Welcome to part 5 of Into Indie Games’ walkthrough for Desktop Explorer.
After clearing all the puzzles in Maxine’s profile and exploring all that NextRooms had to offer, the password in Admin User Profile is removed. It’s time to see what’s hiding behind the terminals.
This article is part of our Desktop Explorer Walkthrough Hub. Check it out for more content.
For more information about the game, check out their Steam page here.
Table of contents
Exploring the Admin Desktop
As you log into the Admin User Profile, you’ll find a text file on the Desktop titled WhoAreYou.npg. Check it out first.
There are a couple of folders here as well. You can also see that the WasteBin has something inside.
Opening the WasteBin, you’ll find the encryptInstructions.img file.
The Shame folder has the conclusion.npg text file, a corrupted Journal Entry .res file, and the locked DE_Installer folder.
The Downloads folder has a single text file titled psychostimuli.npg.
Finally, check the Documents folder. You’ll find a terminal access file called de_analysis.nsh. There’s a folder called Memories as well.
Check the Memories folder to find another corrupted Chronolog Entry .res file and an image titled together.img.
Now that you’ve got your bearings, our first order of business is to figure out a way to recover these Chronolog files.
Recovering the Chronolog Files
Start by opening the WebSurfer2 app from the Desktop. You’ll be able to access a cached forum. There’s a ticket that you can access where a user asks for help restoring a corrupted Chronolog file. Click the link.
The link doesn’t lead to an exact answer. However, you learn that you can send a request to esounder@cmail.com for help.
Click the browser History button, located between the Refresh button and the Address bar, to see all available restored pages.
Click the link under Chainmailer.com and go through the three accessible emails sent from Spiralsoft Management.
One of the emails contains a solution to how you can restore the Chronolog files.
Click on the Start Menu, navigate to Programs, and then run the nOS Terminal application.
In the command type Chrono Restore and hit Enter. Then type in the file path: memories/12-09-1995.res.
Press Enter to restore the file and double-click on it to add a Chronolog entry to Emmet’s Journal. Read through the entry. You’ll find a password: GOLDENRATIO.
Open the de_analysis.nsh program and type in the password. Hit Enter to access the Desktop Explorer User Analysis. Close the program for now.
Use the same method to restore the Chronolog Entry in the Shame folder. Just make sure you use the correct File Path. Reading the entry will talk about an Encryption Key hidden in Maxine’s Profile.
Reinstalling Desktop Explorer
Go to the WasteBin and restore the encryptInstructions.img file. Open the file. The image shows you how you can encrypt and decrypt a word.
Type in Admin at the DE_Analysis terminal window. Then run the Diagnostic Tool by pressing Y and Enter.
Now you need to enter the Decrypted Password to start installation. The Encrypted Password is YNGEGSKY, as shown in the terminal window.
Log out of the Admin User Profile and log in to Maxine’s Profile. As you enter the Desktop, Pizarro tells you about an interesting file hidden in your documents.
Open the Documents folder and click on View to select Hidden Files. You’ll find a folder called WeirdEncryptionKey.
Inside the folder is the encryptionKey.npg file. Open the text file. Now you have to decrypt the encrypted password to reinstall the Desktop Explorer app.
Decrypting Admin Terminal Password
To solve the puzzle, all you have to do is take a close look at the encryptInstructions.img file in the Admin User Profile.
Replace the word Hello in the instruction file with YNGEGSKY and repeat the steps shown in the image.
We broke down the entire process in the steps below:
- First, list out the group of numbers that represent the letters in the password: YNGEGSKY.
| Password Letters | Red Numbers | Blue Numbers |
|---|---|---|
| Y | 1 | 3 |
| N | 4 | 4 |
| G | 2 | 2 |
| E | 3 | 5 |
| G | 2 | 2 |
| S | 5 | 2 |
| K | 3 | 3 |
| Y | 1 | 3 |
- Since we’re decrypting the password, go from bottom to top and write down the numbers in reverse order:
3 1 3 3 2 5 2 2 5 3 2 2 4 4 3 1
- Split the numbers down the middle; the first half will be blue, the second half will be red.
