How to Solve MS Word Error Message "This file is read only"?

There are many MS Word user who receive the error message "This file is read-only" when they try to save (after editing) the MS Word document. The reason behind this error message is very simple but still there are many users who do not understand it. Let me explain you why this error message appears.

MS word has a file security attribute (called "Read only") which can prevent unauthorized users from editing or making any changes in word file. This feature is used by the file owner to make sure that readers of a (common ) file can not edit the file. When you open a "Read only" password protected file then MS word shows you a message box informing that the file is made read only by owner and you need password to modify it. If you want to make changes in it then you need password to edit it (but it can be opened in read only mode without password). If you have access to password then you can follow the steps given below to free word document from read only password protection.

1. Open the Document in MS Word.

2. If it asks for password then open it in read only mode.

3. Click Tools on Navigation bar

4. Select "Unprotect".

5. If it asks for password then enter the password in the dialog box and click "OK".

Now your Word document is free for editing.

If you are using MS Word 2003 or XP then you can follow the given below steps to remove "Read only" password (without using original password).

1. Open the Word Document.

2. Press alt+shift+F11 to view the document in HTML mode.

3. Press ctrl+F to find the following HTML code:

<wocumentProtection>Read-only</wocumentProtection>

<w:UnprotectPassword>2412953A</w:UnprotectPassword>

4. Delete both of these lines and save the word document.

5. Close the HTML editor.

Now you can open word document without any password.

Here it is important to note that the above mentioned steps can be used only for removal of "Read only" password. If your document is protected with "Password to open" security then you are completely locked out of the document. In such situation you can use Word password recovery software to unlock word document. These software can easily remove all type of password protection enabled to word document.

How to Protect Access Database by User Level Security?

MS Access is one of the most popular DBMS systems in the market. It provides very simple and flexible features to manage and manipulate the data of the database. In parallel to these features, MS Access also provides a very important user-level security feature which is very helpful to manage database security. User-level security controls the access to database depending upon the role of user. For example, it can be used to prevent sales person from accessing the accounting data. 

You can follow the below given steps to Enable User-Level Security:

1. Open MS Access Database you want to secure.

2. Go to Tools menu-> Select Security -> Click User-Level Security

3. You will see "Security Wizard" window having two options: "Create a new workgroup information file" and "Modify a current workgroup information file". Since you are doing it first time so select "Create a new workgroup information file" and click "Next".

4. In next window you need to specify File Name, WID (workgroup identity), your name and company name. Here you can also specify that whether you want security settings to apply on the currently editing database or you want to make it default permission for all database files. Select appropriate option according to your need and click "Next".

5. Next you need to select which table, query, forms, reports and Macros should be covered by user-level security settings. If you want to secure complete database then simply click "Next".

6. Next you need to select the predefined groups which should be enabled in the database. Each group has specific set of permissions granted to them (click the group to see permissions). Depending upon these permissions you can include the groups and click “Next”.

7. In the next screen you need to specify different permissions which can be granted to default user group (in addition with the predefined groups MS Access also creates two other groups User and Admin). There are two options: "Yes, I would like to grant some permission to the user group" and "No, the user group should not have any permission". If you don’t want to allow any permission then select second option and click "Next".

8. Next screen will provide you option to add user to workgroup information and assign each user a unique personal id and password. Click “Next”.

9. In the next window you can assign users to groups in workgroup information file (a single user to more than one group). Click “Next”.

10. In the Next (and last) screen you are provided with the option to make a backup of unencrypted database. This backup database can allow you to recover data if you forget user password. Click "Finish".

Now you have encrypted your database using user-level security.

Here it should be noted that User-Level security can be implemented to MS Access files having old file format (such as .mdb or .ade). It can not be used with files having accdb, accde, accdc and accdr. Data contained in these file formats can be protected by enabling password on mdb file (which is much different approach then user-level security). 

You should also keep in mind that in user-level security if a user forget password then database administrator can grant him permission again but if mdb file password is lost then administrator is also blocked from accessing the database. In such situation you can use Access Password Recovery Software to recover mdb file password and regain access to database.

How to Bypass Administrator Password without Password Revealer Software?

It is very common for PC user to enable Windows login password (it can be user or administrator password) because every PC user stores all his personal as well as official data in his/her PC. There is no doubt that enabling login password provides security to their confidential data but many times it can also create problem to PC user if they forget it. Such PC user faces many problems if they have not maintained proper resources (recovery disk, guest account or alternative admin account) to recover their login password.

Here I am sharing how to reset Administrator or User account password by using Windows XP bootable CD.

Resources Needed: Windows XP bootable CD.

1. Insert the Windows XP installation disk into CD/DVD drive and restart PC.
2. At restart you will see the message “Press Any Key to Boot from CD”. You can press any key on the keyboard to continue.
   
