If you have forgotten the login password of your Windows, UNIX or Linux operating system computer, then John the Ripper used to be a good candidate to help you recover the password. Basically, it is a quick password cracker to scan weak passwords. It uses several crypt hashes being used in UNIX systems as well as Windows LM hashes. Plus, other hashes and ciphers from the advanced versions are also embedded in this program to crack any password. The question is that it only works with weak passwords and if you have set up a strong password for your computer, then it won't be able to crack that password at all. In this short guide, we will introduce two alternatives to replace John the Ripper.
Forgetting Windows login password can be very frustrating since you won't be able to access your own system that contains all the important document and data which you need to use immediately. If you are using a password that cannot be cracked using John the Ripper than try using the following tools to recover the password of your computer.
Ophcrack is a Windows based password unlocking tool that cracks password by using rainbow tables. It shows real-time analytics graph to detect the passwords and brute-force module available if it was a simple password. Once downloading the correct LM and NTLM hash tables, it can break the passowrd in a couple of minutes. However, it is not a good choice for Windows 8 or Windows 10 computers because it has no LiveCD for them.
How to Use Ophcrack to Crack Windows XP/Vista/7 Password
If the hash tables was not complete, then it would takes days to finally recover the password. It is highly recommended to follow the steps in next section if the time was took more than 30 minutes with Ophcrack.
Although, it can be only useful if you are using a simple password or a dictionary based password. Ophcrack cannot crack complicated passwords that involves numbers and letters and special characters. To reset such strong passwords, you will have to use an advanced tool that can crack all kind of passwords. And for that we will be using UUkeys Windows Password Mate for the next method to reset your Windows login screen password.
UUkeys Windows Password Mate is the best and most advanced alternative to John the Ripper. This tool helps to reset passwords in any version of Windows platform including 10, 8, 7, XP, 2000 etc. It doesn't matter how tough and complicated password you have set, using this tool will completely reset and remove the password from your computer.
Head on to the official website and download the program on your PC. Next, install the program by following the set up instruction and launch the program for the first time on your computer.
Plug in the empty USB flash drive or a writable disc to the computer. In this guide, we will be using a USB flash drive to demonstrate the process. Let the software detect the flash drive automatically. It can take few times if you are inserting the flash drive for the first time as it may download and install some required missing hard drive files to recognize the USB drive.
Now click on "Burn USB" to create a bootable disk drive. Let the file burn all the required files on the USB flash drive. Keep the device connected to the computer the entire time until it is finished.
Take the bootable flash drive and insert it into the locked PC. Next, keep pressing F11 or Esc key to enter into the boot menu option. Select the flash drive that you just inserted and press enter. Now, it should automatically load the program on your PC and you will be able to see the set up windows.
Select the operating system and choose the username from the list for which you want to reset the password and click on "Reset Password". Wait until the operation is finished and click on "Reboot" as soon it is done.
While John the Ripper will be perfect to crack any weak or simple dictionary based passwords but if you are using a hard and complex password then you should try UUkeys Windows Password mate. This tool is tested on countless locked computers and it succeeded every time. If you find any issues with the software then contact the support staff immediately to resolve any problem you may have with the tool.
