I've recently been trying to get into my Dad's old laptop which runs NT 4.0 Service Pack 5. Because it is from work, the only user area I know the password to, is one that doesn't allow you to do much at all. In fact, to run any programs that aren't allowed by the Administrative settings, I have to rename them to something that is allowed, like iexplore.exe!

I have recently got a game that requires DirectX 7.0 to work, and I want to use it on said laptop. However, because I do not have Administrative rights, I cannot upgrade to XP (and the laptop isn't good enough for XP anyway). I am currently running a scan to find out the Administrator's password, but that is going to take nearly three days (and that's if I leave the laptop turned on non stop), so until that is finished there is nothing I can do.

I read somewhere on here that it is possible - albeit risky - to replace certain DirectX .dll files that come with NT with DX7 .dll files. But as the DX7 installation program will not work, I was wondering where I could get the .dll file from. I know I definitely need "d3dxof.dll" and I could possibly need more after that - it could just give me one error message at a time. If anyone could get hold of the DirectX 7.0 version of "d3dxof.dll", I would very much appreciate it. If I do need more '.dll's, I will post here again asking for them.

If what I am doing is too risky then please say so, and I apologise for wasting your time. Any alternative options would also be welcome.

Thanks,
ninjapirate

Originally posted by ninjapirate:

"I have recently got a game that requires DirectX 7.0 to work, and I want to use it on said laptop. However, because I do not have Administrative rights, I cannot upgrade to XP (and the laptop isn't good enough for XP anyway). I am currently running a scan to find out the Administrator's password, but that is going to take nearly three days (and that's if I leave the laptop turned on non stop), so until that is finished there is nothing I can do."

You could always backup your Pop's data & do a FRESH install of XP, this is best anyhow because upgrade installs typically leave remnants of files & registry entries that eventually if not immediately cause hassles... It's pretty rare to hear 110% success story upgrade installs, especially on long-running & complex setup systems! Just keep this in mind...

Run it by your Dad first though, remember: It's his machine, right?

ANYHOW:

Originally posted by ninjapirate:

"I read somewhere on here that it is possible - albeit risky - to replace certain DirectX .dll files that come with NT with DX7 .dll files."

The HIGHEST I ever ran NT 4.x with was DirectX 3 which it has natively iirc, & SHS (admin here, but does not come by too often anymore that I can see) had a setup which would load in DirectX 6.0 files onto NT 4.0 & this would work... I used it & it worked well enough, but was it TRULY DirectX 6?? I don't know!

From a programming perspective & OS design as well: I am not sure if the API's used in Dx7 will "mesh" with NT 4.0 though, it is VERY different especially @ low-levels in the system (and radically in GDI graphics device display layer) vs. 2000/XP/2003. So, that said, because of .dll dependencies & this being a display driver for gaming tool? Might not work period... but, cannot hurt to try it I guess, especially if you are not working how you would wish to anyways as-is!

Originally posted by ninjapirate:

"But as the DX7 installation program will not work, I was wondering where I could get the .dll file from. I know I definitely need "d3dxof.dll" and I could possibly need more after that - it could just give me one error message at a time. If anyone could get hold of the DirectX 7.0 version of "d3dxof.dll", I would very much appreciate it. If I do need more '.dll's, I will post here again asking for them."

Most Microsoft distributeables have commandline switches for file extraction! Try running it from a DOS prompt OR Start Button-> Run Command with a /? after its filename... should put out a commandlines list for you... the one you are interested in iirc, is the /X one (which allows you to extract the files to your drive that its self-extracting executable distro file contains within itself).

At that point, once you get the files out (may be in .CAB compressed file form)? You can work on them from there... you might need a .cab capable extractor though, like the "Diamond Extract Tool" MS put out called "extract.exe", & I think, iirc, that is on 9x & NT install CD-Roms!

Originally posted by ninjapirate:

"If what I am doing is too risky then please say so, and I apologise for wasting your time. Any alternative options would also be welcome.

Thanks,
ninjapirate"

It's risky, because updating (or, removing) DirectX is a 'touchy' affair... updating it, the ONLY 'legit/safe' way, is to update to the newest your OS platform will mesh with. Removing it, because it is SO registry & file complex is an alleged nightmare, & I have heard it technically cannot be FULLY done & done right (DirectX uninstaller programs out here online notwithstanding, but I have never used one myself or had to... there actually MIGHT be good solid ones out there that the programmers who designed them have solid handles on, you never know... but, I don't trust them offhand because of the complexity & nature of DirectX setups).



* Good luck!

APK

Originally posted by Alec§taar:

"Originally posted by ninjapirate:

"I have recently got a game that requires DirectX 7.0 to work, and I want to use it on said laptop. However, because I do not have Administrative rights, I cannot upgrade to XP (and the laptop isn't good enough for XP anyway). I am currently running a scan to find out the Administrator's password, but that is going to take nearly three days (and that's if I leave the laptop turned on non stop), so until that is finished there is nothing I can do."

