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You'll most likely have to reset the root password via the re-install of the ESXi host (obviously using the &nbsp;keeping the current datastore option), that's the only <a href="http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1317898" rel="ugc nofollow">supported way</a>...<br />
<br />
There's another way, but you'll need access to <a href="http://www.vladan.fr/how-to-reset-esxi-5-x-root-password-and-under-which-conditions/" rel="ugc">using host profiles</a><br />
<br />
Besides that, there's an <a href="http://www.unixarena.com/2014/05/recover-vmware-esxi-root-password.html" rel="ugc">unsupported way</a> as well
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You'll most likely have to reset the root password via the re-install of the ESXi host (obviously using the  keeping the current datastore option), that's the only supported way [http://kb.vmware.com/selfservice/microsites/search.do?language=en_US&cmd=displayKC&externalId=1317898]...

There's another way, but you'll need access to using host profiles [http://www.vladan.fr/how-to-reset-esxi-5-x-root-password-and-under-which-conditions/]

Besides that, there's an unsupported way [http://www.unixarena.com/2014/05/recover-vmware-esxi-root-password.html] as well

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You are correct this is a stand alone server running 5 VM's <br />
<br />
I also read that I could boot to a bootable esxi flash drive and load the VM from there. Is that feasible. Or and I better off reinstalling?
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You are correct this is a stand alone server running 5 VM's

I also read that I could boot to a bootable esxi flash drive and load the VM from there. Is that feasible. Or and I better off reinstalling?

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That is correct, but you will still need to re-install to USB flash drive.
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That is correct, but you will still need to re-install to USB flash drive.

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I have recently brought on a new client that does not have their VMware root password.<br />
<br />
Based on VMware site I cannot change the password in 5.x<br />
<br />
How do I manage these VM's?<br />
<br />
We are running Server 2008 Standard.
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I have recently brought on a new client that does not have their VMware root password.

Based on VMware site I cannot change the password in 5.x

How do I manage these VM's?

We are running Server 2008 Standard.

Vmware root password access VM vsphere Management

VMware, a software company founded in 1998,  was one of the first commercially successful companies to offer x86 virtualization. The storage company EMC purchased VMware in 1994. Dell Technologies acquired EMC in 2016. VMware’s parent company is now Dell Technologies.

VMware has many software products that run on desktops, Microsoft Windows, Linux, and macOS, which allows the virtualizing of the x86 architecture.  Its enterprise software hypervisor for servers, VMware vSphere Hypervisor (ESXi), is a bare-metal hypervisor that runs directly on the server hardware and does not require an additional underlying operating system.