Hacker Read

raverbashing · 2019-01-29 08:55:35+00:00

But the Windows 95 login was just for logging into the network, not the computer

I think that if you hit Cancel there it would work just as well. You wouldn't get it logged into the domain though

merb | karma 3754 | avg karma 1.43 · | 2017-05-07 23:14:43

on windows 95/98 in most networks you could just click cancel since the anonymous logon wasn't even disabled.

xenadu02 | karma 10146 | avg karma 5.71 · | 2024-04-16 04:47:44

The "login" dialog on Windows 95 was just providing network credentials. Windows 95 is a single-user OS. There is no actual login or security.

AnssiH | karma 1595 | avg karma 2.81 · | 2021-01-17 21:31:28+00:00

I believe that depends on the configuration.

The error dialog in the gif when Cancel is pressed does say "You cannot use Windows unless your login name is validated by the network."

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ale42 | karma 1295 | avg karma 1.99 · | 2024-04-16 12:46:35

Win9x could login to a domain-based network...

The NT4 login dialog looks like those of NT3.51 or Windows 2000 (and XP Pro if you switch do a domain-based login). See e.g. the one of Windows 2000 (on a machine visible not jointed to a domain) here: https://old.reddit.com/r/Windows10/comments/uyau0h/is_it_som.... And AFAIK there's no way to bypass NT login dialog.

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bgro | karma 502 | avg karma 3.75 · | 2021-09-26 16:30:12

Reminds me of the Windows XP (I think) days where you could bypass the login screen by pressing cancel.

Theodores | karma 3554 | avg karma 1.14 · | 2014-04-26 14:09:19

Recent versions of Windows

Windows 3.11 to Windows 98 (and possibly later) let you click 'Cancel' at the login screen so you wouldn't need a user/pass at all to get access to the desktop. There was also the 'safe mode' option if the login prompt really was an obstacle. This easy login was a feature, not a bug.

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unnouinceput | karma 2310 | avg karma 1.23 · | 2022-12-13 02:41:03

AFAIK, Win 9X login was more of a "profile loading" rather than proper login. You could just hit cancel and in you were with a default profile loaded.

TeMPOraL | karma 106045 | avg karma 3.04 · | 2023-06-26 07:04:22

My first thought too - this feels like that "F1 -> Open Help File -> Other... -> right-click on explorer.exe and select Run" method of bypassing login screen circa Windows 95/98.

dx87 | karma 5305 | avg karma 5.26 · | 2018-10-05 14:35:19

That's similar to an old login bypass you used to be able to do on Windows 95. Here's a short gif demonstrating how it worked https://i.imgur.com/rG0p0b2.gif

hyakosm | karma 334 | avg karma 2.59 · | 2020-06-29 13:41:15+00:00

Windows 98 was single-user, the login prompt was used only for network connections if I remember ?

ale42 | karma 1295 | avg karma 1.99 · | 2023-11-06 06:39:37

Not sure it was ever possible to bypass NT4 logins with whatever key combination... but Windows 98 was definitely doable.

antoncohen | karma 3399 | avg karma 7.11 · | 2012-12-13 11:39:07+00:00

I can't believe they haven't fixed that. I discovered that the login prompt ran with system-level privileges in Windows 95. I used it to play Duke3D in computer class when I was 14. You could press Ctl+Alt+Del to bring up Task Manager, from Task Manager you could choose to run a command, and run explorer.exe. It would start Windows with full admin access.

hyperman1 | karma 6804 | avg karma 4.13 · | 2023-02-26 11:50:04

I always thought the password was for the network shares only. You could perfectly log in without a username and password, except networking partially fails. The login dialog only appeared after installing win9x networking components.

A windows password would have been silly, pressing F8 at boot would drop you in msdos

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phire | karma 6448 | avg karma 5.15 · | 2024-04-16 11:44:51

Technically True.

But there was an optional registry key that prevents the user from doing anything until after you were logged into the network. So practically, it was a login dialog.

But still no security.

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grepfru_it | karma 1622 | avg karma 2.04 · | 2023-07-25 19:09:56

Windows NT could always remotely log out the current user when part of a domain. We had tools in place for our lab administrators to logout users if they found locked workstations. With Windows 2000 you could automate this through group policy

ekianjo | karma 34827 | avg karma 2.44 · | 2024-05-24 22:59:38

oh like the windows login?

nickpsecurity | karma 14152 | avg karma 1.39 · | 2018-04-16 16:56:52

That would've made one of my favorite tricks impossible. Here's what I remember doing about those pesky login screens asking for passwords:

1. Reboot the computer in DOS mode.

2. Change to Windows directory.

3. Delete the .pwl file for a user.

4. Reboot back into Windows 95.

5. Enter a new password in what was once a login screen asking for the old one.

Simpler times for hackers back then. :)

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jackvalentine | karma 3179 | avg karma 2.57 · | 2011-04-03 14:14:00+00:00

Are you referring to "press ctrl-alt-del to login" as NT style login? This style is still in Windows 7 if you set your network up like that.

slobotron | karma 846 | avg karma 8.38 · | 2018-10-05 21:29:37+00:00

Windows 98 you could also bypass Novell NetWare login by clicking 'Help' and then finding a File Open dialog in there