How to Load an Ophcrack Live CD onto a USB Thumb Drive and Make it Bootable

Blair Mathis
Ophcrack is a popular, free application used to discover the password on any Windows computer. It runs as a small operating system on a Live CD - the Ophcrack ISO is burned onto a CD, and then inserted into a computer and booted to run the application.

While using a CD is okay for occasional use, it is not convenient to carry around in the event that it will be needed. The solution is to load Ophcrack onto a USB and make it capable of booting. This is essential for IT professionals and techies in general, so that a computer can be accessed as needed, whether or not a password is present.

If you want to load Ophcrack onto a USB and make it bootable, read on to find out how.

Items Needed:

USB thumb drive, 512MB or higher

Ophcrack

Access to Windows PC

Step 1: Download the Ophcrack ISO, which is usually used to burn a LiveCD. Depending on your Internet speed, the download could take an hour or longer to complete.

Step 2: While the ISO is downloading, you will also need to download another file, called usboph.zip, This can be located easily with an Internet search.

Step 3: Create a new folder on your Desktop and name it 'Ophcrack'. Copy the USBOPH.ZIP file into the new folder, and right-click on it and choose 'Extract Here...'. The file will extract into the folder.

Step 4: Once the ISO file is finished downloading, copy it into the folder you created on your Desktop.

Step 5: One of the files you extracted into the folder is called fixoph.bat. This will open a wizard with a set of instructions. Simple follow all the steps - it is very easy and doesn't take long.

Step 6: After the wizard is finished, copy and paste all of the files from inside the folder on your Desktop into your USB thumb drive, then copy and paste the Ophcrack ISO file into the USB drive.

Step 7: Search the files inside the USB drive for one called makeboot.bat and double-click it. A wizard will appear with settings for you to follow. Follow the options and on screen instructions, and click 'finish' when it is over.

Step 8: If everything went fine, reboot your computer. Press the ENTER BIOS button for your system as the computer restarts - for example, it's F1 on Thinkpads and F12 on Dell computers. Choose USB before internal hard drive in the boot sequence, then save and exit. The program will start up, and you can run the Ophcrack software from there.

Published by Blair Mathis

Blair is a fulltime freelance writer who specializes in travel and technology writing. Having worked for both private and corporate clients, Blair has experience working to meet a wide range of requirements...   View profile

4 Comments

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  • Jason 6/19/2010

    I can't find where to download the USBOPH.zip. Could you please show a link.

  • likeapple 1/13/2010

    how to recover windows password? I puzzled it also before. but i found Advanced Windows Password Recovery 3.0. It is a professional utility to recover windows password. With no data loss and no reinstall. importantly, 100% recovery rate guarantee!
    http://www.recoverwindowspassword.com

  • How to reset your lost windows password using a CD 12/7/2009

    Last month , i lost my windows administrator password. I downloaded Ophcrack , but it did not work fine! I solved my problem with the help of windows password key 8.0. It worked perfectly to reset any local user account to a blank password. Just an easy to use bootable CD/DVD . It can also be used on a USB Flash Drive. You can download it from: http://www.lostwindowspassword.com/.

  • Tyler 7/8/2009

    i followed all the instructions then got to my boot up menaue and selected usb drive..but it just loaded windows normally instead of loading ophcrack?

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