I administer hundreds of Windows computers in a very big lab at one of my work place and every user has their own login and password. Whenever a student encounter any problems in their computer, they are required to fill up a form to report the problem to me. When I have time to take a look at the computer but the student is not there, I am forced to reset the user account’s password so that I can login to check and fix the problem.
There are a few ways to log in to a Windows account if you don’t know the administrator password. Most of them are boot CDs where you can boot up the computer and then change the password without knowing the current valid password. Many years ago I’ve written about DreamPack PL where you can hack into a Windows XP computer without changing the password. I don’t really like to use this method because I had to replace sfcfiles.dll file in recovery console and then restore it back when I am done. It only works on XP and most antivirus flag this tool as a hack tool.
All this while I’ve been using Windows Key Enterprise to reset user account password and this is a problem to the student because they have to set a password again the next time they login. Today I am happy to find a tool which solves the problem. I now no longer need to reset the user account password and I can still login as the computer’s administrator. It works on Windows 2003, XP, Vista, 2008, and even Windows 7!
Kon-Boot is an prototype piece of software which allows to change contents of a Windows and Linux kernel on the fly while booting. In the current compilation state it allows to log into a linux system as ‘root’ user without typing the correct password or to elevate privileges from current user to root. For Windows systems it allows to enter any password protected profile without any knowledge of the password.
I’ll show you how easy it is to use Kon-Boot to login to any linux or windows computer without using the correct password.
1. Download Kon-Boot ISO and burn to CD. Refer to this article if you don’t know how to burn ISO file to CD.
2. Insert the Kon-Boot CD that you just burned and boot the computer with the CD. You will need to configure the BIOS to start up the computer with CD.
3. A kryptos login splash screen appears. You’ll need to hit enter to continue or else the screen will stay there.
4. Kon-Boot will tell you that it is ready to hax0R in. It will check SMAP BIOS entries, detect dummy BIOS, and fix SMAP entries.
5. Windows will now load as normal.
6. When the Log On to Windows box appear, simply type anything in the password box and you’re in! You can even leave the password field blank.
Do take note that Kon-Boot does NOT modify any of your files. If you boot up the computer the next time without Kon-Boot CD and try to login using any password, you’ll get the error “The system could not log you on. Make sure your User name and domain are correct, then type your password again. Letters in passwords must be typed using the correct case.”
I’ve scanned Kon-Boot ISO image file in VirusTotal and so far only Kaspersky, F-Secure and Microsoft detected it as a threat. For testing purposes, I’ve installed and updated Kaspersky Anti-Virus 2009 on my desktop computer, then used Kon-Boot to login to a password protected account. I am still able to login and Kaspersky did not find any suspicious activity.
Kon-Boot is free, small and very useful! In my opinion, it is so far the BEST tool to login to Windows without password today. As good as it is, I am sure some of you will use Kon-Boot to illegally break in Windows. Think carefully of what you’re going to do because you will lose friends, job, trust and etc if you’re caught breaking in to Windows without permission.
I used KON-BOOT CD-konboot-v1.1-2in1.iso and boot up my pc. It is really working, Thanks guys.
Downloaded KON-BOOT CD-konboot-v1.1-2in1.iso from their mediafire.com site.Set the BIOS and booted from CD. ALL my admin account were deleted. The desktop changed from Classic to XP. All shortcuts on my original desktop deleted. KON-BOOT left a huge trail of disaster (footprint). Can anyone please tell me what I did wrong? Thank you.
i just recantly treyed to download Kon Boot but i cant using the knon boot web site hepl plz
somthing to do with plugs
hey, i tried this to boot on my ACER LAPTOP and DELL 1525 inspiron, making 1st booot priority to CD DRIVE, but what i get is blurred black screen and if u look closely then only u can see “KRYPTOS LOGIC” so i want to ask that is this software going to work only on the VM WARE?? as all the demos are shown on vmware platform .. please tell me what i am doing wrong or what is the problem :P
Hi does this work on an Windows XP SP2 with ancrypted file system? I tried this but doesn’t work.
