Local admin password reset?

[sidewinder]

On a batch of new PC's, sysprep doesnt seem to have worked how it should and the local admin password isnt set to what it should be.

 

Isnt a problem unless the PC cannot be added to the domain and of course now and again this happens.

 

I do have a password reset cd which uses Linux, and that is great, but it doesnt seem to have any SATA drivers, it only works on IDE drives

 

Does anyone have anything similar that can reset passwords on SATA drives?

[Geoff]

Get an updated version of the password reset CD. It includes SATA support.

 

I have a startup script that resets the local admin password.

[Ex-MGSTech]

or search for the "ultimatebootcd4win"

 

http://www.ubcd4win.com/

 

Based on the BART PE Disks....

 

Rgds

 

Steve

[pete]

boot from a usb stick instead? Damn Small Linux [ http://www.damnsmalllinux.org ] has a simple install-to-usb option.

[User3204]

I find that the sysprep (and restore) never resets the local admin password away from the originally set one, I'm probably selecting the wrong settings somewhere...

I don't have an issue with this as we use the same password everywhere, but, I think you can change this via GPO (assuming it has joined the domain properly)... which it hasn't in your case.

 

Do you know what the password is set to ?

 

If you want to have different admin user passwords for different areas, then can't you create additional admin level users on your image before sysprepping ? I realise you've probably already deployed your images out, but it's an idea for next time.

 

You can also tell sysprep to auto-logon after first bootup, and then you could change the password (if necessary), or at least make sure it has joined the domain right.

[strawberry]

http://www.microsoft.com/technet/scriptcenter/resources/qanda/jul07/hey0703.mspx

[tosca925]

I too use a script that runs at start up to change the local admin password as and when i need to.

 

It runs in the GPO let me know if you want a copy.

[Kained]

Could i grab a copy of that script ?

[sidewinder]

sorry, to clarify, I do have a script that changes the password at boot, but obviously for PC's that cannot join the domain, they never get the password changed, and so whatever it has been set to stays.

 

Dunno why it does this, 90% of the time sysprep works fine setting the password, but randomly it does this. We always use the same files so I dont know what happens

 

Thanks for the help everyone

[marktoulson]

I too use a script that runs at start up to change the local admin password as and when i need to.

 

It runs in the GPO let me know if you want a copy.

 

could i have a copy of the script please

[mthomas08]

I would love a copy of this

[mac_shinobi]

Trinity rescue kit

 

Trinity Rescue Kit | CPR for your computer

 

Orph Crack

 

Ophcrack

 

Geoff has some links to updated rainbow table version or something like that

[srochford]

Not just for fixing passwords after the sysprep stage but for anything else you might want to happen, have a look at cmdlines.txt

 

there's quite a good description of what it does here MSFN's Unattended Windows : CMDLINES.TXT Explained but you could have the file containing:

 

[COMMANDS]

"net user administrator MySecretPassword!"

 

and that would set the admin password.

[mac_shinobi]

The third method on this page

 

How to Reset / Recover Forgotten Windows NT / 2000 / XP / 2003 Administrator Password? - Tweaking with Vishal

 

3rd Method:

If the above mentioned tricks don't work, then try following trick which is actually a loophole in Windows XP Setup and a big security hole:

A. Boot using Windows XP Setup CD and follow the instruction like Accepting EULA, etc.

B. When it asks to repair your existing Windows installation, accept it and press "R" to run the repair.

C. Setup will start repairing your Windows and will start copying files, etc.

D. After a few minutes setup will restart your system and when it restarts don't press any key when it shows "Press any key to continue..." otherwise Setup will start from the beginning. Don't press any key and setup will resume where it left.

E. Now it'll start doing other tasks and will show a small progressbar with a few details in left side.

F. Look carefully at the details and when it shows "Installing devices", press +F10 keys on your keyboard.

G. It'll open a Command Prompt window. Now type nusrmgr.cpl and press .

H. It'll open the same "User Accounts" window which you see in Control Panel.

I. Now you can remove or reset any account password without any problem.