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@*$?! Hotmail!

Less searchable M0rd4nt

13:10 / 15.09.02

Okay.

So I've got a hotmail account, right, and I recently changed the password. Now, because I'm a raving paranoiac I have completely false information in my personal profile, including the answer to my secret question.

Which brings me to my problem: I can't remember the damn password, and I can't remember what I said the answer to my secret question was. The notebook I use to keep track of all this sort of thing has mysteriously vanished.

I tried emailing the Hotmail bods for a new password, but they are claiming that the details I supplied don't match the ones they have on record.

I can get into my account at present because my computer remembers the password and fills it in automatically. However, because the password is obscured and is immune to being Ctrl C-ed, this isn't much good to me. Can anyone help me here?

We're The Great Old Ones Now

13:25 / 15.09.02

If you can get into the account, can't you change the password once inside?

Less searchable M0rd4nt

13:30 / 15.09.02

No. To change the password, I need my old password. Arrgh.

We're The Great Old Ones Now

13:40 / 15.09.02

That's really, really annoying. Sorry. Um...is there a way of examining the file where you computer stores the password? It must be cached or something. Anyone?

Tezcatlipoca

13:44 / 15.09.02

I tried emailing the Hotmail bods for a new password, but they are claiming that the details I supplied don't match the ones they have on record

Erm....probably me being stupid, but surely if you can get into the account and you've sent the Hotmail bods an email from within that account, then the likelihood is that you're the legitimate user, so I don't see why they can't remind you of your password - especially if you explain the situation as you've outlined it here.

Magic Mutley

13:57 / 15.09.02

Does the password come up as stars? I think there's a software hack that can read *some* hidden fields (not sure if it works with fields in a web browser tho') - I'll check this out at work tomorrow...

Other thing is make a backup of as much as possible - Registry + IE, Windows directories. That way if it gets cleared you've a chance of still being able to get in.

Tryphena Absent

14:11 / 15.09.02

I hate to be the voice of the devil but I think you might have to give your account up for dead. I hope it's not too much of a pain, I remember losing some email addresses that were important to me when this happened, hope you magically remember again.

reFLUX

19:16 / 15.09.02

set up a new one just incase, then start passing your new one around ready for the change over.

Ambicath

22:20 / 15.09.02

Have to agree with janina and Varis.

Since you're still able to access this account from your computer and can backup all the e-mails, addresses etc. that you don't want to lose - then why not just save yourself any more trouble and get a new account.

Unless your current address has some sort of sentimental value of course...

w1rebaby

10:16 / 16.09.02

A good idea is to get a domain name on the cheap and set a mail redirect from there to a webmail account. e.g. get mordantcarnival.org, then tell everyone to send mail to mordant@mordantcarnival.org, and have it redirect to mordant@yahoo.com or wherever, and set your "reply-to" to mordant@mordantcarnival.org. You can get domain names for a fiver or so, and you can change addresses whenever you want, then.

Anyway, I was thinking about the browser filling in passwords - which one is it? It might be possible to examine the password file on your machine and retrieve the original. It may of course be encrypted.

Rose

13:12 / 16.09.02

Now, I haven't had a Windows box to use this on in a long time, but...

Back-In-The-Day I had b02k (back orifice 2000) on my machine in the basement,so I would not have to walk downstairs to use it. Now with this program there is a feature to list all the stored passwords on the machine. So! If you are willing to install bo2k and mess around with with for a little while I am sure that you will be able to find the password.

If you want to give it a try you can find it at http://bo2k.sourceforge.net/ .

You will be able to un-install it easily so long as you don't put it in Stealth Mode or anything. And if it comes down to it just use some anti-virus software.

Feh.

Bear

13:16 / 16.09.02

I had some software from some cracker guy but I'll be damned if I can remeber what it was called - all you had to do was click on a little icon and it would tell you all the passwords you'd ever used on the internet....

I will try and remember what it was called, although I imagine there's allot of it around.

Tezcatlipoca

17:12 / 16.09.02

I had some software from some cracker guy but I'll be damned if I can remeber what it was called - all you had to do was click on a little icon and it would tell you all the passwords you'd ever used on the internet....

It's called Winspy, and will happily reveal all encrypted data stored on your PC. This page should contain a link to it, whilst its homepage can be found here.

Less searchable M0rd4nt

12:14 / 17.09.02

Thanks for the links. I'm sure the software will come in very handy at some later date. However, I've decided to back up everything I want and then ditch Hotmail because their spam filters are pants. I'm going to use Portal of Evil instead. (My new addy is MordantCarnival@istillhateyou.com)

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