   
   
3. Windows will start copying files and after that you will be asked to press Enter key to start the installation key. Hit “Enter” key.
4. Next you will see Welcome screen with three options:

• To set up Windows XP now, press Enter.
• To repair a Windows XP installation using Recovery console, press R.
• To quit Setup without installing Windows XP, press F3.
  Hit “Enter” key
  
  
  

5. Next you will see “Windows XP Licensing Agreement”. Press F8 key to continue.
   
   
   
6. In the next screen you will see the Drive. Select the Windows drive (in which Windows is installed) and press 'R'.
   
   
   
7. Windows will start copying the files from the CD and after completion Windows automatically reboot. At reboot take out installation disk from CD/DVD drive.
   
   
   
8. After reboot Windows installer screen appears. You can see the installation progress on the left hand side of screen. The completed task is represented by placing a green dot in front of it and current task is represented by highlighting it with Red colour. A horizontal bar also shows the specific components which are being installed.
9. When you see message "Installing Devices" (above horizontal bar) press "Shift + F10".
   
   
   
10. It will open command prompt. Type “control userpasswords2” and press "Enter".
11. It will open "User Accounts" control panel from where you can easily change Administrator (and User account) password and other settings.
    
    
    

After changing Admin password click type "Exit" at command prompt. Windows installation process will resume and let it complete successfully. Now you can login to Administrator account with new password.

This method is considered as one of the best methods to reset administrator password. The only drawback of this method is that it can be used with computer systems having Windows XP operating system. If you want to reset administrator password of PC having any other operating system then you can use passwordrevealer software to reset Windows password.

What are 128 bit and 256 bit Password Encryption?

Encryption is the process of converting plain text to cipher text (unreadable form) so that it can be stored or transmitted safely. During the encryption process the file (or information) is processed by an encryption algorithm and converted to unreadable form. The encryption algorithm makes use of a sequence of bits to convert plain text to cipher text. This sequence of bits is called Encryption key.
Depending upon the encryption key there are two types of Encryption System:

Symmetric – In this encryption system same key (sequence of bits) is used for both encryption and decryption (decoding) process.

Asymmetric – In this type of encryption different keys are used for encryption and decryption of information. Key used for encrypting data is called Public Key and other which is used for decryption is called Private Key.

How Password Encryption Works?

When user sets password on a file (or login password) then it is encrypted by using encryption algorithm and stored in encrypted form. Next time when the same user enters his password then it again goes through encryption algorithm and this encrypted form is compared with the stored password (in encrypted form). If both passwords match then user is allowed to access the file.

Strength of Password Encryption:

Password encryption strength depends on the number of bits in the key used by encryption algorithm. If there are n-bits in the key then there are 2ⁿ possible combinations (for example 2-bit key can have four possible values 11, 10, 01, 00) out of which one combination is able to successfully decrypt the password.

Depending on the number of bits in the key there are two famous encryption systems:

128-bit Encryption System: It makes use of 128 bit key size to encrypt password. It means that there are 2¹²⁸ (339,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000) possible key combinations and out of these possible combinations only one combination is able to decrypt (or decode) the password. In simple words if someone wants to hack your password then he will need to try at most 2¹²⁸ key combinations to crack it.

256-bit Encryption System: In this type of encryption system 256 bit key size is used for password encryption. You can imagine about the total possible combinations (2²⁵⁶) which can be made using 256 bit. Because of these large numbers of possible combinations 256-bit encryption is considered as much safer than 128-bit encryption system.

Storing password in encrypted form ensures that no one can read the password even if someone has opened the file where password is stored in encrypted form. Also, if the owner forget or loses his password then encryption system provide no option to get back his password. In such situations the owner can take help of password recovery software to reset password. These password recovery software are based on Brute Force Attack Technique (A decryption technique in which all the possible combinations are tried) and have the capability to crack both 128-bit and 256-bit passwords.

Steps to Create Windows 7 and Vista Password Reset Disk

Almost every PC user enables login password to prevent unauthorized access to his computer system. Login password makes user to feel relaxed and comfortable because now his PC (and hence data) is safe from unauthorized access. It is common human nature to forget things so many times login password also becomes a headache for the user when he forget it. User can easily avoid this problem but they need to do some preparation for it. This preparation includes the creation of Windows Password Reset Disk.

Windows 7 and Windows Vista have built-in features which allow you to create password reset disk. This disk can be used to reset your windows password when you forget it. Password reset disk can be created on any removable media like USB, CD/DVD and floppy disk.

You can follow the below given steps to create Windows Password Reset Disk.

1. Insert removable media into PC.

2. Go to 'Start' - > 'Control Panel'

3. In control panel window Click 'User Account s and Family Safety' ->'User Accounts'

4. In User Accounts window click ‘Create a password reset disk’.
   
   
   

5. You will see ‘Forgotten Password Wizard’ window. Click ‘Next’.
   
   
   

6. You will see a window asking you about drive in which you want to create password reset disk. Select appropriate drive and click ‘Next’.
   
