In the short tutorial, Reed - who works for the curiously-named IT reviews division of shareware/freeware distribution operator TuCows - shows how, with the judicious use of the XP run command and calling up a lesser-known executable, it is possible to start up Windows XP without requiring a password.

Although simple in its execution, the Butterscotch tutorial doesn't fully explain how the security bypass words.

Infosecurity isn't really sure either, but the breathtakingly simple technology tweak appears to have been coded as a backdoor to Windows XP for administrators who are having password difficulties.

You can view this interesting video here.