Lost email password.

[conny]

My wifes computer is playing up and she thinks she may need to buy a new one.
Problem is she has forgotten her email password and she runs her business off this PC.
Someone has said the PC will have saved the password in a text file but where should she look for the text file?

I've posted this in the computer software section but looking for a quick response.
Can any of you guys help?

 

[EddieM]

If it were, one would hope it was encrypted so not a lot of use. Who's the email provider?

 

[Notch7]

are you using an email client?

if so you should be able to get the password from that -I can certainly do it in thunderbird -thats if the computer still loads ok

 

[IT Minion]

My wifes computer is playing up and she thinks she may need to buy a new one.
Problem is she has forgotten her email password and she runs her business off this PC.
Someone has said the PC will have saved the password in a text file but where should she look for the text file?

I've posted this in the computer software section but looking for a quick response.
Can any of you guys help?

First, does the PC work at all?

Second, how does she read and send emails? There's two main ways, using a web browser (Internet Explorer, Chrome, Firefox etc.) or using an application like Outlook. It matters because if it's a web browser then it is easy to get the password back from the browser, if it's an application it is probably impossible.

 

[fillyboy]

Try *******.

 

[IT Minion]

are you using an email client?

if so you should be able to get the password from that -I can certainly do it in thunderbird -thats if the computer still loads ok

Hah,

It is possible in Outlook as well, I'd forgotten they store it in the registry. But it's awkward in that case for normal users to find it.

 

[SirGalahad]

Unless she runs an email server on her laptop she will be using an email service provider which she can get in contact with to resolve the issue.

 

[conny]

Password now found. This is the reply I posted on the software forum, save me doing again here.

"Thanks for the swift replies guys. Sorry not replied sooner, we shot out to Curry's to get a new PC but thats another story.

She found her password in an old account book at the bottom of her drawer. It was coded so took some figuring out before she was 90% sure it was the right one. Her emails go through a company server somewhere and trying to get someone to try and help her is useless.

Once again, thank you for your responses.

Motorbiking, that page just goes over my head. LOL But thank you for the info. I'm sure if we need it again, (we better not!), my stepson would be able to understand it."

She uses Outlook but not the normal one apparently, something like a business version which she had/has to pay for.

Thanks for all your replies guys. I really appreciate it.

 

[IT Minion]

Password now found. This is the reply I posted on the software forum, save me doing again here.

"Thanks for the swift replies guys. Sorry not replied sooner, we shot out to Curry's to get a new PC but thats another story.

She found her password in an old account book at the bottom of her drawer. It was coded so took some figuring out before she was 90% sure it was the right one. Her emails go through a company server somewhere and trying to get someone to try and help her is useless.

Once again, thank you for your responses.

Motorbiking, that page just goes over my head. LOL But thank you for the info. I'm sure if we need it again, (we better not!), my stepson would be able to understand it."

She uses Outlook but not the normal one apparently, something like a business version which she had/has to pay for.

Thanks for all your replies guys. I really appreciate it.

Get a password manager. It's the only sane and safe way to manage modern life.

 

[Brigadier]

Get a password manager. It's the only sane and safe way to manage modern life.

How do they work, and how are they secure?

To the uninitiated (me), I can't comprehend how keeping all of my passwords in one place is safer than not doing so?

 

[IT Minion]

How do they work, and how are they secure?

To the uninitiated (me), I can't comprehend how keeping all of my passwords in one place is safer than not doing so?

It's like using a single very good lock rather than hundreds of easily picked or requested keys. The main threats to passwords are easily guessed, weak, passwords or reused passwords. With a password manager you can give Talk talk its own one to leak to the world and their dog.

But don't take my word on it. Bruce Schneider literally wrote two of the books on cryptography. https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2019/06/risks_of_passwo.html

 

[Brigadier]

It's like using a single very good lock rather than hundreds of easily picked or requested keys. The main threats to passwords are easily guessed, weak, passwords or reused passwords. With a password manager you can give Talk talk its own one to leak to the world and their dog.

But don't take my word on it. Bruce Schneider literally wrote two of the books on cryptography. https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/2019/06/risks_of_passwo.html

Did you mean "Without a password manager......"?

 

[IT Minion]

Did you mean "Without a password manager......"?

I meant with, ifyou reuse passwords then it's all too common for companies to have stored then in unsecure formats so they can be recovered and tried against all the other systems they can shake a stick at. The worst possible situation would be using the same password for your email account as you use for a site you log into.

 

[SirGalahad]

I meant with, ifyou reuse passwords then it's all too common for companies to have stored then in unsecure formats so they can be recovered and tried against all the other systems they can shake a stick at. The worst possible situation would be using the same password for your email account as you use for a site you log into.

Well even if the data is encrypted if someone gets acess to it - they can spend as long as they like cracking it with rainbow tables. Some salt n pepper goes a long way.
Argon ftw!

 

[mattylad]

I use a password manager, have done for years as I cannot remember every sites pw.
Each site gets a unique password as long and complicated as the site will accept and I only need to remember one hard password to access the manager.
As soon as it detects a pw/logon screen it pops up with a list of my accounts on that site (I may have more than 1 sometimes) and will auto fill for me.
Works on desktop, laptop, phone etc.