Recovering administrator password on Windows server 2008
Administrator account, Administrator password, Security, Windows Server 2008, Windows Server 2008 Administration
What can I do to recover my administrator password on a Windows 2008 server? We have extensive backups and lots of local user accounts but the administrator account can not be logged into. We think we have the password correct but it just will not work. I have full access to the server and installation media but can not risk losing the system data at all.
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Software/Hardware used:
ASKED:
July 23, 2010 2:25 PM
UPDATED:
June 26, 2012 9:41 AM
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Answer Wiki:
Two commercial options:
Windows Password Recovery
There are anecdotes that say the NT Offline Recovery;option works, but it is not so stated on the website.
There are Linux-based disks if you know what you are doing.
Security isn't security if you can hack administrator passwords easily. As this is a company, check out the commercial options. They are not expensive, and may come in handy another time.
To see all answers submitted to the Answer Wiki: View Answer History.
Make sure that you do the following on your computer or another computer with the owners permission only.
If you don’t want to change the password:
1 > Get a program called Ophcrack(very large. 496Mb)
2 >> Download the liveCD (ISO)
3 >> Burn the ISO to a CD using an ISO burner
4 >> The Live CD’s come with the free rainbow tables, so you might need to download other tables (cost money)
4 >> Bootup from the CD
5 >> Crack the SAM and System file
ophcrack is also a Linux-based disk.
But not easy to use for new user!
commercial option that I will recommend Windows Password Reset Standard and Windows Password Unlocker!
I have been looking for my Windows Server 2008 domain password recovery solutions. Fortunately, I got out of problem with Ainorsoft Windows Password Recovery Corporation safely and quickly!
Wow, hate to help resurrect such an old thread…but I’ve had great experience with Trinity Rescue Kit in this situation.
If your computer is lone, you can use this tool:
Windows Password Rescuer Professional,it can recover the password in a few minutes.
If your computer is on a domain, you can use Windows Password Rescuer Advanced,
These tools can help you recover your password in several minutes.You also can use Windows Password Rescuer to add a new user with administrator privilege to your Windows. With this New user account you can logon your locked computer directly to copy important data from the locked computer if you want to reinstall your Windows system at last.