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Why was thread "WIN 7 Ultimate - Lost Admin Password" deleted? 1

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stduc

Programmer
Nov 26, 2002
1,903
GB
Seemed innocent enough to me or am I too naive?
 
Never saw the thread, but the rule is if you are trying (or seeming to try) get around security settings (that also means password resetting) it is frowned upon in these forums.



Robert Wilensky:
We've all heard that a million monkeys banging on a million typewriters will eventually reproduce the entire works of Shakespeare. Now, thanks to the Internet, we know this is not true.

 
It may have been construed as a way to bypass password security. If you can just pop in a knoppix CD whats stopping someone else from doing it in a less than ethical manner.

----------------------------------
Phil AKA Vacunita
----------------------------------
Ignorance is not necessarily Bliss, case in point:
Unknown has caused an Unknown Error on Unknown and must be shutdown to prevent damage to Unknown.

Behind the Web, Tips and Tricks for Web Development.
 
Those types of threads are typically deleted. Even when the OP has the best intentions, it invites feedback that can be detrimental to the professionalism this site tries to maintain. When something like this happens, the moderator will send an email to the user explaining why the action was taken. There's a Site Policies link at the bottom of the page that should shed more light on the guidelines members should follow. Also, a lot of members include the link in their signatures. If you still have any further concerns, you can contact Tek-Tips Forum Support.

Besides, it's not like the information would have been hard to find searching on Google. The OP would be better off seeking private advice or researching it on their own away from the public eye.

Carl

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test
a man's character, give him power.
" - Abraham Lincoln
[tab][navy]For this site's posting policies, click [/navy]here.
 
I can recall reporting an inappropriate (Off Topic, Hijacking) post in a totally reasonable thread or so I thought, and shortly afterwards the whole thread disappeared. Might have been a coincidence, or due to responses to the inappropriate post tho'.

 
Yes... we are all aware that if you have ownership (physical possession) of the box, that you can get into it. A number of ways.

By the same token, as a consultant, I charge quite a bit of money to companies who, for example, have had a disgruntled administrator leave and take passwords with them.

Of course, there is an inherent danger of doing such, since you're bypassing all of the windows security, and it's not something that I would suggest someone try for the "first time" on a mission critical server.

But, all of that aside, any kind of hacking / compromising discussions (whether it be for the forces of good OR evil) is not what Tek-Tips is about.

And, as a final note, I would suggest that persons who find themselves in a situation where they have to compromise security for a legitimate purpose should probably contact someone who has experience in it. I know that I messed up a couple of machines years ago by not having a firm understanding of what I was doing.



Just my 2¢

"What the captain doesn't realize is that we've secretly replaced his Dilithium Crystals with new Folger's Crystals."

--Greg
 
But, all of that aside, any kind of hacking / compromising discussions (whether it be for the forces of good OR evil) is not what Tek-Tips is about."

Bypassing security is part of IT for LEGITIMATE reasons. I still don't see why this can't be discussed ASSUMING most people on here are legit. Because, regardless of whether TT allows discussion, it can be found elsewhere, so why not just allow what could be construed as CONSTRUCTIVE discussions on the subject to happen.

 
I can see both sides of the argument. It would be nice I guess to be able to come here and get some proper advice on how to get out of a lost password situation. On the other hand I wouldn't want to give any help to anyone who nicked my laptop! Having said that I would assume most thieves would be happy to just restore the O/S unless they were after my data - and if so good luck to them! because it doesn't have bitlocker I don't keep anything of importance on it.

[navy]When I married "Miss Right" I didn't realise her first name was 'always'. LOL[/navy]
 
Avoiding the discussion of how to solve a problem, such as a forgotten password is not going to keep the criminals from learning how to do such things. They will simply pick the answers up somewhere else. Not discussing them in a legitimate setting such as tek-tips will require someone to go to the kinds of places where the less reputable hang out and who knows what other kinds of misinformation or parasites they may pick up in the process.

While I respect the position taken by tek-teps, in my humble opinion, one should consider both what is being asked as well as the tone of the discussion and possibly even the tenure and reputation of the person asking. There is a discernible difference between someone coming to tek-tips and making their first post something along the lines of, "how do I get around the permission structure that my company has imposed" and a post by someone who is known here and asks "how to retrieve or reset an admin password after an employee left with it". The question, and difficulty becomes how do you sufficiently describe the differences to create an actionable policy and how do you determine when to bend such a policy?
 
goomba,
I've been a member for just about 10 years now. Originally TT had some tolerance on the subject just as long as it didn't get out of hand. Unfortunately, a majority of them did. Now there's no hesitation to remove them on sight.