3 1 3 3 2 5 2 2
5 3 2 2 4 4 3 1
- Create a new table taking the blue and red numbers from the cluster of numbers above. Make sure you go from right to left. So the first letter would be 2 Red, 1 Blue. Use this new arrangement of numbers to find the Password using the encryptionKey.img file located in Maxine’s User Profile.
| Password Letters | Red Numbers | Blue Numbers |
|---|---|---|
| T | 2 | 1 |
| A | 2 | 3 |
| R | 5 | 4 |
| O | 2 | 4 |
| C | 3 | 2 |
| C | 3 | 2 |
| H | 1 | 3 |
| I | 3 | 5 |
The decrypted password is Tarocchi.
Enter the password at the De_Analysis terminal window back at the Admin User Profile. This will unlock the DE_installer folder.
Open the folder and run the DE_Installer.exe to reinstall Desktop Explorer.
Run the Desktop Explorer.nsh file you find on your Desktop once you’re done. This will open up the Tower.
The Tower
Type Start as shown in the terminal. But as you hit Enter, you’ll be asked for a Chronolog entry for progression.
Open your Chronolog and add an entry to Guppy’s Journal. Close the Chronolog and get back to the Tower when you’re done.
Input Start gain. This time you’ll be taken to the next screen where you see a locked gate. There are a bunch of buttons above the terminal that you can use. Here’s what each of them does:
- Eye button: Look
- Hand button: Use/interact
- Forward/Turn: Used for movement
- Scroll: Opens the Storyteller.
- Question Mark: Help
Click the Story button to open the dawnsTwillight.stp file. Then Look at the Tablet next to the locked gate of the Tower.
Look at the Moon in the sky next.
Doing so reveals a Lever behind the Tablet. Interact with it.
This will open the locked gate. Press the Forward button to head inside the Tower.
As you enter the Tower, you’ll see another locked gate straight ahead. There’s a Note on the wall next to the gate. You can also make out two passages heading left and right.
Move Forward and click on the Note to add a Chronolog entry to Emmet’s Journal.
To unlock the gate up ahead, you need to solve two puzzles. The left path leads to the Orb Puzzle; the right path leads to the Portrait Puzzle. You can choose either one first.
Solving the Orb Puzzle
As you head into the left room, you’ll find three objects on the table:Â an Orb, an Ink Bottle, and a Book.
Look at the Book first. It opens an image titled Lifecycle. Note the symbol beside each person in the image.
Use the Orb next. Your screen will start to ripple, and you can now interact with the three Banners behind the objects.
You need to interact with the banners in a certain order to solve the puzzle. The Lifecycle image shows you the command you need to use.
- The right banner with four corners represents the child.
- The left banner, with the rising sun, represents the adult.
- The banner in the middle with three corners represents the elder.
With that information in hand, use Look on the right banner, then Interact on the left and middle banners. Doing so reveals a Lever behind the middle banner. Use the Lever.
Solving the Portrait Puzzle
Head into the right room to find a Portrait with a Glowing Lantern in its hand. Click the Scroll button to open the BlindImage Story.
Click on the “their hand” text written in yellow in the Story. This opens an image file titled Tactile Vision.
Drag the image over the Glowing Lantern of the Portrait. Then type Feel Floor into the terminal and hit Enter.
When the text changes, input Feel Wall.
Finally, write Use Lever and hit Enter.
Escaping the Tower
When you’re done with both puzzles and have activated the Levers, you can head up through the open gate.
Go forward toward the objects on the window. Note that the Camera keeps glitching.
Use the Camera, and it’ll transform into a gold Medallion.
When the Sword starts to glitch, Use it to transform it into some gems.
The Chalice starts glitching last. Use it to transform it into a painter’s palette. This automatically adds a Chronolog entry to Emmet’s Journal.
Type anything into the terminal, and it becomes Confront Fears. The Computer crashes after this.
You’ll wake up back at the 3D World. Walk up to the fortune teller machine up ahead.
This triggers a cutscene after which you’ll eventually be back at Maxine’s User Profile.
This concludes part 5 of our walkthrough for Desktop Explorer. For more interesting articles related to indie games, check out the links below:
- Into Indie Games Homepage
- Dead Weight – Walkthrough And Guides Hub
- The Mound: Omen of Cthulu – Beginner Tips & Tricks
- Denshattack! – The Ultimate Guide For Everything
- Moss: The Forgotten Relic – Walkthrough Hub
Muhit Rahman lives off two things: gaming marathons and endless cups of tea. He writes guides, reviews, and occasionally forgets that real life doesn’t come with checkpoints. His favorite genres are Soulslike and Metroidvania, with Dark Souls III, Hollow Knight, and Dota 2 forever holding top spots on his all-time list.
