How to reset your Windows administrator password (VDS only)

[Edge100x]

This is the procedure to reset your administrator password when you do not remember the old one. If you do know the old one, you can simply log in and change it normally: http://www.nfoservers.com/forums/viewto ... =46&t=4030

To reset your password, you can use the "Windows_password_recovery.iso" DVD:

1. Insert it into your virtual DVD drive through the "Server control" page.
2. Make sure that the "Try to boot from drive #1 before the hard disk" option is set.
3. Reboot your VDS, using the menu on the same page.
4. Go to the VNC console page in your control panel and use the tool to reset your password. Specifically,
   1. It will start with a prompt that says "boot:". Hit enter.
   2. It will give you a list of partitions.
      1. If you have Windows 2003, type "1" and hit enter.
      2. If you have Windows 2008/2012/2016/2019, type "2" and hit enter.
   3. It will ask you for the path to the registry directory. Hit enter.
   4. It will ask for the part of the registry to load. Hit enter.
   5. It will ask the action that you want to perform. Hit enter.
   6. It will ask you for the user to adjust. Hit enter.
   7. It will ask you how you want to edit the user. Type "1" (which means to clear the user password) and hit enter. Do not attempt to set a new password here, you will corrupt your user account
   8. It will show the menu from 4f. Type "!" and hit enter.
   9. It will show the menu from 4e. Type "q" and hit enter.
   10. It will ask if you want to save. Type "y" and hit enter.
   11. It will ask you if you want to run again. Hit enter.
5. Use the "Server control" page to remove the DVD from the virtual drive again. Then, turn off and back on the VDS.
6. After Windows boots, visit the VNC Console page again. On Windows 2003, you will likely have to log in, using "Administrator" and an empty password. On Windows 2008+, you should already be logged in.

Finally, change your Windows administrator password.

There's a longer walkthrough for the procedure here: http://pogostick.net/~pnh/ntpasswd/walkthrough.html

If you think that your password was changed because your machine was compromised by a third party, you should also do the following, after re-obtaining access:

1. Clean up your personal machine (update your Windows install, change your passwords, check for malware, etc).
2. Change your control panel password. Also, change all your passwords on 3rd party sites (such as any email passwords).
3. Back up your VDS' files and settings.
4. Start over fresh with a new OS install.
5. Make sure that your OS is brought up to date right after the reinstall.
6. Re-customize your server. Use the latest, most up-to-date software revesions.

If you don't start over fresh, it is possible that your machine will remain compromised without your knowledge; virus and spyware checkers are fallible and can miss some rootkits.