Resetting password on Windows Server 2008 R2 w/o disk?

[Derpologist]

Hello all!

 

So at work the other day, my boss asked me if I would take on an old project to try to determine the password for an old Windows 2008 R2 Dell Server. I asked him what happened to it and he said it was given to him a few years ago, and he had intended to use it as a windows update server (so all the repairs we were doing could update windows off of that server) and had an employee at the time work on that project. The employee set up an admin password as required, but did not share it with Kevin (my boss). After the former employee quit, and moved across country, Kevin was not told the password. Now, a few years later, I have to try to crack the password. 

 

Kevin knows he has two windows server 2008 R2 CD/DVDs, but cannot seem to find them. We have an install disk for server 2012 and 2003, but can't find 2008 (he's going to ask another employee of his if they have seen it). I looked up how to do it with the 2008R2 install disk. Article here: http://www.howtogeek.com/106333/how-to-reset-your-forgotten-domain-admin-password-on-server-2008-r2/

The tutorial says to boot off of the 2008R2 DVD, and to go through a few other steps to then get to the command prompt and fix it through that. 

 

So I tried (just for kicks) putting the 2012 install disk in, and was greeted with the usual windows install window, with the large 'Install Now' button, and a smaller 'repair your computer' text. The article said to use this to navigate to the command prompt via this, so I did, and got the prompt up and running. After trying the commands the article said, I was greeted with 'Cannot find specified path' many times (or something like that, im not in the office right now and may not be until tomorrow). I then realized I was typing these commands for the X drive (which in this case was the CD/DVD drive, the install disk I was booted off of), so I tried to CD to the C drive to see if that would allow me to then move the specified files around to change the password. I dont remember 100% what it said, but here's something like it: 

 

(what the command prompt said by itself)

X:Source>

(I typed CD:C)

 

Then this showed up:

X:Source>

C:Source>

X:Source>

After typing CD:C, it immediately went back to the X drive, almost like it was denying access to the C drive. 

I'm 100% sure I typed part of that wrong, this was yesterday morning, and I did a lot of other command prompt related things later that day, so I may have forgotten some things. 

 

Does anyone know how I can fix this/crack the password?

 

Kevin would like to keep Server 2008R2 (still not 100% sure why lol), but he said if absolutely needed, 2012 could be installed)

 

Any ideas?

[MeshFile]

Just do the old trick of replacing osk(dot)exe to cmd(dot)exe via booting to the install (any-even windows 2000) disk's repair install so you get system credentials. You can then just do net user administrator newpass. It will render encrypted files from user unusable though.

[Sir Asvald]

1 hour ago, Derpologist said:

Hello all!

 

So at work the other day, my boss asked me if I would take on an old project to try to determine the password for an old Windows 2008 R2 Dell Server. I asked him what happened to it and he said it was given to him a few years ago, and he had intended to use it as a windows update server (so all the repairs we were doing could update windows off of that server) and had an employee at the time work on that project. The employee set up an admin password as required, but did not share it with Kevin (my boss). After the former employee quit, and moved across country, Kevin was not told the password. Now, a few years later, I have to try to crack the password. 

 

Kevin knows he has two windows server 2008 R2 CD/DVDs, but cannot seem to find them. We have an install disk for server 2012 and 2003, but can't find 2008 (he's going to ask another employee of his if they have seen it). I looked up how to do it with the 2008R2 install disk. Article here: http://www.howtogeek.com/106333/how-to-reset-your-forgotten-domain-admin-password-on-server-2008-r2/

The tutorial says to boot off of the 2008R2 DVD, and to go through a few other steps to then get to the command prompt and fix it through that. 

 

So I tried (just for kicks) putting the 2012 install disk in, and was greeted with the usual windows install window, with the large 'Install Now' button, and a smaller 'repair your computer' text. The article said to use this to navigate to the command prompt via this, so I did, and got the prompt up and running. After trying the commands the article said, I was greeted with 'Cannot find specified path' many times (or something like that, im not in the office right now and may not be until tomorrow). I then realized I was typing these commands for the X drive (which in this case was the CD/DVD drive, the install disk I was booted off of), so I tried to CD to the C drive to see if that would allow me to then move the specified files around to change the password. I dont remember 100% what it said, but here's something like it: 

 

(what the command prompt said by itself)

X:Source>

(I typed CD:C)

 

Then this showed up:

X:Source>

C:Source>

X:Source>

After typing CD:C, it immediately went back to the X drive, almost like it was denying access to the C drive. 

I'm 100% sure I typed part of that wrong, this was yesterday morning, and I did a lot of other command prompt related things later that day, so I may have forgotten some things. 

 

Does anyone know how I can fix this/crack the password?

 

Kevin would like to keep Server 2008R2 (still not 100% sure why lol), but he said if absolutely needed, 2012 could be installed)

 

Any ideas?

I use something called ERD commander, you need to burn it on a dvd. It allows you to change the password to any user.

 

Search for erd commander 5