i. e. it boots with Kon-boot also shows the screen saying “dummy bios detected, fixing SMAP” and windows boots but doesn’t enter without a password. Pls help.
this is a great piece of program, thanx ray
wow,thets great
Daveyboy, You need the newest kon boot v1.1. Now supports 64bit & usb. Can get it on kryptoslogic.com . one drag its no longer free but its super cheap (15 bucks).
hey guys, i’m runing win 7 ult 64 bit. tried the cd method. managed to burn iso no prob. rebooted pc. kon boot ran ok, went in to normal boot screen, but could not get past the win 7 logon. luckily i was only trying to see if worked so had to type in my normal password to get in. any ideas why the sodding thing ain’t working?
You are really awesome…. all of your articles are so enlightening…
For those of you who arw having trouble burning the Iso onto a disc this program was very handy for me and I hope it helps you out to.
However, when I boot kon-boot it just comes up with a black-screen? Whats up with that?
hi good day. sorry ask lng me it seem kasi that ur so galing in all tapic in cp. ai knw that my q&a is not rlated to the other comment but i gess ur the one how relly hlp me alot pls giv me an email as soon as psbl thkns alot.
hop its oj w/ u.pls……….
how can i open the frndster acct., yahoo mail, and chhka accnt. nid lng talaga plsss hlp me pls send me an email pls……..and pls dont show my email on the com. mn2r.
If you forget the administrator’s password but still can log on Windows with other user names that have administrative privileges, you may follow the instructions below:
Right click the computer icon on your desktop, select Manage, find Local Users and Groups, unfold Users folder, right click Administrator, click Set password… in the menu comes up. Click Proceed in the dialog, in the pop-up, enter a New Password and confirm it. Your administrator’s password is successfully reset.
Guest account may help to log onto Windows, but it has no privilege for you to do the above to reset the administrator’s password.
If you forgot all user passwords and failed to log onto Windows, there is no other way but to format the OS and reinstall Windows, or resort to sort of software tools to remove the password and log onto Windows. These programs cost some bucks, but are worthy and better than to reinstall the OS causing consequences. The most popular programs are Windows Password Reset 6.0 etc. Generally, these programs are easy to use though turn out to be a scary command prompt to newbie. But do relax and you can fully manipulate. Let’s take Windows Password Reset 6.0 for example. You prepare a blank CD, burn the program onto the CD, boot the locked computer from the CD, come to initiate the program, locate the user name, and proceed to remove its password – all are at ease.
its work! but as i logged in wit KON, my account seems to be delete…
can u plz tel me ho can i hack the computer
guys i need help…..
i have the same problem just as no 77 posted. when i insert the cd and try to reboot it shows nothing. wonder whats wrong??? i followed every instruction here still get nothing… help would be appreciated…. thanks
guys i need help…..
i have the same problem just as no 77 posted. when i insert the cd and try to reboot it shows nothing. wonder whats wrong??? i followed every instruction here still get nothing… help would be appreciated…. thanks…..
ok will this work on vista plus i have a dell m4400 with pre boot security bios and a biometric scanner cant not change boot or setup with out biometric scan or admin password any ideas
Corrected: Now I can login without CD and it’s not exactly what I want.
Works perfectly on xp but I have a small problem.
Do take note that Kon-Boot does NOT modify any of your files. If you boot up the computer the next time without Kon-Boot CD and try to login using any password, you’ll get the error “The system could not log you on. Make sure your User name and domain are correct, then type your password again. Letters in passwords must be typed using the correct case.”
Well, this is not true. Now I can login without password and it’s not exactly what I want.
