How to Reset a Forgotten Windows Host Administrator Password

Verified and Tested 03/31/2015

Introduction

People pay lots of money for password recovery. With so many different passwords that we use daily (email, desktop, servers, etc.), we tend to forget some of the crucial ones. However, we will recover our password with a Windows CD. That’s it! We will walk you through resetting your forgotten Windows Host Administrator password in this how-to.

Prerequisites

– A Windows CD (Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, Server 2008 R2, Server 2008, Server 2012, or a Server 2012 R2).

Procedure

Boot the server to your Windows CD/ Browse to the Repair section/ open up the command-line tool and type the following:

d:
cd windows/system32
ren utilman.exe utilman.exe.old
copy cmd.exe utilman.exe

Reboot the host and start it up normally. Click the ease of access button, which is located in the bottom left-hand corner. A new command prompt will appear.

 

At this point, you can reset your current local Administrator account or make a new local administrator user and password.

Reset the Local Administrator Password

Change the local administrator password and activate the account by running the following commands:

net user administrator newpassword
net user administrator /active:yes

Create a New Local Administrator Account and Password.

To create an additional local administrator account, type the following command:

net user administrator newpassword
net user administrator /active:yes

You can now log in with the account you set up in either method. Once you log in, make sure to revert the Ease of Access menu back to normal by typing the following command:

copy utilman.exe.old utilman.exe

Congratulations! You have just Reset your Forgotten Windows Host Administrator Password. Thank you for following along in this How-To, and feel free to check back with us for any new updates.

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