So I did something really stupid, forgot the admin password to my server running Windows Server 2012. I so rarely shut down and have to log in because my server is running 24/7 that when I lost power and had to log back in, I couldn’t remember my password. Is there any way to reset the password so I can unlock my server without having to reinstall the entire OS?

Forgot the administrator password on Windows Server 2012? It’s really a headache thing when you get locked out of your computer, especially there are important data stored on it, which stops you reinstalling the operating system. In this tutorial we’ll walk you through how to reset your forgotten administrator password on Windows Server 2012. Quickly unlock your server PC without losing your files. This might save you the days and days of reinstalling and reconfiguring all the software or services.

How to Unlock Windows Server 2012 When You Forgot the Administrator Password?

1. First of all, you need to create a Live CD (or USB flash drive) on another PC that you can access. Download the ZIP archive of Reset Windows Password utility and save it on your desktop.
2. Open the ZIP file and extract it to a folder on your desktop. Within that folder, you’ll find a file called ResetWindowsPwd.iso. Burn the ISO image onto an empty CD using ISO2Disc, BurnCDCC or other ISO burning software.
3. Place the Live CD into the CD drive of your locked Windows Server 2012 PC. Turn on the computer and get it to boot from the Live CD instead of the hard drive. If the server still boots from hard drive, you need to change the boot order to CD/DVD-ROM in BIOS.

4. After successfully booting from the Live CD, the computer will open up the Reset Windows Password program after a few minutes. The program automatically searches the Windows SAM registry hive for your Windows Server 2012 installation, and then display all of local user accounts on your PC.

   If you’ve forgotten the domain administrator password, you need to click on Reset Active Directory Password option. The program will display a list of Active Directory user accounts existing on your domain controller (DC).

   

5. Choose the administrator account and then click on “Reset Password” button. It will reset your Windows Server 2012 administrator password, as well as unlocking the administrator account if it is locked out, disabled or expired.
6. Restart the server and remove the Live CD. When the system boots to the login screen, you can successfully log back into your Windows Server 2012 administrator account. It’s that easy!

That’s all there is to it. Forgot your administrator password and get locked out of Windows Server 2012? Follow the steps above you can unlock Windows Server 2012 administrator password quickly and easily! This method also works with Windows Server 2008, 2003 and 2000.