You could always backup your Pop's data & do a FRESH install of XP, this is best anyhow because upgrade installs typically leave remnants of files & registry entries that eventually if not immediately cause hassles... It's pretty rare to hear 110% success story upgrade installs, especially on long-running & complex setup systems! Just keep this in mind...

Run it by your Dad first though, remember: It's his machine, right?"

Yeah, I have tried doing that, but I don't have administrative rights so it won't let me install a thing, let alone a whole new OS! As I said in the post before, I can't get administrative rights until the password recovery program has found the Administrator's password which'll take 3 days. I've even tried booting up the XP CD from DOS (and I had to edit OS Loader to even access that!) but as it's a work laptop, the security is mega-tight and it won't even let me change directory outside the C drive.

Originally posted by Alec§taar:

"Originally posted by ninjapirate:

"But as the DX7 installation program will not work, I was wondering where I could get the .dll file from. I know I definitely need "d3dxof.dll" and I could possibly need more after that - it could just give me one error message at a time. If anyone could get hold of the DirectX 7.0 version of "d3dxof.dll", I would very much appreciate it. If I do need more '.dll's, I will post here again asking for them."

Most Microsoft distributeables have commandline switches for file extraction! Try running it from a DOS prompt OR Start Button-> Run Command with a /? after its filename... should put out a commandlines list for you... the one you are interested in iirc, is the /X one (which allows you to extract the files to your drive that its self-extracting executable distro file contains within itself)."

I tried the /X command afterwards and it said "Command line option syntax error. Run Command /? for Help". But as the administrator settings are mega-tight, I'm not allowed to run Command /?!

I'll just have to wait to get the Administrator's password before I can install XP then. I'm using PWSEX to find the password, and because the first half of the password is 7 characters long, it'll take 3 days to finish. Does anyone have a quicker password recovery program that would work quicker on the heap of junk I'm using?

Thanks for your help!
ninjapirate

Originally posted by ninjapirate:

"Yeah, I have tried doing that, but I don't have administrative rights so it won't let me install a thing, let alone a whole new OS!"

I could see that happening on an UPDATE install (inserting CD while actually logged into Windows)... but not on a BOOTUP from Cd-Rom installation. That is what I meant, boot from the Cd for OS installation, & FRY the partition period.

(After backing up your Pop & your personal data you created that is first!)

Does this make sense to you, OR is it a viable option?

Originally posted by ninjapirate:

"As I said in the post before, I can't get administrative rights until the password recovery program has found the Administrator's password which'll take 3 days. I've even tried booting up the XP CD from DOS (and I had to edit OS Loader to even access that!) but as it's a work laptop, the security is mega-tight and it won't even let me change directory outside the C drive."

Well, like I said: Bootup your system from the Cd-Rom, your BIOS should allow that, & format the partition & REALLY start over 'fresh' by destroying the partion period... have you tried this?

The bootup from OS Cd installation method can circumvent NTFS rights, & also registry level & userlevel security too!

Originally posted by ninjapirate:

"I tried the /X command afterwards and it said "Command line option syntax error. Run Command /? for Help". But as the administrator settings are mega-tight, I'm not allowed to run Command /?!"

Well, I would say that doing the bootup from XP install CD via boot system from CD bios option is your ticket - & again, backup your personal data first (& your Dad's too).

Originally posted by ninjapirate:

"I'll just have to wait to get the Administrator's password before I can install XP then. I'm using PWSEX to find the password, and because the first half of the password is 7 characters long, it'll take 3 days to finish. Does anyone have a quicker password recovery program that would work quicker on the heap of junk I'm using?

Thanks for your help!
ninjapirate"

The network admins here have access to some of those, & there is one from the UNIX world (bootup from a UNIX bootfloppy & uses a program that can CHANGE the admin. password no less, not just get the existing one) that will do what you want, & better/faster too! Read on:

I have a link URL to this in backed up bookmarks folders of mine, but just reinstalled Windows 2000 SP#4 + patches & have not reimported my favs/bookmarks yet...

HOWEVER, guys like AdamVJackson, Clutch, DosFreak, Sampson & others doubtless know the bootfloppy LINUX tool I am talking about here & can point you to it to CHANGE THE ADMINISTRATOR PASSWORD, instantly bypassing it & faster than trying to ***** it (of which there's NO guarantee you can either no matter what program you use, or no guarantee it won't take weeks or longer too IF it can be done @ all)...

If those guys don't reply here? "PM" (private message) them. I guarantee they know what I am talking about here & can lead you to it fast! They're all helpful dudes as well.



* After all - Changing the pwd. for Admins is faster than trying to brute force ***** it, & far more sure as well!

APK

Originally posted by Alec§taar:

"Well, like I said: Bootup your system from the Cd-Rom, your BIOS should allow that, & format the partition & REALLY start over 'fresh' by destroying the partion period... have you tried this?

The bootup from OS Cd installation method can circumvent NTFS rights, & also registry level & userlevel security too!"

I've tried that too. But, rather amazingly, I can't actually find a way into BIOS! There are no "Press Del/F8/Whatever to enter setup" prompts on startup. I've tried pressing different keys but none of them do anything.

