Subscriber Discussion
Help - Locked Out Of Old CCTV Capture Card System
A client has been abandoned by their integrator who installed a PC with Chateau capture card/software with no ability to access the system. They are totally locked out only able to live view what's on the monitors. While a new platform has been approved they need to be able to access the system and review video. An install manual I was able to find off the net says the Admin login info is set by the integrator at install - there is no default.
Does anyone have experience with this software? Is there a back door? Did the manufacturer recommend any defaults? Any assistance would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.
03/12/14 05:47am
Dale,
We used to run into this issue back in the day when I was with a primarily analog integrator.
The easiest fix is just to install the same version of the software right over the top of the old stuff. The windows machine should see it is already installed and just uninstall/reinstall.
The video data files will almost assuredly be stored on a separate drive (partitioned or physical) and the files just need to be 'recovered' by the new old software once it is installed. Almost all of the old analog capture card software I've ever seen had 'restore database' capabilities. You may first have to locate the existing video files first so you know where to pull data during the 'restore'.
03/12/14 05:55am
Follow up:
I found the manual on a Czech Republic site here.
Page 74, Chapter 8 is below (see red box):
Thanks guys. The integrator did not leave a copy of the software to reinstall. Anyone know where we could source a version of it?
Have you tried downloading from this Vguard support page?
| 03/12/14 03:45pm
Can you access the video data files directly on the storage drive?
Rukmini - thanks for pointing out the software was posted. We had just thought it was User Manuals.
Marty - waiting for IT to determine open the box up to see what's actually installed. If there are two hard drives I will get him to pull the slave and see what we can access off of it. If there is only one drive then we have to move to another solution.
We have the tools and experience to hack the OS by installing a Linux admin tool between the BIOS and the OS. This is a costly option in terms of time but if the client is worried that reinstalling the software overtop of what's there might damage some files. Did that ever happen in your case Marty?
Dale, not that you asked me, but I would offer although that I agree with Marty that your video data files are extremely unlikely to be affected by the re-install, I would verify that the software that you are overlaying is identical to that which is already installed, i.e. version nos, licensing etc, before proceeding. Not that the data files would be touched by the install, but rather if the installed version is actually newer (it happens) than the one you are re-installing, the reinstalled "older" version might not be able to read the "newer" data files format.
I am unsure as to exactly how important the existing data is, but of course if it is critical, I'm sure your syadmin has/will back up the system when possible. Another low risk way of proceeding is to make a new system with a different pc and install Chat there and then copy the files over to the new one and try it. Also maybe there is actually a default password that you will see when you install on a new one. In any case take note of what constitutes a valid password for the next step. Also you can nose around the new install (if you feel comfortable doing so) to find an .ini fille or reg file that might have clear text passwords.
Finally since you know the login name (admin) you are after, here is a list of the 25 most commonly used passwords
1. 123456
2. password
3. 12345678
4. qwerty
5. abc123
6. 123456789
7. 111111
8. 1234567
9. iloveyou
10. adobe123
11. 123123
12. admin
13. 1234567890
14. letmein
15. photoshop
16. 1234
17. monkey
18. shadow
19. sunshine
20. 12345
21. password1
22. princess
23. azerty
24. trustno1
25. 000000
| 03/13/14 04:40pm
Good points, Rukmini....
And for DVRs I would add:
1. DVR
2. security
3. video
4. recorder
5. hoochiemama
6. cameras
1. DVR 2. security...
I would've added those before, but I was using them myself 'til your 'wake-up' call.
If Dale would provide any kind of demographic on the 'deadbeat dealer', i.e. age, gender, ethnicity, hobbies, 'day job', model of hatchback etc, we could provide quite a tailored list of possibilities. Although I wouldn't want to impact any pending action with CPS (Client Protective Services), and jeopardize any court imposed client support or mandatory on-site visitation orders.
P.S. On a unrelated and rather embarassing note, it is my duty to inform you via the InterThreadMessageProtocol that you have been summoned to a post in another thread. Pay it no heed.
03/13/14 01:51pm
Why does IT have to open the box? Is the Chateau software preventing you from getting to the desktop? (i.e. auto-launch; can't minimize; can't log out).
Reinstalling the software over the top is also the solution I've always used when some of the 'files' in the software itself are already damaged. Support people are rarely surgeons - more like undertakers (kill it, give me another). Although this is not your issue (software seems to work fine, locking you out) reinstalling the management software doesn't do anything to the stored video files.
The stored video files (which are almost always stored on a different drive than the DVR software) are not touched when the software is uninstalled/reinstalled. You just have to restore the database once the new software is installed, pointing to the existing storage drive/partition.
Used to be a Chatuea Expert...now I'm drawing blanks. I do believe the Chatuea stores the videos as MP4 files, which means you can play them without the software, it's just tricky.
The only problem I can forsee by re-installing is that the software requires you to allocate space within the harddrive, and that setting could very well be lost when you re-install, it would ask you allocate new space, which you won't have as the video files will still be there, just potentially not accessib le by the newly installed software.
The PC is locked with an Admin password set by the integrator (no one else knows it). We have to hack the Windows Login to be able to access the Chateau software.
We tried to top 25 passwords from both 2012 and 2013. Didnt try hoochimama though. I will have to try that one myself as asking one of our techs or the client might have them questioning my sanity.
| 03/14/14 10:41pm
hahaha.... I am picturing the techs face on his phone hearing you ask him to try that. :) I like to throw a wildcard in there in case the old integrator was a Seinfeld Fan. (sidebar: if hoochiemama works, it will be so unbelievable that you won't even be able to tell the story to anyone...) :)
If you can get into the machine somehow (I know you tried Administrator with no password, so I will not mention it), then you should be able to just snag the files right off the storage drive - and if former Chateau guru Daniel is correct - play them directly in WMP.
note: except for very few I've seen [like Avermedia], most of these old systems used common, non-proprietary formats to encode; if WMP won't won't play them, try the old reliable - VLC. Also, even when they use .avi, sometimes they do use their own proprietary versions of that codec (and you need them to play in WMP). The codecs should also be installed on that PC DVR, but you'd have to look for them - if the files won't play in WMP or VLC that is.
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