Erd Commander 2005 is another ISO.But I think it only works with XP.And only can change the password,after booting in to it.To change the password,look for the locksmith thingy and change.You will find that it has many more feature,and i think its made by Microsoft.Its also free
showed up in iso file, burned with imgbrn and verified. Ran it on a Dell I’m working on to see if it’s fixed but I can’t get passed the Administrator password screen. Just sez the same thing wrong password or username. Can’t get a hold of owner?????
this works ..
i have a query -what if bios is password protected.is there a workarnd for it .
reply awaited
cheers
Admin
hm..i hav a problem here…..i tried to boot the cd..after the booting screen…it just turn black….what happen? O.o?
The tool worked awesome! I heard about it on the “Hak.5″ podcast.
Another great source for some really awesome hacks. Goodfind Ray.
:-)
~Geo
Hey Raymond,
I was just wondering when downloading Kon-Boot is there any risk to the computer you are using to burn the ISO files to the disk?
Thanks,
Ace
I think this tool works on a very few machines.
I try that in near 40 computers and just works in one old machine.
Microsoft has released a patch for lock this tool. All modern releases of Windows and all updated machines don’t works with this tool.
I think the idea is good, but not much util actually.
Thanks Ray
Help!After the Kon-Boot screens,I do not get to Windows Xp.Any way to fix this?
worked like a charm on 1 pc. on the other – failed because of some previous system problems of missing system dll.
YES! ive been looking for something good, i often work on computers, a lot of the times ones people forget their passwords too :-/
Raymond… I have downloaded the program. When I try to mount it first to see the inside data, it is said that the file was corrupted. Please help me…
I got some problems with the Email Password of my yahoo mail, i forgot the password and yet i need some important information in that email.
can you pliz help me on how to retrieve it back?
Thank u
Cisco
hi raymond
The entire iso file is not readable on my wiindows pc anytime i try extracting it tells me there is no archive.
Anyway i like the work you trying to do.
It seem that it don’t work with localised xp version
it say NTLDR est endommagé (NTLDR is damaged) and can’t boot
XP Pro french in vmware
The tool is writing in Nero. Booting process correct(with screens from Raymonds blog) but when windows(xp pro) is appear I can’t login. What U do that is good login?
Hey Ray,
First of all thanks for such an informative blog! I have used this Kon boot to login to a laptop (admin is passwrd protected) which uses Vista, it did log me in like u mentioned, but later whn I logged in without the CD, I was still able to login to the windows without any pass…whn I checked it had completly removed the password for all the users on the laptop…pls let me know how to logon to a computer without removing the current passwrd.
Thanks in advance
I have read some comment mentioning there isn’t any file in their iso file, I have downloaded all 4 konboot(Different skin) and none of it is empty so my advice would be trying to turn off your whatever download manager you’re using to download this file to prevent it from corrupted. (This happen in some zip/rar file when using download manager)
I hope my first post wasn’t too long and posted in the wrong place. BTW- I could sure use a license code for Advanced System Care if any one wouldn’t mind sharing.
I have worked with it until frustration set in, then resorted to re-formatting my HD. Here is what was happening.
When I would try to highlight to copy and paste, the blue would jump to a lesser part of what I was trying to highlight. Sometimes the blue would disappear completely as soon as I let up on the mouse button. It would take me several tries to get the area highlighted. I would run every anti-virus and malware software I could find, and even Trend Micro’s Housecall couldn’t find any thing. This one has had me scratching my head since I first ran across it two years ago. It hasn’t happened in about a year but it still needles my brain not knowing what causes it. If you have any idea I sure would appreciate your input.
Thanx
First, I’d like to say that I really appreciate your site, Raymond. I have been reading if for a while now, and thought that I had registered until I tried to log in a few minutes ago, I was suprised to find that I hadn’t already.
This may be a pretty long post, so settle in if you intend to read it.
