Grab Password Name

[Paul P]

Hello All,


I was wondering if anybody has been able to "grab" the existing
workbook, worksheet password so that when I do an update on the VBA
code I can replace the users password. I have a workbook that I update
and change code in that many users have. As it is now when I do an
update to the program the users must reset their password, I would like
to make this an automatic update, which will restore the users file.

Any help will be appreciated.


Thanks,
Paulp

 

[J.E. McGimpsey]

For worksheet and workbook passwords, you can't get the original,
but you can get a hashed version that will allow you to reprotect
and have the original work (the original is not stored in the
workbook, only the hash). See

http://www.mcgimpsey.com/excel/removepwords.html


For the file password, In article <[email protected]>,

 

[Tom Ogilvy]

There is code available that will break the password, but it doesn't find
what the actual password is. Under the password scheme used, several
different passwords resolve to the same code that will unprotect the
worksheet/workbook. The code tests a complete subset of these password, so
it is unlikely it discovers the actual password.

So the answer is no. Excel really doesn't store the actual password, just
the code that it resolves too.

 

[Tom Ogilvy]

I am posting since JE provided a bit more thorough thinking on this and I
don't want my post to confuse the issue (particularly since it was later
than his, but his wasn't visible to me when I posted). Since you would use
one of the "equivalent" passwords, it would be transparent to the user, so I
am correct that you can't get the original, but JE is even more correct in
stating that you don't need to. Kind of like using a skeleton key or master
password.

Sorry for any confusion.

--
Regards,
Tom Ogilvy

There is code available that will break the password, but it doesn't find
what the actual password is. Under the password scheme used, several
different passwords resolve to the same code that will unprotect the
worksheet/workbook. The code tests a complete subset of these password, so
it is unlikely it discovers the actual password.

So the answer is no. Excel really doesn't store the actual password, just
the code that it resolves too.