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In many Windows applications and in the operating system itself, the content of some input fields (typically used to enter passwords) is masked with asterisks. PSPR can unhide information stored in these input fields either automatically or manually.

 

The simplest mode is automatic: PSPR  scans all visible windows on the desktop, finds the ones with masked controls, extracts and displays their contents in a window, along with some technical information such as the window title, handle, and class. If the Make asterisk field visible option is set, the actual controls will be altered to show the actual strings instead of asterisks.

 

Please note that in this (automatic) mode some controls (used by system services, JAVA applications, those with non-standard Windows class, etc.) may not be revealed. Edit controls in Microsoft Internet Explorer, however, are supported.

 

The Manual mode unmask information in windows with non-standard classes. Press and hold the mouse button; drag the cursor pointer to the field you're interested in, and drop it (release the mouse) there. When dragging, the active window will be 'bordered'.

 

In the manual mode, if you drop the pointer on a control that has the Internet Explorer _ Server class, you can get the HTML source of that control. This works for all applications that use IE frames, such as Internet Explorer, Windows Explorer, Outlook and Outlook Express, Microsoft Help and many others.

 

If both automatic and manual modes still fail to do the job, you may need to add a proper class name in the options. It is also possible that the control contains real asterisks, indicating that the password is saved (e.g., as for Windows RAS).

 

Note: some applications attempt to detect and counter this attacks. The automatic mode should still work, but only if the Make asterisks fields visible option is not set.

 

The other options are:

 

•Stay on top: if enabled, the PSPR window will be always topmost.

•Alternative scanning algorithm (for manual mode only): may help if you cannot locate the proper window to extract the text from – for example, if that control is disabled.

•Transparent window  (Windows 2000/XP/2003 only): enable that option to make the PSPR  window transparent, so you will be able to see what is behind it.