Originally posted by Alec§taar:

"I have a link URL to this in backed up bookmarks folders of mine, but just reinstalled Windows 2000 SP#4 + patches & have not reimported my favs/bookmarks yet...

HOWEVER, guys like AdamVJackson, Clutch, DosFreak, Sampson & others doubtless know the bootfloppy LINUX tool I am talking about here & can point you to it to CHANGE THE ADMINISTRATOR PASSWORD, instantly bypassing it & faster than trying to ***** it (of which there's NO guarantee you can either no matter what program you use, or no guarantee it won't take weeks or longer too IF it can be done @ all)...

If those guys don't reply here? "PM" (private message) them. I guarantee they know what I am talking about here & can lead you to it fast! They're all helpful dudes as well."

Ok, if you could give me the URL once you've reimported your favs I would appreciate it. I'll PM those guys later about it too. I'll probably need some help once I've got it though!

Again, thanks for the help.
ninjapirate

Here ya go: http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/

I mostly use ERD Commander 2003 + BartPE nowadays tho....but this program worked fine the last time I tried it.

Thanks. I followed all the instructions but it seems that the people at Dad's work have done pretty much everything possible to stop you from getting into it. I've posted what came up here, and if no one can help me I'll have to email the creator.

"===== chntpw Edit User Info & Passwords ====

RID: 01f4, Username: <Administrator>, *disabled or locked*
Cannot find value <\SAM\Domains\Account\Users\70412065\F>
RID: 70412065, Username: <myusername>

Segmentation fault
chntpw failed (returncode 139)
This may be caused by things it does not understand in the registry??
Please report this and some of the preceding messages.

BusyBox v1.00-pre5 (2004.01.12-19:55+0000) Built-in shell (ash)

Enter 'help' for a list of built-in commands.

sh: can't access tty; job control turned off "

May I ask why you can't ask your Dad for the password?


You could try LC3 on the SAM. Should be faster than whatever you are using now.

Man, I wish it was that easy! My Dad doesn't know the password, because when he was given the laptop he was only given the password for his user area. Only the computing people at his work knew the password...and they've all left or retired now!

Do you know where I could get a download of LC3? I did a quick search on Google and I found the new version - LC5 - but that only came with a 15 day free trial, in which the brute force hack is disabled. And I'm not a big fan of downloading *****s, a) because they're illegal, and b) because they also tend to install loads of other crap onto my computer.

ninjapirate

Originally posted by ninjapirate:

"I've tried that too. But, rather amazingly, I can't actually find a way into BIOS! There are no "Press Del/F8/Whatever to enter setup" prompts on startup. I've tried pressing different keys but none of them do anything."

Call Toshiba on how to get into their BIOS! OR, perhaps a local PC repair shop techie might know the answer as well, you never know. Heck, call CompUSA, or look it up online... there are some avenues to that!



* That'd do it... any of those options. I am hoping this is not like those old IBM PC's where you need floppy bootup disks to access BIOS functions!

APK

P.S.=> Heh, this is TOO funny: I was certified for Toshiba laptop repair back in 1995, & I cannot remember this anymore! Things fade w/ time... apk

Heh...I've even tried updating the BIOS but that failed too. Shall I just give up?!

Bingo! I managed to get into BIOS! By a stroke of luck I happened to press Esc before the Toshiba screen appeared on bootup, and the "Press F1 to enter setup" prompt appeared! Went into BIOS, made it boot from the CD and installed XP (formatting the hard drive to NFTS format, getting rid of all the previous user areas etc). The laptop is very old and XP probably takes up most of the CPU, but I have my own user area and I can do whatever I want!

Considering you used to work for Toshiba, I'm surprised you couldn't remember how to get into BIOS, Alec!

Oh yeah, how did you know it was a Toshiba?! I don't think I ever mentioned it in my previous posts!

ninjapirate

Originally posted by ninjapirate:

"Considering you used to work for Toshiba, I'm surprised you couldn't remember how to get into BIOS, Alec! "

I didn't work for Toshiba, I was certified to repair their laptops, & WAY way back in 1994... I have not had to work on one since, no joke!

(You forget stuff in 10++ years time believe me... little details mostly, but you do!)



* Getting old! Part of why I do these technicals forums & try to help: Good review of factoids like this one!

APK

Originally posted by ninjapirate:

"Considering you used to work for Toshiba, I'm surprised you couldn't remember how to get into BIOS, Alec! "

I didn't work for Toshiba, I was certified to repair their laptops, & WAY way back in 1994... I have not had to work on one since, no joke!

(You forget stuff in 10++ years time believe me... little details mostly, but you do!)



* Getting old! Part of why I do these technicals forums & try to help: Good review of factoids like this one!

APK

P.S.=> All in all though? I am glad you got around this & fixed your hassle yourself! apk

You still haven't told me how you knew it was a Toshiba!

Originally posted by ninjapirate:

"You still haven't told me how you knew it was a Toshiba!"

LOL! The "ESP" is high here I guess...

(John Edward part # ², lol!)



* SERIOUSLY THOUGH? Just "dumb-luck" here on my part man, pure coincidence! I was just citing examples of stuff I worked on years ago above, & nothing more!

APK