Am I computer savvy or computer ignorant

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-24-2006
Am I computer savvy or computer ignorant
12
Mon, 09-03-2007 - 3:54pm

I have this feeling that my 13-year-old DD can "hack" into our computer. I have only one "account" that windows xp brings up and that is password protected. Either my husband or I sign on the computers so that they can only use them when we are aware that they are using them.

DD did figure out my first password, but I think that may have been some clever detective work. The one we have now is all but downright impossible for her to figure out. Yet she seems guiity and when asked about it displays her "lying smile" (family joke), and gets all whispery with her sister (14).

Does anyone know of an easy way to hack into the windows account? Also does anyone know how to make it more secure?

Thanks,

Leigh Anne

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Avatar for bookwormmom
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-22-2003
Mon, 09-03-2007 - 6:38pm
Sorry Leigh Anne, but that is way too technical for me!
But have you checked the history to see if there are sites on there that shouldn't be, something you didn't get into? She may be smart enough to erase that,but you never know. Maybe she hasn't thought of erasing it, or thinks Mom wouldn't check it.
Kristie
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iVillage Member
Registered: 09-29-2004
Mon, 09-03-2007 - 8:01pm


Set yourself as the administrator on XP and change the password often.

Make the password long with upper & lower case letters & one the makes no sense. No names or DOBs or phone numbers or anything that can be logically figured out.

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-24-2006
Wed, 09-05-2007 - 4:08pm
O.K. I've done everything but change it often. How do you come up with something you can remember if it's that crazy?
Avatar for bookwormmom
iVillage Member
Registered: 07-22-2003
Wed, 09-05-2007 - 4:38pm
I know someone who put in a new password every day and her dd had to call her and ask if she could get online and ask for the passworkd. She just chose random words. The name of someone at work that dd didn't know. The veggie she had for dinner. The name of a childhood pet or a friend. The name of the church at the corner. Anything that is random. The name of an actor, singer etc. How likely is it that she will guess Perry Como? OR Howdy Doody? or Lorne Green? Just pick thing you would remember but are out of her frame of reference.
Kristie
Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket
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Registered: 11-13-2004
Wed, 09-05-2007 - 5:15pm
I'm curious how this works out for you.
If you have truly raised an "evil genius" lol, bypassing windows login passwords is as simple as a command line entry at startup. Even changing it every day won't deter those gifted little buggers... :-)
Keep us posted.
iVillage Member
Registered: 09-29-2004
Wed, 09-05-2007 - 5:34pm


write it done somewhere & put it in a place where the kids can not get at it.. (locked away..)

or..

come up with a code that has to do with your work that the kids have no idea how to finger out.

or

just remember it & every time you change it, change just one number or letter..

or

use a foreign language or a dead one that the kids don't know...

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-29-2004
Wed, 09-05-2007 - 5:37pm


or take the modem with you when you leave the house.

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-16-1999
Wed, 09-05-2007 - 8:14pm

We're told at work that a secure password has at least 5 characters, at least one number and at least 1 special character.

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-02-2003
Wed, 09-05-2007 - 10:49pm
I just hacked my son's comupter the other night - it takes some doing. Oh and my son was sitting right here when I did it. Basically, I started the computer in safe mode and went in as the computer administrator and from there it will show you if she has another account - but I have Xp and all accounts do show up in the start up screen on ours - I am not sure if it can be set to hidden. It could be how she is getting into yours though and resetting the password each time.
Check your browsers history by clicking ctrl and H and see what has been going on. Just some ideas - good luck!

Courtney

There's a great big beautiful tomorrow shining at the end of every day... there's a great big beautiful tom

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-24-2006
Thu, 09-06-2007 - 11:26am

That's a lot of ideas about the password thing. Thanks. It has to be something my dh can remember, too. I'll think about some category we can change often. Incidentally the one she hacked was in Hawaiian, but we lived there for 4 years and she danced hula (which is kinda like language immersion. So I'll try a different language or old celbrities and e's as 3's.

My other dd mentioned about how her bf said to tap on f8, which I know goes into the safe mode. I've only been in safe mode with tech support on the other line. Can I do this without messing up the computer?

I do have spyware on the computer and haven't seen anything, so maybe that wasn't really the "lying smile" that she had the other night. Maybe it was a proud smile that we think she can do this after she figured out the Hawaiian one.

Thanks a lot.

L.A.

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