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Others

How to Create Password Reset Disk in Windows 10

A password reset disk could really come in handy if you ever forgot your Windows password. With it, you can easily reset your Windows account password and get right in to your PC. Before we get started, let’s be clear about the following things:

  • You must create a password reset disk before you forgot the password.
  • A password reset disk can only reset the password of the account for which it was created.
  • A password reset disk can only reset your password, instead of recovering your current password.
  • You only need to create a password reset disk for your account once. No matter how many times you change your password.
  • If you creates a second password reset disk for your account, the previous password reset disk automatically expires.

Creating A Password Reset Disk

Here is how can you create a password reset disk in Windows 10. The same procedure also applies to Windows 8.1, Windows 8/7/Vista and XP.

  1. First of all, we need to open the Control Panel. Simply press the Windows key + X to bring up the Power User menu and then select Control Panel. In Windows 7/Vista/XP, this can be done by clicking Start -> Settings -> Control Panel.

    power-user-menu

  2. Under Control Panel, click on the User Accounts and Family Safety link.

    control-panel

  3. Now select User Accounts from the Control Panel.

    user-accounts-family-safety

  4. In the task pane on the left, click the Create a password reset disk link.

    user-accounts

  5. When the Forgotten Password Wizard window appears, click Next. You will need a portable media before being able to create a password reset disk. As the password reset disk only uses 2KB of space, you can use any size flash drive or an existing one if you wish.

    forgotten-password-wizard

  6. Choose the portable USB drive to create a password reset disk on. Click Next to continue.

    create-password-reset-disk

  7. Enter the password for the account you are currently logged in with and then click Next.

    enter-user-account-password

  8. The Forgotten Password Wizard will now create an encrypted key (userkey.psw) and save it on the removable media that you selected. When it is done you will be presented with a screen that states that it is 100% complete.

    creating-password-reset-disk

  9. Click on the Finish to close the wizard. Please label the media as Password Reset Disk and then save it in a safe place in the event that you need it in future.

It’s a good idea to create a password reset disk for yourself or for your elderly parents who tend to have bad memories on their password.

Using the Password Reset Disk

If you ever forget and type in an incorrect password, Windows login screen will display an error message that says “The password is incorrect. Try again“. Press OK when that happens.

reset-password

You will return back to the login screen for that user account and you are now shown a link that says “Reset password”. Click on it, and the Password Reset Wizard will start. Insert your previously created password reset disk, the wizard will allow you to set a new password for your locked account.

Others

Why Wireless Network Security and Encryption Matter

Recently there seems to be a never ending stream of information leaks percolating through the news.  Several states mandate wireless networks implement encryption and the Federal government is looking at forcing companies to disclose information leaks to affected customers. Of course any information leak or unauthorized access to sensitive data on a personal or even worse business network may present a myriad of liability issues.

Wireless networks are often targeted and most of them are not up to the standard of security that is publicly available. Using no encryption leaves your network immediately open to attack. This means any third party can connect in to your network, discover resources like shared files or computers that are vulnerable and gain access. There is not much, if any legal protection afforded in this situation as the network is open.

WEP (wireless equivalent privacy) is an older standard that for its time was certainly better than no encryption, but these days it is not much more secure than leaving the network wide open. The reason is that there exist several fundamental flaws in the WEP algorithm that leave your network vulnerable, including, but not limited to:

  1. Passive attacks to decrypt traffic
  2. Active attacks to inject new traffic from unauthorized nodes
  3. Active attacks to decrypt traffic based on fooling the AP (access point)
  4. Dictionary-based attacks that may take some time, but allows full decryption of all network traffic

These attacks are simple to configure and can be implemented with off the shelf equipment, including many standard laptop configurations. Furthermore, WEP uses RC4 encryption, a weaker and older form of stream-based encryption that is easy for attackers to exploit because of its vulnerable key exchange mechanism and the lower grade cipher used.

Many routers are setup to use WEP encryption, even those supplied by Internet providers. If you are using WEP (or no encryption at all) it’s best to consider using WPA2 with AES encryption. This is the highest publicly available wireless encryption standard. If your router or wireless card does not support this standard now would be a good time to consider upgrading.