Reset Password Administrator Windows Server 2008 R2

Assalamualaikom w.b.t

This week i need to restore our labs with Windows Server 2008 R2 for testing. We using trial version that can be rearm (extend 10 days trial period) for another 2 times. Then we trying to clone and restore to another desktop.

The challenge is after restoration/deploy  i lost and cant remember what the password to login to the server. After trying using several my favorite password list and several password re-setter and bypasses tools still not working

Alhamdulillah, its lucky to me and its lucky to you all coz i will share to you how to clearing and resetting an Administrator account on Windows Server 2008 R2 Enterprise (trial period) just using windows installer disk.

Here how to:-

1. Boot from the Micrsoft Windows Server 2008 DVD
2. From the Install Windows menu, click “Next”.
3. Select “Repair your computer”

4. In the System Recovery Options, select the Operating System instance that you wish to repair and click “Next”.

5. Select “Command Prompt”. At the command prompt, run the following commands:

c:
cd windows\system32
move Utilman.exe Utilman.exe.bak
copy cmd.exe Utilman.exe

6. Reboot the server allowing Windows to load as normal

7. At the logon screen, press Windows Key + U or click Ease of access icon.

Ease of Access icon

8. As the command prompt appeared, enter the following command:

net user administrator *

Once you press enter you will asked to set a new password and then confirm it, when entering your new password don’t worry if you can’t see them as you type, they are invisible, they are however being remembered (case sensitive).

My problem is when to change the "Administrator" password it returns the following error:

System error 1359 has occurred.

An internal error occurred.

The same error appeared if we try using this command:

net user administrator /active:yes

So to solve this problem we need to use another alternative solution which to create a new user with Administrator privilege.

Type command below:

net user admin /add
net localgroup Administrators admin /add

Above command will create new user "admin" with Administrator role. Now you need to click switch user and use newly created user to login.

Once you're logged in with "admin" username, just change "Administrator" password and switch back to "Administrator" to delete temporary "admin" account.

Oh ya and don’t forget to delete Utilman.exe and then rename Utilman.exe.bak back to plain old Utilman.exe using Windows Installer DVD the same way we done previously or using take ownership:

right-click properties, and gain ownership of the file.
properties-> security-> advanced-> owner.
After that set permissions to read and write the file if you need to.

Wallahua'lam..

**Update**
This method should work with Windows 7 and Windows Server 2012