Thursday, May 27, 2010

resetting a domain admin password on Windows 2008

I had lost the main admin password on one of my client's Windows 2008 SBS boxes, and I thought I'd have to try one of the many utilities that exist for changing passwords outside of Windows, but instead I found this:

http://lordoftheping.blogspot.com/2009/05/i-did-not-use-my-tests-virtual-machines.html

Using just the Windows 2008 DVD, you can reset any domain admin password.

Info recreated here just in case that page is ever taken down:
* Boot onto DVD of Windows Server 2008
* Choose “Repair your computer”
* Launch cmd
* Go to c:\windows\system32
* Rename Utilman.exe to Utilman.exe.bak
* Copy cmd.exe to Utilman.exe
* Reboot on Windows
* Do the keyboard shortcut Windows + U when on the logon screen
* net user administrator Newpass123 inside the cmd
* log on with the domain admin account and this new pass
* change the password to remember it if needed
* Reboot on the DVD to put back the original Utilman.exe


Youtube video of the process here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ar-VoO9ogHc

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