Resetting the Administrator password (Cloud Server with Windows Server 2025)
Valid for Cloud Server with Microsoft Windows Server 2025.
This article describes how to reset the Administrator account password in Microsoft Windows Server 2025.
Requirements
- You have logged in to the Cloud Panel.
- The server is switched on.
- You are in the Infrastructure > Servers area.
Download Windows Server 2025 DVD
- Log in to your IONOS account.
In the title bar, click on Menu > Servers & Cloud.
Optional: Select the desired Servers & Cloud contract. The Cloud Panel opens.Select the desired server in the Infrastructure > Servers area.
Click on DVD Drive.
- Select the DVD w2025datacenter64iso in the Operating systems tab.
- Click on Load DVD. The DVD is loaded.
Boot from Windows Server 2025 DVD
- Click on Actions > Start KVM console. The KVM console opens in a new tab.
- Switch to the Cloud Panel.
- Click on Actions > Restart.
- Activate the Software method.
- Click on Yes.
- Click on Actions > Access KVM console.
- Press any key to boot the operating system from the DVD. The Select language settings window opens.
- Click on Next. The Select keyboard settings window opens.
- Click on Next. The Select setup option window opens.
- Choose the Repair my PC option.
- Click on Next. The Choose an option window opens.
- Click on Troubleshoot.
- Click on Command Prompt. The command prompt opens.
Use diskpart to select the partition and assign drive letters
Note
The command line prompt changes depending on the current directory and the program used.
To start Diskpart, enter the command diskpart.
x:\sources> diskpart
To list the available disks, enter the command list disk.
DISKPART> list disk
- Check the size of the displayed disks and compare them with the size of the disk used by your Cloud Server. The size of the disk is listed in the details of your Cloud Server. These can be found in the Cloud Panel in the Infrastructure > Servers area.
To select a disk, adapt the following command and then enter it:
DISKPART> select disk NUMBER_OF_DISK
Example:
DISKPART> select disk 0
To display the existing volumes, enter the following command:
DISKPART> list volume
- Check the file system and the size of the volumes to determine the volume with the operating system of your server.
To select the volume with your server's operating system, adapt the following command and then enter it:
DISKPART> select volume NUMBER_OF_VOLUME
Example:
DISKPART> select volume 2
To assign a free drive letter to the volume, adapt the following command and then enter it:
DISKPART> assign letter=DRIVE_LETTER
Example:
DISKPART> assign letter=H
The drive letter is assigned.
To exit Diskpart, enter the exit command.
DISKPART> exit
Rename utilman.exe file
The utilman.exe program is used to run the Ease of Access Manager. This program must be renamed so that it can be replaced by the command prompt.
Warning
The following steps involve the manipulation of system files. Incorrect execution can impair the functionality of your server or lead to data loss. Therefore, proceed with extreme care and ensure that you enter all commands correctly.
To change to the H:\ drive, enter the following command:
H:
To open the Windows directory, enter the following command:
H:\> cd Windows
To open the System32 subdirectory, enter the following command
H:\Windows> cd System32
Please Note
You will now rename an important system file. This step is crucial for accessing the password change, but must be undone later in order to restore the full functionality of the system.
To rename the utilman.exe file, enter the following command:
H:\Windows>System32> ren utilman.exe utilman.old
To replace the utilman.exe file with a copy of the cmd.exe file, enter the following command
H:\Windows>System32> copy cmd.exe utilman.exe
To close the command prompt, enter the following command
H:\Windows>System32> exit
The Choose an option window is displayed.
- Select Continue. The server is restarted. Wait until the boot process is complete.
Change password in utilman.exe
- Click CTRL+ALT+DEL in the menu bar of the KVM console.
- In the login window, click on the stylised figure with the outstretched arms at the bottom right (Accessibility tooltip). The Administrator: C:\Windows\system32\utilman.exe window opens. This may take some time to load.
To change the password, enter the command net user Administrator MY_NEW_PASSWORD. Replace the placeholder MY_NEW_PASSWORD with your desired new password.
net user Administrator MY_NEW_PASSWORD
The password is changed.
Note
The new administrator password must meet the complexity requirements specified by Microsoft Windows Server 2025 (e.g. length, upper and lower case letters, numbers, special characters). Make a note of the new password.
- Close the Administrator: C:\Windows\system32\utilman.exe window.
- Log in with the new password.
Restore utilman.exe
After changing the password, the utilman.exe file must be restored. This is described in the following steps.
Please Note
To ensure the original system functionality and security, you must carry out this step.
- Reboot the server from the DVD, and open the command prompt as described in the sections Loading the Windows Server 2025 DVD and Booting from the Windows Server 2025 DVD.
To start Diskpart, enter the following command:
x:\sources> diskpart
To list the available disks, enter the following command:
DISKPART> list disk
Select the disk that is used by your Cloud Server. To do this, adapt the following command and then enter it:
DISKPART> select disk NUMBER_OF_DISK
Example:
DISKPART> select disk 0
To display the existing volumes, enter the following command
DISKPART> list volume
Select the volume that is used by your cloud server. To do this, adapt the following command and then enter it:
DISKPART> select volume NUMBER_OF_VOLUME
Example:
DISKPART> select volume 2
To assign a free drive letter to the volume, enter the following command:
DISKPART> assign letter=DRIVE_LETTER
Example:
DISKPART> assign letter=H
The drive letter is assigned.
To exit Diskpart, enter the command exit.
DISKPART> exit
To switch to the H:\ drive, enter the following command:
H:
To open the Windows directory, enter the following command:
H:\> cd Windows
To open the System32 subdirectory, enter the following command
H:\Windows> cd System32
To restore the utilman.exe file, enter the following command
H:\Windows>System32> copy utilman.old utilman.exe
The following message is displayed
H:\Windows>System32> copy utilman.old utilman.exe
Overwrite utilman.exe? (Yes/No/All):Type Y and press the Enter key.
To close the command prompt, enter the following command
exit
- Switch to the Cloud Panel. Select the server and eject the DVD.
- Restart the server. After restarting the server, you can log in to the server with the new password.