Resetting the Administrator Password (Windows)

If you have lost the Administrator password for your Windows Server, you can reset it using the Linux-based Rescue Mode and a utility called chntpw.

Step 1: Boot into Rescue Mode

1. Log in to the MyTilaa Dashboard.
2. Go to VPS and select your server.
3. Under Tasks, click Start in rescue mode.
4. Wait for the status to change to Rescue Mode.
5. Open the Video Display console.

Step 2: Mount the Windows Partition

Windows partitions are NTFS formatted. We need to mount them to access the registry files.

1. Identify the partition:

lsblk

Usually, the large data partition is /dev/vda2 (or vda1).

2. Mount the partition:

mkdir /mnt/windows
ntfs-3g /dev/vda2 /mnt/windows

Step 3: Reset with chntpw

We need to modify the SAM (Security Account Manager) database file.

1. Navigate to the config folder (Note: Linux is case-sensitive!):

cd /mnt/windows/Windows/System32/config

2. List users to confirm the username:

chntpw -l SAM

3. Launch the interactive editor for the Administrator user:

chntpw -u Administrator SAM

4. You will see a menu. Select Option 1:

1 - Clear (blank) user password

(Note: Do NOT try to set a new password here. It often fails. Clearing it is safer).

5. Type q to quit and press y to save changes.

Step 4: Reboot and Login

1. Unmount the disk:

umount /mnt/windows

2. Reboot the server:

reboot

3. In the dashboard, ensure the server switches back to Normal Boot.

4. Log in via the Video Display (RDP might require Network Level Authentication which fails with empty passwords). Use the username Administrator and leave the password field empty.