full-disclosure - Stupid XP trick

lists.openwall.net		lists / announce owl-users owl-dev john-users john-dev passwdqc-users yescrypt popa3d-users / oss-security kernel-hardening musl sabotage tlsify passwords / crypt-dev xvendor / Bugtraq Full-Disclosure linux-kernel linux-netdev linux-ext4 linux-hardening linux-cve-announce PHC
Open Source and information security mailing list archives

Hash Suite: Windows password security audit tool. GUI, reports in PDF.

[<prev] [next>] [<thread-prev] [day] [month] [year] [list]

From: gui at goddessmoon.org (Poof)
Subject: Stupid XP trick - BIOS DOS?

Who knows but I noticed this -LONG- ago when something alike happened.

The problem I had however was that Windows couldn't change the date. It'd
boot correctly though. So... It either doesn't happen on every computer...
Or I was using another Windows OS. (Maybe 98)

Anyhow... Yeah.

~

> The date was set to 0/0/2003, something I cant MAKE it do but the CMOS
> battery problem did anyway. If you can do that to your BIOS and you run
> XPSP1 (may affect ALL Windows - I don't know), set it to that impossible
> date and boot into Windows. You will find that your machine boots to the
> spot where the pointer JUST appears and does nothing else. It doesn't lock
> up, doesn't allow task manager or anything else, just loops in it's
tracks.
> Resetting the BIOS date to something within the normal calendar range then
> allows it to boot normally, thereafter. This date trick may ALSO apply to
> other dates outside the normal range such as 31st Feb and the 13th month
> too so is worth thinking about.