this post was submitted on 19 Dec 2023
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xkcd
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Same with Windows 95 and Windows 98. Those operating systems were not really designed with a proper concept of 'user accounts'
The password box wasn't supposed to prevent system access, it was to capture user credentials for networking, like remote fileshare access.
Pressing escape is just choosing to continue anonymously.
I believe even as far as XP and maybe 7 you could just make a new user account with admin privileges by creating it through command prompt and changing a single flag. I used this to get unfettered access to the remote hard drive server in high school and stole other people’s homework.
It’s no wonder I ended up going the GED route lmao
Yes, but getting to the cmd, you have to replace C:/windows/system32/utilman.exe with cmd.exe on 7+.
I believe I wrote all the commands sequentially in a batch file because some well intentioned IT person blocked access to cmd, but had no restrictions for creating/executing .bat
You didn't even need to do that. You could hold down the shift key to bypass some passwords, and just click cancel on others.
Early Windows had awful security.
Even now if someone has physical access to your Windows computer and it has a USB port, they will get through.
Well yeah. But that depends on a person doing it.
I wonder how hard it would be to set up a machine so that it modifies or melts a USB drive being used like that.