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FendiStave's avatar
FendiStave
Iron Contributor
Nov 22, 2023

How to Reset Windows Server 2008 R2 Administrator Password?

I am struggling to reset the administrator password on my Windows Server 2008 R2 machine. Unfortunately, I do not remember the password and cannot access the system. I have tried use a password reset...
security
windows server
Dvoraky's avatar
Dvoraky
Iron Contributor
Mar 07, 2025

The Windows install media has a built-in tool for resetting Windows Server 2008 R2 password. Here is how to do it with an install USB drive:

Step 1: Insert the Windows Server 2008 installation CD, reboot the server and boot from the CD.

Step 2: After selecting the language on the installation screen, click Next → Repair Computer → Keyboard Layout → Next → Start Repair → Command Prompt.

Step 3: Replace Utilman.exe with CMD.exe

cd d:\windows\system32  
copy utilman.exe utilman.exe.bak 
copy cmd.exe utilman.exe

Step 4:When finished, type exit to restart the system.

Step 5: Click on the Easy Access icon in the lower right corner of the login screen. This actually opens CMD).

Step 6: Enter the command net user username new password.

 net user Administrator NewPassword123!

 After rebooting, log in with the new password.

Sound easy right? This is my favorite way to reset Windows server 2008 R2 password as admin!

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