Resetting the Administrator Password on Windows Server

This article describes how to reset the administrator account password on Microsoft Windows Server 2022. However, it also works with earlier editions.

The built-in Windows application, Utilman.exe, allows users to configure accessibility options like magnifier, high contrast theme, narrator, and on-screen keyboard, even before logging into the system. The trick is temporarily replacing the original Utilman.exe file with a copy of cmd.exe, making it possible to run a command to change the password.

The procedure works on virtual and physical servers as long as you can boot from installation media. In this example, we will use our VMware VPS platform, which supports boot from CD/DVD.

Prerequisites

You need access to the VMware VPS in GleSYS Cloud.

Mounting the Windows Server 2022 DVD

1. First, log in to GleSYS Cloud and navigate to the desired VMware VPS.
   
   

2. Click on the CD/DVD tab and mount the following ISO: SW_DVD9_Win_Server_STD_CORE_2022_2108.9_64Bit_English_DC_STD_MLF_X23-14506.iso
   
   

Booting the Operating System from the Windows Server DVD

1. Click on Actions -> Power off.
   

If the server doesn't shut down within a few minutes, try Power off (forced) instead. It's important to note that this method is equivalent to holding the power button and should be avoided whenever possible.

2. To make the DVD accessible, we need to change the boot order in the BIOS. Click Actions -> Power on into BIOS, then open the console by clicking Actions -> Console.
   
   

3. In the console window, choose Enter setup, then Configure boot options, and select Change boot order.
   
   

4. Press Enter to edit the boot order, then go to EFI VMware Virtual IDE CDROM Drive (IDE 0:0) and move it to the top by pressing + on your keyboard.
   
   

5. Press Enter to save, then go down to Commit changes, exit, and press Enter again.
   
   

6. Exit the Boot Maintenance Manager, press Enter, and finally, Reset the system.
   
   

7. When the message "Press any key to boot from CD or DVD" appears, press a key to start booting from the ISO.
   
   

Opening the Command Prompt

1. After the Microsoft Server Operating System Setup screen appears, proceed by clicking on the Next button.
   
   

2. Press the R key or click Repair your computer.
   
   

3. Select the Troubleshoot option.
   
   

4. Under Advanced options, select Command Prompt.
   
   

The command prompt opens.

Renaming Utilman.exe

1. To change to the C:\ drive, type the following command:

c:

2. To open the Windows directory, type the following command:

cd Windows

3. To open the System32 subdirectory, type the following command:

cd System32

4. To rename the Utilman.exe file, type the following command:

ren Utilman.exe Utilman.exe.old

What should I do if the C:\ drive is not available?

Sometimes, the volume with the installed operating system (OS) will not automatically be assigned a drive letter. To manually assign a drive letter using CMD/DiskPart, do the following:

1. Write diskpart in the command prompt and press Enter.
2. List available volumes with the command list volume.
3. Choose the volume on which the operating system is installed with the command select volume <number>.
4. Assign the drive letter C to the volume with the command assign letter=c.
5. Close diskpart with the command exit and try again.

Creating a Copy of the File cmd.exe with the Name Utilman.exe

1. To make a copy of the cmd.exe file named Utilman.exe, type the following command:

copy cmd.exe Utilman.exe

2. To close the command prompt, enter the following command:

exit

3. Select Continue. Wait until the boot process completes.
   
   

The server will then be restarted. Wait until the boot process is complete.

Changing the Password in Utilman.exe

1. Once you see the login window, press Ctrl-Alt-Delete in the console window and then click on the Ease of access icon in the bottom right corner.
   
   

The Administrator: C:\Windows\System32\Utilman.exe window opens. In some circumstances, this may take some time.

2. To change the password, type command net user Administrator in the following format:

net user Administrator MYNEWPASSWORD

The password is changed.

3. Close the Administrator window: C:\Windows\System32\Utilman.exe.

Restoring Utilman.exe

After changing the password, the original Utilman.exe file must be restored.

1. Reboot the server and repeat this guide to return to the command prompt. Then, type the following commands:

c:
cd Windows
cd System32
del Utilman.exe
ren Utilman.exe.old Utilman.exe
exit

2. Switch to GleSYS Cloud. Select the server in the control panel and eject the mounted DVD by deselecting the ISO.

3. Perform a reboot of the server.

After the server restarts, you must log in to the server with the new password.