<Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This article needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (September 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> The Security Account Manager (SAM), often Security Accounts Manager, is a database file in Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, 8.1 and 10 that stores users' passwords . It can be used to authenticate local and remote users . Beginning with Windows 2000 SP4, Active Directory authenticates remote users . SAM uses cryptographic measures to prevent unauthenticated users accessing the system . </P> <P> The user passwords are stored in a hashed format in a registry hive either as a LM hash or as a NTLM hash . This file can be found in% SystemRoot% / system32 / config / SAM and is mounted on HKLM / SAM . </P> <P> In an attempt to improve the security of the SAM database against offline software cracking, Microsoft introduced the SYSKEY function in Windows NT 4.0 . When SYSKEY is enabled, the on - disk copy of the SAM file is partially encrypted, so that the password hash values for all local accounts stored in the SAM are encrypted with a key (usually also referred to as the "SYSKEY"). It can be enabled by running the syskey program . </P>

Where is sam file stored in windows 7