Tag: user accounts

Windows 7 HomeGroup

September 03, 2009 by Jason

Have you ever tried to share files on your home network but found that dealing with folder permissions and user accounts was just too frustrating? You aren’t alone; the process can aggravate experienced IT pros and home enthusiasts alike. Just imagine how your parents feel when they try to share files across their home computers.

HomeGroup helps simplify file and printer sharing among computers that run Windows® 7 on your home network. Domain-joined computers can also join your homegroup, so you can bring your work laptop home and access your music collection. You can set up HomeGroup as easily as you log on to most password-protected Web sites. HomeGroup is a feature of Windows 7, and Home Premium or better is required to create a HomeGroup.

The step-by-step instructions in this walkthrough provide a brief tour of the new HomeGroup feature in Windows® 7. These instructions assume that you have two computers running Windows 7 and at least one computer is running Windows 7 Home Premium or better on the same network, and neither computer is already a member of a homegroup or are joined to a domain. Read More»

How do I reset my password?

October 29, 2008 by Jason

Use an administrator account to reset the password

If you have forgotten your password to a user account, but you or another person can still log on to the administrator account, then you can change it there. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Log on to the administrator account.

2. Click on the Start button and type in lusrmgr.msc into Start Search.

3. Double-click Local Users and Groups, and then click Users.

4. Right-click the account that you want to reset the password for, and then click Set Password.

5. Type in and confirm the new password.

Please note that these steps do not work in Windows Vista Home Basic and Windows Vista Home Premium. Read More»

How to Change a Computer Password Using Command Prompt

October 10, 2008 by Jason

Ever thought of becoming an actual “hacker”? This article shows how to change a computer password and do other things using a command prompt. A command prompt is a command using the special built-in program that comes with every computer which allows you to do almost anything on a computer.

1. Open Command Prompt. If you don’t know how, open the Start menu, go to Programs (or on Windows 2000 and up, all programs), go to Accessories, then you’ll see Command Prompt, click it.

2. You’ll see a black screen pop up.

3. Type in: “Net User”

4. It will then show you a detailed little chart of all the User Accounts on the computer.

5. Choose which account you want to hack.

6. Say it says the user accounts are: Owner, Administrator, John, Alice, Christopher, and Guest. Read More»

How to turn off User Account Control (UAC) in Windows Vista

April 07, 2008 by Jason

User Account Control can be annoying, but it’s an extra layer of protection that protects your computer from viruses, hackers, and poorly written software.

UAC lets you know when someone or something is trying to change a setting or install/uninstall software on your computer. It also removes administrative rights from software making it harmless to critical system files and services.

Before UAC, settings could be changed and software could be installed/uninstalled without you knowing. Software running under an account with admin rights also had full admin rights which gave it full access to critical system files and services. Read More»

How To Auto-Logon To A User Account At Startup With Vista

May 28, 2007 by Jason

One of the annoying features of Vista is that because you have to create an account and a password for every other PC or device that you want to share files with. Because of this, everytime Vista all of these accounts are displayed, even if you dont actually use them on the PC, and you also have to login everytime.

I spent sometime yesterday looking for a way to auto-logon to Vista, as having to login was really getting annoying on my Vista Media Center PC where I just wanted the PC to boot straight into MCE so that I could access my media. Having to login, meant I had to keep getting the keyboard out just to type in a password . I eventually found a way to setup Vista to automatically login to a selected account at startup.

1. Click on the Start button and type in netplwiz. This will open the Advanced User Accounts menu
2. In the Users tab, highlight the account you want to login to Vista automatically with, and then must enter a username and password to use this computer
3. Click on Apply. A new window will now popup asking you to enter the password of the account you have just highlighted. Do this, and then click Ok
4. Click Ok on the Advanced User Accounts menu to finish

Now, whenever you boot up, Vista will login automatically to your chosen account which is great if you are using a HTPC like me.

Top 4 Free Windows Password Recovery Tools

April 28, 2007 by Jason

Password recovery tools are used to recover lost user and administrator passwords used to log on to Windows.

Password recovery tools are often called “password cracking” tools because they are sometimes used to “crack” unknown passwords by hackers. Legally cracking your own password is certainly a legitimate and often necessary practice!

Many Windows password recovery tools cost hundreds of dollars. Luckily there are a few completely free password recovery tools available that will help you recover forgotten Windows passwords fast!

Check out my list of the best free Windows password recovery tools available: Read More»