Windows 7: Administrator needs to track user passwords

encantar · 18 Aug 2010

I am the administrator for a home network. I don't need to reset user passwords at this time. Is there a way for me to simply find out what the user passwords are?

profdlp · 18 Aug 2010

Since it's a home network, why not just ask your family members.

WindowsStar · 18 Aug 2010

Quote: Originally Posted by encantar

I am the administrator for a home network. I don't need to reset user passwords at this time. Is there a way for me to simply find out what the user passwords are?

@encantar, The problem with your request is that this sounds extremely fishy. If you are the Admin of a home network then you have the power to reset passwords and if you need to know them you can ask your family for them, or you can set them to something only you and they (each person) know and lock it so they cannot change the password.

On the other hand if you are trying to get us to tell you how to hack passwords you will get no help here. We don’t provide support for illegal or unscrupulous actions.

If you have a completely legit reason please post a lot more information and I am sure we can figure something out. -WS

Tews · 18 Aug 2010

Hmmm... something isn't passing the sniff test here...

encantar · 18 Aug 2010

I didn't expect this question to raise suspicions...but I can understand your concern. Let me ask something perhaps simpler, and less aromatic. Can I simply set the user's accounts up so that they can't use a password at all? There isn't any good reason for them to be able to lock others out, the individual accounts are just set up so each can pick their own backgrounds, etc.

profdlp · 18 Aug 2010

You can set the password to "blank". (As in, nothing there at all.) That won't prevent a user from changing it if they don't want someone looking in on them, though.

Petey7 · 18 Aug 2010

Are the other accounts standard accounts? If they are you can use parental controls to do a lot of stuff, possibly including preventing them from creating passwords. You can also remove passwords, making it where as soon as an account is selected, you log directly into it.

encantar · 18 Aug 2010

Each is a standard user account. Will parental controls allow me to block setting passwords? If I do, will they lose access to any of their existing data or settings?

Petey7 · 18 Aug 2010

I haven't played around with parental controls much since I am the only user of this PC. Looking at our tutorials for it, it doesn't look like it, but you can try.

Also, what version of 7 do you have? Some versions have the group policy editor that can be used used for things like this.

encantar · 18 Aug 2010

I was just experimenting with parental controls after setting up a dummy user account. I see where I can delete the passwords but I don't see any way to block the password feature. It sounds like the only data that would be lost are certificates, web passwords, etc. which aren't too big a deal. Is there a password block function? I think that would solve any potential problems.

Windows 7: Administrator needs to track user passwords

Administrator needs to track user passwords problems?