PowerVPS.net: FAQ

Resetting a Windows VPS Password in VMmanager

Use this method if the standard password reset option in VMmanager does not work. Before starting, we recommend creating a backup of the VPS, because this procedure requires changes to the guest operating system files.

1. Start the VPS in recovery mode

  1. Open VMmanager.
  2. Go to Virtual machines.
  3. Select the required VPS.
  4. Open the actions menu.
  5. Select Recovery mode → Start mode and reboot.
  6. Wait until the recovery environment is loaded.

2. Connect via VNC

After recovery mode starts, connect to the VPS using the VNC console:

Virtual machines → select the VPS → menu → VNC

A Linux-based recovery environment, such as SystemRescueCD, will be loaded.

3. Find the Windows partition

Run the following command in the console:

fdisk -l

Find the Windows partition. Usually, it is the largest partition with the HPFS/NTFS/exFAT type. For example:

/dev/vda2

4. Mount the Windows partition

Run the following command, replacing /dev/vda2 with the actual Windows partition:

mount /dev/vda2 /mnt

Then go to the directory with the Windows system files:

cd /mnt/Windows/System32/config/

5. View the list of Windows users

Run the following command:

chntpw -l SAM

Find the administrator account in the list. For example:

RID     Username          Admin?  Lock?
01f4    Administrator     ADMIN   dis/lock

6. Reset the administrator password

Run chntpw for the required user account. For example, for RID 01f4:

chntpw -u 0x01f4 SAM

In the utility menu:

  1. If the account is locked, select 2 — Unlock and enable user account.
  2. Then select 1 — Clear user password.
  3. Enter q to quit.
  4. Enter y to save the changes.

After that, you can check the result:

chntpw -l SAM

If *BLANK* is displayed next to the user account, the password has been successfully cleared.

7. Disable recovery mode

Go back to VMmanager and disable recovery mode:

Virtual machines → select the VPS → menu → Recovery mode → Disable mode and reboot

8. Set a new password in Windows

After the VPS reboots, connect to it via VNC and log in to Windows with a blank password for the selected user account.

Then set a new password using Windows tools.

Important: after this type of reset, the password must be set directly inside Windows. The Change password function in VMmanager will not work for Windows.

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