The Bottom Line
Pros
- Software is freely available for download online
- Passwords are recovered automatically using the LiveCD method
- No software installation is necessary to recover passwords
- No knowledge of any existing passwords is necessary
- Ophcrack works with Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP
Cons
- Some antivirus programs mistakenly identify Ophcrack as a Trojan or virus (see Guide Review below)
- 496MB (7/Vista) / 415MB (XP) LiveCD ISO image must be downloaded
- LiveCD ISO image must be burned to a CD before being used
Description
- Ophcrack can recover 99.9% of passwords from nearly any Windows installation in seconds.
- The Ophcrack LiveCD option allows for completely automatic password recovery.
- LiveCD method requires no installation in Windows, making it a safe alternative to many other password recovery tools.
- No Windows passwords need to be known to use the Ophcrack LiveCD to crack your Windows passwords.
- Opchrack can crack passwords for Windows 7, Windows Vista, and Windows XP.
Guide Review – Ophcrack v3.3.1 (LiveCD v2.3.1)
Ophcrack v3.3.1, in its LiveCD form (currently at v2.3.1), is the best Windows password recovery tool available. Its nearly fool-proof operation, automatic password recovery, and overall speed puts Ophcrack in a league of its own.
To get started, visit the Ophcrack site and click on the Download ophcrack LiveCD button. On the next page, click on either the XP or Vista link to download the correct ISO image file for your operating system. Choose the Vista version for Windows 7 as well. This file may take some time to download.
An ISO file contains everything that should go on a CD or DVD in a single file. The Ophcrack LiveCD ISO file contains SliTaz (a Linux distribution), the Ophcrack software, and other files needed to recover passwords. Don’t worry about the details – the Ophcrack LiveCD is fully automatic – no Linux experience required.
Important: Some antivirus programs unnecessarily identify one or both of two files included in Ophcrack as a Trojan or other kind of malware – samdump.dll and pwservice.exe. Both of these files are part of an open source program called pwdump which is included with Ophcrack and is necessary for it to work. The pwdump program is classified more or less as “evil” since it can be used to extract passwords… which of course is exactly what you’re trying to do.
So don’t worry about your antivirus program’s flagging of these files (as long as it’s just these files). Ignore it and continue on with the process:
After downloading, burn the Ophcrack ISO image to a CD. Burning an ISO file is a different than burning a normal file. Check out How to Burn an ISO Image File to a CD or DVD for more on that topic.
After burning, boot to the CD by rebooting your PC with the disc in the drive. Linux will load, Ophcrack will start, and the password recovery will begin.
Ophcrack will locate the users on your Windows system and begin cracking their passwords. The process is automatic – you don’t usually need to type or click anything. When the passwords are displayed on screen, write them down. Remove the CD, reset your computer and log on to Windows with your newly recovered password.
The Ophcrack LiveCD requires some preparation but this password recovery tool is by far the best!
Guide’s Response to User Reviews
“Thanks for the comments about Ophcrack being infected with a Trojan, virus, or spyware. Fortunately, this is not actually the case. Some antivirus programs identify software included with Ophcrack as malware, which it is not. See the Important call-out in my review above for more information.” – Tim Fisher, Your Guide to PC Support
Having Problems Using Ophcrack?
Did you have problems running Ophcrack or did Ophcrack not find your Windows password? Try another free Windows password recovery tool or maybe even a premium Windows password recovery tool.