I understand where you're coming from, but let's face it. If you can Google the answer then you don't need to be lazy asking for help on TT. That goes for any subject, banned or not. So this discussion doesn't end up getting dragged through the weeds, additional concerns really should be directed to TT's management using the "Contact Us" link.
 
Noway2,
You make some other good points that are hard to disagree with. What it boils down to is the lack of professionalism associated with the answers that typically follow the question (which in itself may also be an issue). I'm not going to pretend to know TT's position on the issue in its entirety, but based on precedent I can assure you that most will get removed as soon as they are red-flagged.

Again, before this thread gets deleted, I would advise taking any additional concerns straight to a one-on-one discussion with management. That is the preferred avenue for discussion on site policy as well as other non-technical issues.

Carl

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, but if you want to test
a man's character, give him power.
" - Abraham Lincoln
[tab][navy]For this site's posting policies, click [/navy]here.
 
I've been around here for about 8 or 9 years, and the moderation has always been unobtrusive, direct, and swift. It makes for polite, professional discussion, with none of the childish tantrums that can be seen elsewhere.

 
CDogg: You state: "Again, before this thread gets deleted, I would advise taking any additional concerns straight to a one-on-one discussion with management."

HEY - I DON'T WORK HERE, DO I?? If so, the pay is very poor!!! Ha.


Noway2 - Very well said. Couldn't have said it better myself. Have a star.


Yeah, I'm staying away from these threads because I know they get whacked all the time. No need to put sweat into a thread and have it disappear overnight.
 
Well, I don't think that this thread is in danger of being deleted; I think I know the management well enough to say that this is a legitimate discussion about TT procedures/policies/rules.

The other thing to keep in mind is that there are plenty of hacking sites out there; and having discussions like "Removing Windows 7 administrator password" would attract the type of black-hats that I, personally, would not want to see here.

Of course, remembering that answering questions here is something that the members do out of courtesy, on their own time, for the betterment of the "craft" is what makes Tek-Tips something that I, for one, am proud to be a part of.


Just my 2¢

"What the captain doesn't realize is that we've secretly replaced his Dilithium Crystals with new Folger's Crystals."

--Greg
 
goomba,
You should have quoted this line instead:

So this discussion doesn't end up getting dragged through the weeds, additional concerns really should be directed to TT's management using the "Contact Us" link

That's Tek-Tips Management, not goomba's!
 
I'm not following CDogg, but never mind. I don't deal with "the management".

I don't think there's any reason to believe that any policies are going to change regarding this subject and that will just be how it is. It's probably due to fear of lawsuits and that will trump everything else.

Maybe this thread should just be closed (not whacked).
 
It is an ethical question. I personally believe that there are legitimate needs for such tools or methods in IT.

However, on a forum such as this, it is not only a case of how do you know the poster is going to use the information for a legitimate purpose, but also how do you stop any Tom, Dick or Harry from reading the posts anonymously?

You can, of course, find all the necessary information using Google, but that shouldn't stop this Forum from trying to remain ethically balanced.

Regards: Terry
 
Ethical questions and the internet don't often collide. Two-thirds of the internet is adult-related /illegal music or app file sharing /hack info or key codes, etc.

Point taken though.
 
Terry,
You're exactly right. Even if you somehow knew that everything was legitimate about the question, you are still having a discussion in an open setting that can be viewed by anyone. That's like a bank security professional openly discussing in an online forum the best way a client can improve their security by exposing their flaws. Both parties may have good intentions, but the implication is obvious.

Theives can find all sorts of information scrambled around on the internet and piece it together themselves. Sure, but does that mean a professional site such as Tek-Tips should assist by doing all that work for them? By allowing such discussions, that's exactly what you'd be supporting intentionally or not. This is a gathering of professionals in one spot using their experience to give the very best advice. There's no doubt in my mind that with the quality of answers found here at Tek-Tips, it would quickly become a central hub for the few deadbeats and non-technical users out there with malicious motives.
 
It is an ethical question, true.

It has to do with faq655-7172 that I wrote.



Just my 2¢

"What the captain doesn't realize is that we've secretly replaced his Dilithium Crystals with new Folger's Crystals."

--Greg
 
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