Usefull Windows Security Exploits

If you ever have to reinstall Windows, you’ll need the license key that came with your copy, but it’s not always handy. You’d think that in a world where you can’t use Windows without activating it, the code required to do so would be a well-guarded secret, but thanks to lax Windows security, a 252KB download–Magical Jelly Bean Software’s free Keyfinder 1.41–will recover your license key in a snap.
Just download and run the app, and write down your key. Now if only it could find my Windows CD….
Even though you’ve written down your license key (somewhere), your Web site passwords probably aren’t. I use the FX ‘remember password’ feature so that I don’t have to figure out the right log-in and password every time I go to, say, Amazon.com. Still, my only record of the password is asterisked out on Amazon’s site. Because Windows doesn’t do much to secure those stored passwords, you can get them back using another download. Revelation 2 from Snadboy Software will reveal any asterisk-hidden passwords. (It’s free, although the site asks for a donation if you keep the software.)
A $US15 utility called Aqua Deskperience pairs a similar password-revealing ability with some useful features
such as a convenient screen grabber and the ability to copy text from any application (including those where a copy command isn’t available).
Finally, if the password you’ve forgotten is your Windows XP administrator password–required for operations such as booting into Safe Mode–Microsoft has a knowledge base entry that will help you reset the password.