How to read the <USERNAME>.PWL content?

I'm using Win98 and I wish to read the *.PWL file but I'm
no idea which programs should I use to open it. any
advise? Thank you.

Shenan
Thu Nov 27 20:57:36 CST 2003

Hau <anonymous@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote:
> I'm using Win98 and I wish to read the *.PWL file but I'm
> no idea which programs should I use to open it. any
> advise? Thank you.

1. Upgrade. Windows 9x/ME and Security are a joke. You could not bother
cracking the Password and just delete the file and the end result would be
the same.

2. Try this: http://www.student.cs.uwaterloo.ca/~asklotz/winpwl.html

--
Shenan Stanley
"Just trying to help"

*Vanguard*
Thu Nov 27 23:10:22 CST 2003

Hau wrote:
> I'm using Win98 and I wish to read the *.PWL file but I'm
> no idea which programs should I use to open it. any
> advise? Thank you.

It is an encrypted file that the OS will use for cached passwords. When
a user logs on, their cached passwords become available. If the user
hits Esc to bypass the logon, they are still allowed to start 95-based
Windows (and why security is a bad joke in those versions of Windows).
If you want to restart afresh with no cached passwords, then just delete
the .pwl file since 95-based Windows has no security and anyone can
delete this file (but at least it prevent thieves from stealing
passwords for someone else - in which you qualify since you wouldn't
need to be digging into the .pwl file to get YOUR passwords).

Delete the .pwl file or get an NT-based version of Windows (and you'll
even have more difficulty in extracting passwords).


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