How to reset password on a Windows VM?
You can reset the administrator password on a virtual machine (VM) with a Windows operating system (OS). The password is reset in the recovery mode.
Note
Performing these actions may cause the OS to malfunction.
Example of resetting the password in Windows Server 2019
- Set the VM to recovery mode: Virtual machines → select the VM → menu Recovery mode → → Start mode and reboot.
- Wait until the recovery mode is started and connect to the VM via VNC: Virtual machines → select the VM → menuVNC. →
- After booting SystemRescueCD, mount the Windows partition:
Enter the command to display all partitions:
fdisk -l
Mount the required partition:
mount /dev/vda2 /mnt
Go to the directory with the system configuration files:
cd /mnt/Windows/System32/config/
Display the list of Windows users:
chntpw -l SAM
Run the chntpw utility to reset the password:
chntpw -u 0x01f4 SAM
- If the account is locked, the utility menu will contain the item "2 — Unlock and enable user account (probably locked now)". In this case enter "2" to unlock the account.
- Enter "1" to reset the account password.
- Enter "q" to exit the utility and "y" to save the changes made.
Check the result of the utility actions:
chntpw -l SAM
Disable the VM's recovery mode: Virtual machines → select the VM → menu Recovery mode → → Disable mode and reboot.