How to Change the Recovery Console Administrator Password on a Domain Controller

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This article was previously published under Q239803

SUMMARY

When you promote a Windows 2000 Server-based computer to a domain controller, you are prompted to type a Directory Service Restore Mode Administrator password. This password is also used by Recovery Console, and is separate from the Administrator password that is stored in Active Directory after a completed promotion.

MORE INFORMATION

The Administrator password that you use when you start Recovery Console or when you press F8 to start Directory Service Restore Mode is stored in the registry-based Security Accounts Manager (SAM) on the local computer. The SAM is located in the %SystemRoot%\System32\Config folder. The SAM-based account and password are computer specific and they are not replicated to other domain controllers in the domain.

For ease of administration of domain controllers or for additional security measures, you can change the Administrator password for the local SAM. To change the local Administrator password that you use when you start Recovery Console or when you start Directory Service Restore Mode, use one of the following methods.

Method 1

If Windows 2000 Service Pack 2 or later is installed on your computer, you can use the Setpwd.exe utility to change the SAM-based Administrator password. To do this:

1.        Log on to the computer as the administrator or a user who is a member of the Administrators group.

2.        At a command prompt, change to the %SystemRoot%\System32 folder.

3.        To change the local SAM-based Administrator password, type setpwd, and then press ENTER.

To change the SAM-based Administrator password on a remote domain controller, type the following command at a command prompt, and then press ENTER

setpwd /s:servername

where servername is the name of the remote domain controller.

4.        When you are prompted to type the password for the Directory Service Restore Mode Administrator account, type the new password that you want to use.

NOTE: If you make a mistake, repeat these steps to run setpwd again.

For additional information about the Setpwd.exe utility, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

271641 The Configure Your Server Wizard Sets Blank Recovery Password

Method 2

1.        Log on to the computer as the administrator or a user who is a member of the Administrators group.

2.        Shut down the domain controller on which you want to change the password.

3.        Restart the computer. When the selection menu screen is displayed during restar, press F8 to view advanced startup options.

4.        Click the Directory Service Restore Mode option.

5.        After you log on, use one of the following methods to change the local Administrator password:

o        At a command prompt, type the following command:

net user administrator *

o        Use the Local User and Groups snap-in (Lusrmgr.msc) to change the Administrator password.

6.        Shut down and restart the computer.

You can now use the Administrator account to log on to Recovery Console or Directory Services Restore Mode using the new password.

For additional information about how to secure the local SAM, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

223301 Protection of the Administrator Account in the Offline SAM