Wednesday
Transfer WITH GREATER SPEED...
I simply copied a folder containing 2319 files, ranging from files as small as 1KB to as big as 700MB to another hard drive using the software’s default settings. The file copying testing methodology which I used is very simple and I have to admit that it is not enough to determine which is the “best” or “fastest” file copying software. However, the results does give you a hint on which file copy software you should be try and avoid.
I am quite surprise to find that only about half of the file copy software is able to copy faster than the default Windows 7 copy function and the rest takes longer time to finish copying. Hopefully this simple test will be an eye opener to those that are using the slower file copy software.
The good thing about file copying software is the ability to that failed tresumeo copy. In Windows, if the copy failed, you’d have recopy and replace existing files that are already copied. Some file copy software above that are marked with an asterisk (*) are those that can completely replace Explorer copy and move functions, allowing you work with files as usual. For example, using the hotkey CTRL+C and CTRL+V will automatically make the file copy software to copy and paste instead of using the Windows built-in copy function.
Tuesday
install windows 7 from usb(min:4gb)
BIOS Password Backdoors in Laptops
The dramatic 'System Disabled' message is just scare tactics: when you remove all power from the laptop and reboot it, there are not new penalties such as additional passwords, locks and so on. From such a checksum (also called "hash"), valid passwords can be found by means of brute-forcing. Another method commonly used is that instead of a checksum, a number is displayed from which a randomly generated password can be calculated. Quite often, vendors also resort to storing the password in plain text, and instead of printing out just a checksum, an encrypted version of the password is shown. Either way, my scripts can be used to derive valid passwords with the hash.
Some vendors have implemented obfuscation measures to hide the hash from the end user - for instance, some FSI laptops require you to enter three special passwords for the hash to show up (see other post). HP/Compaq laptops only show the hash if the F2 or F12 key has been pressed prior to entering an invalid password for the last time.
Depending on the "format" of the number code/hash (e.g. whether only numbers or both numbers and letters are used, whether it contains dashes, etc.), you need to choose the right script - it is mostly just a matter of trying all of them and finding the one that matches your laptop. It does not matter on what machine the script are executed, i.e. there is no reason to run them on the locked laptop.
This is an overview of the algorithms that I looked at so far:
Vendor | Hash Encoding | Example of Hash Code/Serial | Scripts |
---|---|---|---|
Compaq | 5 decimal digits | 12345 | pwgen-5dec.py Windows binary |
Dell | serial number | 1234567-595B 1234567-D35B 1234567-2A7B | Windows binary&source |
Fujitsu-Siemens | 5 decimal digits | 12345 | pwgen-5dec.py Windows binary |
Fujitsu-Siemens | 8 hexadecimal digits | DEADBEEF | pwgen-fsi-hex.py Windows binary |
Fujitsu-Siemens | 5x4 hexadecimal digits | AAAA-BBBB-CCCC-DEAD-BEEF | pwgen-fsi-hex.py Windows binary |
Fujitsu-Siemens | 5x4 decimal digits | 1234-4321-1234-4321-1234 | pwgen-fsi-5x4dec.py Windows binary |
Hewlett-Packard | 5 decimal digits | 12345 | pwgen-5dec.py Windows binary |
Hewlett-Packard/Compaq Netbooks | 10 characters | CNU1234ABC | pwgen-hpmini.py Windows binary |
Insyde H20 (generic) | 8 decimal digits | 03133610 | pwgen-insyde.py Windows binary |
Phoenix (generic) | 5 decimal digits | 12345 | pwgen-5dec.py Windows binary |
Samsung | 12 hexadecimal digits | 07088120410C0000 | pwgen-samsung.py Windows binary |
The .NET runtime libraries are required for running the Windows binary files (extension .exe). If the binary files (.exe) don't work out for you, install Python 2.6(not 3.0!) and run the .py script directly by double-clicking them. Make sure that you correctly read each letter (e.g. number '1' vs letter 'l').
Please comment on what make/model the scripts work and on what they don't. Also, be aware that some vendors use other schemes for master passwords - among them are e.g. IBM/Lenovo. Please understand that my motivation for reverse-engineering comes from a personal interest. If you find that your laptop does not display a hash or the scripts do not work for you for whatever reason, please use the vendor support. I will not accept offers to look at the specifics of certain models
BIOS Password Backdoors in Laptops
The dramatic 'System Disabled' message is just scare tactics: when you remove all power from the laptop and reboot it, there are not new penalties such as additional passwords, locks and so on. From such a checksum (also called "hash"), valid passwords can be found by means of brute-forcing. Another method commonly used is that instead of a checksum, a number is displayed from which a randomly generated password can be calculated. Quite often, vendors also resort to storing the password in plain text, and instead of printing out just a checksum, an encrypted version of the password is shown. Either way, my scripts can be used to derive valid passwords with the hash.
Some vendors have implemented obfuscation measures to hide the hash from the end user - for instance, some FSI laptops require you to enter three special passwords for the hash to show up (see other post). HP/Compaq laptops only show the hash if the F2 or F12 key has been pressed prior to entering an invalid password for the last time.
Depending on the "format" of the number code/hash (e.g. whether only numbers or both numbers and letters are used, whether it contains dashes, etc.), you need to choose the right script - it is mostly just a matter of trying all of them and finding the one that matches your laptop. It does not matter on what machine the script are executed, i.e. there is no reason to run them on the locked laptop.
This is an overview of the algorithms that I looked at so far:
Vendor | Hash Encoding | Example of Hash Code/Serial | Scripts |
---|---|---|---|
Compaq | 5 decimal digits | 12345 | pwgen-5dec.py Windows binary |
Dell | serial number | 1234567-595B 1234567-D35B 1234567-2A7B | Windows binary&source |
Fujitsu-Siemens | 5 decimal digits | 12345 | pwgen-5dec.py Windows binary |
Fujitsu-Siemens | 8 hexadecimal digits | DEADBEEF | pwgen-fsi-hex.py Windows binary |
Fujitsu-Siemens | 5x4 hexadecimal digits | AAAA-BBBB-CCCC-DEAD-BEEF | pwgen-fsi-hex.py Windows binary |
Fujitsu-Siemens | 5x4 decimal digits | 1234-4321-1234-4321-1234 | pwgen-fsi-5x4dec.py Windows binary |
Hewlett-Packard | 5 decimal digits | 12345 | pwgen-5dec.py Windows binary |
Hewlett-Packard/Compaq Netbooks | 10 characters | CNU1234ABC | pwgen-hpmini.py Windows binary |
Insyde H20 (generic) | 8 decimal digits | 03133610 | pwgen-insyde.py Windows binary |
Phoenix (generic) | 5 decimal digits | 12345 | pwgen-5dec.py Windows binary |
Samsung | 12 hexadecimal digits | 07088120410C0000 | pwgen-samsung.py Windows binary |
The .NET runtime libraries are required for running the Windows binary files (extension .exe). If the binary files (.exe) don't work out for you, install Python 2.6(not 3.0!) and run the .py script directly by double-clicking them. Make sure that you correctly read each letter (e.g. number '1' vs letter 'l').
Please comment on what make/model the scripts work and on what they don't. Also, be aware that some vendors use other schemes for master passwords - among them are e.g. IBM/Lenovo. Please understand that my motivation for reverse-engineering comes from a personal interest. If you find that your laptop does not display a hash or the scripts do not work for you for whatever reason, please use the vendor support. I will not accept offers to look at the specifics of certain models