   
   

7. Next you will see a window asking for ‘Current user account password’. Enter the password and click ‘Next’
   
   
   

8. A dialog box will show the status of the process. Click ‘Next’ when it is 100%.
   
   
   

9. You will see window confirming the Successful Completion of Forgotten password wizard. Click ‘Finish’.

Your password reset disk has created and you can store it at a safe place.

How to Reset Windows Login Password Using Password Reset Disk?

If you have password reset disk then it is very easy to reset windows login password using it.

1. Turn on your PC and Insert password reset disk (or USB).

2. Enter your login password. If password is incorrect then you will see message 'Username or Password is Incorrect'. Click 'OK'
   
   
   

3. In the login screen click 'Reset Password' (below password box). It will start 'Password Reset Wizard', Click “Next” 
   
   
   

4. Select your password reset disk drive (floppy, CD ROM or USB etc) and Click ‘Next’.
   
   
   

5. After clicking next it will ask you to enter new password (you can also add password hint).
   
   
   

6. Click 'Next' -> 'Finish'.

Now you can login into your Windows account with new password.

It is really important to create password reset disk in advance (before you lose password) so that you do not face any difficulty when you forget your windows password. If you lose password and do not have password recovery disk then you can try Windows password recovery software to reset windows password.

How to Protect PowerPoint Presentation from Unauthorized Access?

MS PowerPoint is one of the most famous and powerful tool for creating presentation. It allows user to create dynamic presentation by using animations and graphic. These dynamic presentations are used widely for various purposes like business planning, training programs, teaching students in class, new product introduction etc. Many times you use MS PowerPoint to make confidential presentation which cannot be accessed by any unauthorized user. In such situation you need to protect your PowerPoint presentation with password. You can follow simple steps to prevent unauthorized access to your presentation as following.

1. Open the Presentation you want to protect.

2. Click 'File' menu -> 'Save As'

3. In 'Save As' window click 'Tools' -> 'Security Options'

4. In 'Security Options' dialog box you will see two options: 'Password to Open' and 'Password to Modify'

Password to Open - This option restricts unauthorized user from opening the Presentation.

Password to Modify - This option restricts unauthorized user from editing the presentation (presentation will be read only).

5. Depending upon your choice you can set same or different passwords for both the options and click 'OK'.

6. After clicking 'OK' you will see 'Confirm Password' Dialog box to enter the 'Password to modify' and 'Password to open' again.

7. Click 'Save' button of 'Save As' Dialog box.

Now your presentation is password protected and unauthorized user cannot access it.

It should be noted here that the Confirm Password dialog box (In Step 6) shows a caution message “If you lose or forget the password, it cannot be recovered. It is advisable to keep a list of passwords and their corresponding document names in a safe place.” So you should be careful while selecting your password. You should try to choose easy to recall (and complex) password so that you do not forget it. If by mistake you forget password then you do not need to worry because there are many PowerPoint password recovery tools available to help.

How to Manage the Security of MS Access Database?

MS Access Database is one of the most popular Database Management System used to manage and maintain large quantity of data. It is considered as most flexible and the simplest database management system as compared with other Database management system. It is preferred by most of the Microsoft User because of its 'Windows look and feel' and also for its compatibility with other Microsoft products.

Every database stores all type of data including sensitive and confidential data. So it is necessary to manage the proper security of your database to prevent from unauthorized access. MS Access also provides some security features so that data can be accessed by authorized user only. One of such security feature is setting user level permission. User permissions allow database administrator to assign different role to different user according to their requirement. In MS access there are nine types of permission which can be assigned to a user (or a group of user). These nine types of permission and associated roles are listed below.

1. Open - Allows user to open a database, report or form.

2. Open Exclusive - It allows a user to open a database exclusively (other user can not open the database simultaneously).

3. Read Design - It allows user to read/view object design (user can not change the design).

4. Modify Design - It allows user to view, change (or delete) objects.

5. Administer - This type of access have full access to the database and objects. With this permission user can set password to database and assign permission to other user.

6. Data Read - User can view data but cannot edit it (user cannot view design of tables and queries).

7. Update Data - User is allowed to view and edit existing data but cannot insert or delete data.

8. Insert Data - User can view and insert data but not allowed to delete or change data.

9. Delete Data - User can view or delete data but cannot change or insert data.

It should be noted that before using above mentioned user permissions you should have a clear view about the task of every employee who interacts with the database. For example ‘Data Read’ permission can be allowed to ‘Data Analyst’ user (because he needs to view data only), ‘Insert Data’ can be assigned to user who is responsible for adding new data to the database.

If you are the only user of database then it is not a good idea to use any of the user permission to protect database. In such case you can set password to the main database file (MDB or ACCDB file) so that other user can not access database without your permission. Setting password to the MDB or ACCDB file is considered as the easiest method but you can fall in problem if you forget (which is common human nature) the password of your access database. In case you forget your MDB file password then you can use Access Password Recovery Software to recover password of access database. Such software provides easiest way to recover password of MS Access database file.