In regard to KON_BOOT. I can’t get it to boot on my computer, however, since I am the only person who ever uses any of my computers I see no reason to have them password protected. Frankly, I had rather not hassle with the delay when booting up first thing in the morning. My mind is still numb from sleep and it just takes longer for me to get started when I have to type in a password. This may be the reason Kon-Boot will not work on my PC. This is one of the things I’m writing about. I tried burning it with Nero, when that copy didn’t work, I downloaded and installed ImgBurn and burned a copy with it. It didn’t work either so, I then downloaded a copy of Kon-Boot for floppy and tried it. Still no luck. Am I doing something wrong in burning the ISO? I have burned several other ISOs and they all worked. Perhaps I should seek out a password protected computer and try it.
Now, here is something that isn’t giving problems right now, but has driven me crazy in the past, and I still haven’t figured out what causes it. So far, when it has happened
Ray, have you checked vbootkit 2.0:
Can’t find a download link, though.
Nice stuff,JAI Hooo Raymond..!!
thank
Hi, Raymond
As a computer technician I’m really impressed with your blog.
Could you tell us how to install konboot on a usb drive?
Greetings from Chile
So, this tool is probably really nice as I read these comments here, but it’s not working with my PC and three another where I have tested it. Exactly: I can’t see what’s inside ISO file and when I boot with KON BOOT nothing happen.. I see black screen only.. Nothing. Any Ideas?
Great Tools! been use PcLoginNow for logging into window without knowing the password, will try this software out later =]
To Helper.
I know about BIOS-Battery for desktops cos its actually visible once u get d cpu opened. Do laptops also have BIOS-Battery, thought d lap battery takes care of the bios. This is actually for a friend who needs help. Some people made use of his lap in his abscence, went to d lap bios, created a password(Since he’s yet to create one). Now everytime, he puts on d system, it asks for a password. Meaning he cant get to d bios or boot the sytem without putting d correct password. Any solution pls.
Wow!! this tool works great! Thanks Raymond!
Thanks Ray for this nice piece of software which works perfectly !
However, did you notice that either the burned CD or the ISO image aren’t readable under Windows ?
This means that there is no “standard” file system on the CD, meaning readable by Windows.
So every anti-virus check against the CD is not significant in findind some malicious code into it.
Do you agree ?
It’s working but…
“April 14th, 2009
Microsoft has released a patch for a vulnerability discovered and submitted by Kryptos Logic. For more information refer to the Microsoft Security Bulletin”
by kryptoslogic.com/
microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS09-011.mspx
“How about if the system and bios is password-protected. That means one can’t change d boot options, neither can one boot the system. I make use of the sytem and bios password on my dell inpiron 1525. How can I hack d system then cos it’s actually cos of the windows crazy hacking tools that make me wanna do away with windows passwords totally.”
I know it sounds a bit harsh, but if your bios is PW protected you have to take the BIOS-Battery out (for a few min …)
Right after your your Mainboard?! is discharged you can put it right back and the PW for the BIOS is gone.
hello raymond, the file is not working, after downloaded the file size = 12 kb only !! after unrar i have 112 kd damage file. some thing is going with me also even i uninstall my anti virus pls any comment
Thanks! Excellent find! :)
I had been looking for something like this from ages!
raymond I love you :)
How about if the system and bios is password-protected. That means one can’t change d boot options, neither can one boot the system. I make use of the sytem and bios password on my dell inpiron 1525. How can I hack d system then cos it’s actually cos of the windows crazy hacking tools that make me wanna do away with windows passwords totally.
thankx alot Ray.
Note that for domain user profiles, you must unplug the network cable for logon to work. After you logon you can plug the network cable back in.
Also note that network drives on a domain will not work because the passwords are not in synch.
You say this does not change any files on the host PC.
Has anyone done scans of the host PC after using Kon Boot? to check it is really clean despite the antivirus warnings?
hey ray, is there a way to use the img file in a bootable USB disk???
i know you can do this using dd command in linux. Is there something like that in windows???
thanks ray! :) nice find and great soft
This is really good, Raymond.
I hope Kon-Boot will be of help in the future.
Not one of the several workarounds you have discussed in the past worked in my PC when I needed it.
