Lost password for Windows 2019 Standard
We have lost our Windows password for Server 2019 Standard--and I need to know what my options are.
I bought it from Trusted Tech Team last month and installed and activated it. Can I simply reinstall the OS? They say that will not work, and told me I will have to call Microsoft to get it delinked and decommissioned. If that is accurate, who would I call and how much might it cost? I don't have any kind of account with them that I know of. When I tried to set up an account on their website, it only offered me Personal products, MS 365, and a couple of others--but nothing about MS server. What should I do?
Also, whenever I key in another bad password it shows an option to reset password, but it says it requires some type of key on a flash drive. If this is something that might solve my problem, please help me understand how to use this option.
Or if there is some other way to get logged on I would need that info. TIA
The Access Options is what Utilman brings up. That you are seeing it again says that somehow the rename/copy didn't work. I ran into that before, but renaming the .mui file fixed it.
I've not tried the Shift-F10, so I don't know if it gets to the same place as continue, troubleshoot, command prompt. I'd give the latter a try just in case it is different.
Utilman.exe being missing is what I ran into before renaming the .mui file.
You asked about simply reinstalling Windows Server. If you have the proper license key, you should be able to start over (losing all that you've done so far) and reinstall from scratch. Is that practical?
Is the Server 2019 set up with Active Directory?
Lastly, are you setting this up as a VM? That's not specific to your situation, but if not, give careful consideration as to why not. That's a separate discussion.
I may do a test with this to see what I find.
ASKER
1) Instead of having to click on the Access Options icon--which was not working for me--he said to press Windows Key + U. That did work for me and allowed me to key in the new password.
2) His method of keying in the new password was a bit better because it allowed me to see what I was keying in for the password, using the syntax Net User Administrator P@ssw0rd
The link I found was:
https://www.top-password.com/knowledge/reset-windows-server-2019-password.html#:~:text=Reset%20Forgotten%20Windows%20Server%202019%20Password%201%20Insert,finished%2C%20your%20computer%20will%20restart.%20...%20More%20items
Dana Epp a security MVP did a good video on this a while back:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yxq4ifyr8_w
You may need to hamper Windows Defender A/V as it now picks up on this process.
Glad to hear you got it working. From what you described, clicking on the icon brought up the standard menu (must be running a different file or from a different location) where Windows+U ran the CMD.exe file copied to UTILMAN.exe. What is baffling to me is that you reported that utilman.exe is missing.
ASKER
Your approach looks good, but I can't quite get it to work yet. Have you been able to make this work for Server 2019? At the link you provided he only refers to older versions.
A few notes, to see if any of this tells you what I might be doing wrong:
1) When I boot up the installer I did a Shift F10 on the first screen--rather then pressing Continue once like he says.
2) I renamed both files and copied cmd.exe to utilman.exe. But when I reboot and click on the icon he is showing with the red arrow, it doesn't do anything but it does pop up something about Access Options (I think) now and then, which I think is normally for disabled users. So I don't understand what you and the writer mean by "Utility Menu".
3) Since I have not yet been able to get to a CMD prompt once I boot up like normal, I went back to the CMD prompt from the installer media with Shift F10, and did the net user command there, but the new password did not work when I rebooted like normal. Does this have to be done upon booting from the Utility Menu (that I can't find)?
4) I have noticed that any time I boot back up on the installer media and check for utilman.exe, it is gone. This is the one where I definitely copied cmd.exe to utilman.exe earlier.
5) I have not used this server since the time I installed Windows 2019 in December, because I was waiting on SQL. But today while at a CMD prompt from the installer media I noticed a windows.old folder in addition to windows. I wonder if somehow the Microsoft update messed up my password. As you know I can't log in, but is there a way to revert back to the previous version of Windows--presumably the one I installed weeks ago?