Reset your password in Windows
If you forget your password to your Windows server, you can reset it by booting your server into the Windows Recovery Environment.
In case anything goes wrong, make sure you have a backup of your Windows server before starting this operation. For instructions on how to make a backup, see KVM → Manage virtual machines or VMware → Manage virtual machine, depending on which platform your server is on. If it's a dedicated server, see Bare metal → Backup your server with Bacula. Note: This procedure is not officially supported by Microsoft. You perform it at your own risk, and Glesys cannot provide support for issues that arise as a result.
Initial reboot to complete any pending updates
To reset your password, you'll need to reboot your server several times. You'll also need to abort the boot a couple of times, depending on the platform and the OS, by performing a power reset. To make sure you don't abort a pending Windows Update and break the system, this first reboot ensures all updates can finish without being aborted.
Use Actions → Reboot from the Glesys control panel. This will initiate a graceful reboot.
Once you have clicked on Reboot, open the console using Actions → Console. Watch the console, and let any Windows Updates or other tasks finish during the reboot process before proceeding. For more information about the console, please see KVM → Connect to the VM console or VMware → Connect to the VM console, depending on which platform you are using.
Use IPMI → Power control → Software shutdown to gracefully power off the server.
Watch the console, and let any Windows Updates or other tasks finish during the shutdown process before proceeding.
Once the server is powered off, turn it back on using Power Control → Set Power On. Let any remaining updates finish.
The server should now boot to the login screen, as shown below.
Boot into Windows Recovery Environment
To boot Windows Server into the Windows Recovery Environment, you must now trick Windows into believing there is a boot problem. This works for all VM templates. However, if you have installed Windows Server from an ISO file, the command prompt in the Windows Recovery Environment might be password-protected. In these cases, you need to boot from a virtual CD/DVD with an ISO file instead.
Start by clicking on Actions → Reboot once again, while keeping an eye on the console. As soon as you see the Glesys logo and the spinning icon, click Actions → Power off (forced). The console will now disappear.
Here comes the tricky part. Now you must power on the server using Actions → Power on, and then quickly, as soon as the option becomes available, turn it off again using Actions → Power off (forced). This process must be repeated at least three times in a row.
After performing the power-cycle operation as described, let the server boot and open a new console window. The previous console window won't have any output after the power cycle. If it was successful, you should now see the Windows Recovery Environment. Here, click Advanced options.
Start by clicking Power Control → Software Shutdown and wait until it's powered off. Then, power on the server using Power Control → Set Power On while keeping an eye on the console. As soon as you see that Windows is booting (when the spinning circle appears), click Power Control → Set Power Reset.
Wait until you see Windows booting again, and then click Power Control → Set Power Reset again. This process must be repeated at least three times in a row, or until you see the Windows Recovery Environment start.
After performing the power-cycle operation as described, let the server boot and keep the console window open. If it was successful, you should now see the Windows Recovery Environment. Here, click Advanced options.
You need a copy of the Windows Server ISO file matching the version installed on your server. You then need to boot your server from this ISO file using the IPMI Java console. To boot your server from an ISO file, follow the process described in Reinstall the server's operating system from an ISO file (but don't reinstall the operating system, only boot the ISO file).
When the Windows ISO file is read, you'll be presented with a text saying Press any key to boot from CD or DVD. Press any key here to boot from the virtual CD-ROM (ISO file).
When the Windows installer starts and asks for the language to install, click Next.
On the next screen, click Repair your computer.
The Windows Recovery Environment will now start. You might be asked to select a keyboard layout as the first question in the Windows Recovery Environment before you can move on.
Start by mounting a matching ISO for the Windows Server version running on your VMware server. Click the CD/DVD tab on the overview, select the ISO file from the dropdown menu, and click Mount ISO.
Next, shut down the VM by clicking Actions → Power off. Then, click Actions → Power on into BIOS. This will boot the VM into the BIOS, allowing you to boot from the virtual DVD with the ISO file.
Open the console using Actions → Console. When the VM has booted into BIOS, select EFI VMware Virtual IDE CDROM Drive and press Enter.
You'll then be presented with a text saying Press any key to boot from CD or DVD. Press any key here to boot from the virtual CD-ROM (ISO file).
Windows Server Setup will then start. Click Next when asked to select a language, and then again if asked to select a keyboard setting.
At the Select setup option screen, select Repair my PC, and click Next.
The Windows Recovery Environment will now start. You might be asked to select a keyboard layout as the first question in the Windows Recovery Environment. It's safest to select a US keyboard layout here to match VMware.
Next, click Troubleshoot.
On the next screen, click Advanced options.
On the last screen, click Command Prompt.
A command prompt will now start.
When the command prompt is first started, it's in X:\Windows\System32, the Recovery Environment. Change to the C-drive by typing C:. The prompt will change to C:\>.
Then, change the directory to Windows/System32 by typing:
The prompt should now read C:\Windows\System32>.
You are now going to replace the Windows accessibility tool with a command prompt. First, rename the original file (utilman.exe) using the following command (so that you can change it back once you have reset your password):
Make a copy of cmd.exe to utilman.exe, effectively replacing the accessibility tool with a command prompt:
Type exit and press Enter to exit from the command prompt.
Once you exit the command prompt, you'll go back to the Windows Recovery Environment. Click Continue to boot the server as normal.
When the server has booted, you are presented with the login screen.
Click Send Ctrl-Alt-Del at the top of the console to unlock the screen.
Click Macro → Macro → Ctrl+Alt+Del in the console menu to unlock the screen.
Click the accessibility icon in the lower right corner. This will launch a command prompt as the SYSTEM account, since you have replaced the accessibility tool with it.
You can now reset your password using the command prompt. In the example below, the username is glesys, and myNewPassword123 is the new password for that user.
Once you have executed the above command, exit from the command prompt using exit.
You can now use your new password to log in to Windows.
Revert the changes made to the system
Once you have logged in to Windows successfully through the console, you must put the original utilman.exe back into place, or the server will be insecure.
While still logged in through the console, click the start menu, search for startup options, and then click Change advanced startup options.
In the window that opens, click the Restart now button to restart the server. A dialog box will appear, asking you to confirm that you want to restart. Click Restart now.
The server will now reboot to the Windows Recovery Environment, and you'll be presented with the following screen.
Click Troubleshoot → Advanced options → Command prompt to open a command prompt. It's the same steps you took before. If the server was installed from an ISO file, you might need to enter your new password to open the command prompt.
In the command prompt, change to the C-drive by typing C: .
Then, change the directory to Windows/System32:
The prompt should now read C:\Windows\System32>. Revert the changes made earlier by executing the following commands:
Finally, type exit to exit the command prompt.
When you see the options for the Recovery Environment, click Continue to boot the server as normal.
When the system has booted to the login screen, click Send Ctrl-Alt-Del in the console to unlock it.
When the system has booted to the login screen, click Macro → Macro → Ctrl+Alt+Del in the console menu to unlock it.
Now, click the accessibility icon to make sure the accessibility tool starts. No command prompt should start this time. The system is now back to normal.
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