I’m gonna burn and keep this and test it when I can find the time — before the next accident or stupid mistake happens.
Best regards, I don’t know how to thank you.
Thanks ray for the great info!!
Is it working for Windows XP, I tried on 3 PC and after The last statement of booting up there is a error screen saying : Extended memory is 2 low, to run windows u need at least 7 Mb extended memory, consider updating your hardware.
To test this app, I applied both an Administrator password and one for my account on a PC running XP Home. I burned the ISO using two different PCs and tried both CDs in the aforementioned machine. The screens came up exactly like the screenshots posted here. However; when I attempted to type any password I wanted or no password at all, I received a message saying the password was incorrect. At that point I had to type in the correct entry to gain access to Windows. Any ideas?
nice.you are the best.(tine-o tot asa)
Hilarious how the software name is actually based on a character named Kon from the anime “Bleach”, one of the best animes out there (in my opinion).
Also, nice find Ray ;)
Grtz
raymond, thank you very much!!! you are genius!!!!
thanks
this is much easier than dreampack pl method
I have tested this stuff on 3 different computers (Vista, XPSP1, XPSP3) and it didn’t work. I get “Err” every time.
Do you know if it works with Vista as well?
Thanks
Andy
Can we boot in usb drives???
Yap very useful and apparently it works on windows 7 as it is claimed. For night shifting is a great tool. Than you Raymond and many thanks to the author. Genius you are.
super tool ray..
Nice tips, recently a few of my friend is asking for solution to log in their admin acc …. I lol when I saw Kon from Bleach on the main page, guess thats another anime freak like me.
This works here is a video demo on YouTube:
youtube.com/watch?v=cT-mX-Szmk4
Thks for the info. YOU ARE THE BEST!!!
If some of you people knew about this before, then WHY didn’t you share it with all of us.
Thanks again for this one.
Is there any way to install it to a USB drive, and have it bootable?
Great tip, great tool, thanks mate!
Or IT Guru, you can don’t use Kon-Boot at all :P
thanks a lot Raymond.. i like your articles from the day i am following..
last time i missed to get a full internet security..
hope to get one with you help.. :)
best regards.
hello raymond, the file is not working, after downloaded the file size = 12 kb only !! after unrar i have 112 kd damage file.
any comment please ?
thanks
how does this apply to linux? Anyway. you can try booting kernel in single mode
The ISO is not empty, u should burn the ISO first..
And yup, the antivirus will detect it as virus.. so, disable the protection of the antivirus first, n burn the ISO.. Then, enable back the antivirus..
:)
so IT GURU for downloading just disable your kaspersky for a while
IT Guru, my second last paragraph did mention that Kaspersky detected it as a threat.
as always.thanks again ray for this useful info….
I stumbled upon this a while ago! Awesome tool!
does the ISO supposed to be empty??? am using UltraISO to open ISO files
yep… this is goin to be 1 of my favourite… thanx raymond
Thanks a lot raymond, u are the best in finding very useful programs and the best in sharing them :)
Что-то футер у вас вправо съехал (в опере при разрешении 1024х768)
Knew about this tools 2, 3 days ago.. :) Great tool.. :)
Unique tip!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is why: You are the best
Please i need bwtorrents.com invitation
ID: destinyawait@gmail.com
Thank You in advance….
The requested URL could not be retrieved
While trying to retrieve the URL:
piotrbania.com/all/kon-boot/
data/CD-konboot-v1.1-2in1.zip
The following error was encountered:
The requested object is INFECTED with the following viruses: Type_Boot
Please contact your service provider if you consider it incorrect.
Generated:
Wed Apr 29 10:34:19 2009
Kaspersky Internet Security 2009
cooooooool !!!
Hey it very useful for me ? Thnk u vry much for it.
thank you raymond sooo much. I really needed to know this because i forgot the password and i had to format my pc before. Thanks Again!!
thanks