(Thread is for Windows)

"Do not learn to hack, but hack to learn". Many new comers see this motto tagged around HF and take it head on. The word Motto is defined as "a sentence, phrase, or word expressing the spirit or purpose of a person, organization, city, etc." So DO NOT read some random TuT(tutorial) about hacking a website, network, or PC and get caught. That said, please continue reading.

In the beginning we all asked ourselves a few questions...

Where do I start?
Where do I go to learn?
What do I need to Hack?

There are numerous facets in the world of hacking that can be VERY overwhelming to a beginner. So many that you will always learn something new until you stop hacking. There is always something new coming out that either replaces or patches(fixes) an older version of software. Therefore necessitating the need for new methods of hacking. So here is a list of programs you should download, tools you should utilize, lessons you should learn, and why you should learn them. Along with links to TuTs from our L33T members. Starting with the basics:

Google
Google is hands down the most powerful and accurate search engine. Before creating a new thread with a simple question(nothing wrong with asking us) search for it on Google.

Wikipedia
Wikipedia is a great site for information. It is not a dictionary but an encyclopedia openly update/changed by the public. So you don't have to worry about read some cryptic definition that leaves you with more questions. Nine out of Ten when you search with Google you will see Wiki at the top or close to.

Hack Forum Search
If there is a new hacking tool you just download and you want to learn more about it and how to use it. Search the HF for it, there is nothing that you as a beginner know more of than our VeTs.

Youtube
Many rules have changed ever since Google bought Youtube in 2006.
More explicit and sensitive videos are allowed more and more than the prevailing years of 2006.
You can search for practically any video dealing with hack tools and attacks.

Batch - Created by Unclean Spirit
Spirit Elementary- Created by Unclean Spirit
You simply can not get more simple than .bat files. Batch files are a good way to introduce yourself to CMD Prompt( to get to: Start>Run: tpye "cmd" enter) However batch files are commonly made with notepad. You can create simple or intricate virus .bat files that cause all sorts of chaos. You can find all kinds of virals at the Batch ,Shell, Dos and Command Line Interpreters

Cain & Abel
Youtube TuT
"Cain & Abel is a password recovery tool for Microsoft Operating Systems. It allows easy recovery of various kind of passwords by sniffing the network, cracking encrypted passwords using Dictionary, Brute-Force and Cryptanalysis attacks, recording VoIP conversations, decoding scrambled passwords, recovering wireless network keys, revealing password boxes, uncovering cached passwords and analyzing routing protocols."

Ophcrack- Created by Crow
Youtube TuT
Unlike Cain and Abel this program can be burned to a CD or configured to a USB to boot from. Meaning that you can have no password access to any computer profile and still crack the password. As far as i know, Cain and Abel can only function if you have access to at least a guest account.

Telnet Hacking- Created by Follower
Telnet Hack - Provided by Ethical Hacking Articles
(Turn on Windows Vista Telnet) - Created by xgsconan
Youtube TuT
"Telnet is protocol that runs over TCP/IP, and was used for connecting to remote computers. It provides a login interface, and you can run command-line programs by typing the commands on your keyboard, and the programs use the resources of the remote machine. The results are displayed in the terminal window on your machine, but the memory and CPU cycles consumed by the program are located on the remote machine. Therefore, telnet functions as a terminal emulation program, emulating a terminal on the remote machine. "

Aradamax 2.8- Created by VipVince
VicSpy -Created by 3 4 1
Youtube Examples
Keylogging is a method used for gathering information from your victims computer by recording keystrokes, Screenshots, and other activities. It is hard to find Keylogging tools that are completely undetectable to security programs. The few that are undetectable soon are added to security information databases. This reiterates what i said in the beginning, "There is always something new coming out that either replaces or patches(fixes) an older version of software. Therefore necessitating the need for new methods of hacking."

Basic Nmap Usage- Created by Empa7hy
Nmap- Created by Austral Hacker
Youtube TuT
"Nmap ("Network Mapper") is a free and open source (license) utility for network exploration or security auditing." Basically tells you everything you need to know about your targets potential vulnerabilities. Very powerful and needed tool.

This is what I believe a new comer should start with. Many people have different ways of training that work just as well. However, this is the basics of the basics. Become well briefed in all these categories because they are the most used tools for a hacker using the Windows OS. Now you can delve deeper into the world of hacking. Don't forget, "Do not learn to hack, but hack to learn".