I had installed the *nix to partn-2 of a USB-stik, I had
apparently reset M$ to clear the users files. The running *nix which
could show all partitions & files didn't find my notes.

During the forced research, I discovered that command.exe is
available [without a Win8.1 login]. Which is able to read/write
any files. I wrote some. So where's the security then ?!

Following the sequence: shift / powerup / F2 ? F7 which leads to
reinstall from a DVD prompt, I took the thing back to the vendor,
who seemed to be trying to re-install from the net, and was on the phone
to the agent -- after 2 days. And still I couldn't collect it.

What a disaster.
I read your post about BIOS SLIC table.

How do I make this M$ garbage usable?
My gmail is problematic with the RPi. that I'm also using to write/send
this with.

==TIA.


My guess is, you were tricked into filling out an MSA (Microsoft Account).
And that has been used to define your login user. You probably thought
you were in an email prompt window, when in fact you were filling out
an MSA application.

I think, to verify my MSA (which is based on a gmail.com address),
I received an email and had to send a code back to acknowledge
the MSA setup. Are you sure there isn't a
bread crumb trail from the setup process ? With details of what
happened ? (Go back through your mail, and see if there were
any emails from Microsoft.)

The other possibility, is the email you filled out was hotmail
or the like, and they decided that was sufficient to use as an
MSA without further feedback.

*******

Your disk setup is GPT. That's how the partition number can be five
partitions, without any Extended/Logical partitions being needed.
You would need to research how well Linux works with GPT partitioning,
to know how easy it will be to edit stuff.

*******

Local accounts are not secure. And most of the "features" of
Windows are intended to prevent you from locking yourself
out entirely. For example, you cannot remove the last
user account with administrator privileges.

Now that being said, the MSA protected account is more
of a nuisance.

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials...ndows-8-a.html

One of the local account methods, uses Regedit hacking, but
your problem is not a local password. It's an MSA.

For example, this is for a local password.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials...ord-reset.html

And so is this one.

https://4sysops.com/archives/reset-w...tool-ntpasswd/

If you had enabled the administrator account, you might have
been able to hack in via that one. But that's not enabled
by default (fake security idea). And I haven't been able to
find a WinPE recipe to turn it on. You can easily turn it
on and set a passwords, while Windows is working (of course...).

net user administrator /active:yes

(don't forget to set a password, write down your long password
string and store in a safe place! This option is not normally
recommended, except if you're some sort of belt and suspenders
type person)

*******

In terms of resources, you have the following.

There are alt.* newsgroups for all the OSes.

alt.windows7.general
alt.comp.os.windows-8
alt.comp.os.windows-10

Those are *not* available in Google Groups. Since you posted
your query via Eternal September, all those groups should be
available to you as an authenticated user.

Another source of info, is *one guy* runs all these sites.
There are a ton of contributed and self-created tutorials.

http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/
http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/
http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/
http://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/

This idea only works, if your OS is working. Similar to
protecting your ass if using EFS or BitLocker, making
password disks can protect you when you have a senior
moment. I like PostIt notes myself :-) I have an envelope
with pieces of paper in it, with all sorts of passwords
on it. "Don't leave home" without your envelope.

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials...8-a.html?ltr=P

Paul
 




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