You may be completely locked out of the computer. So we can’t install any software on it to reset the forgotten password. The only option is to create a Windows password reset disk on another accessible computer, and then use it to boot off your locked computer and perform password resetting.

Step 1:  Create a Windows Password Reset Disk

Download the Reset Windows Password utility.  Once the download completes, right-click the .zip file and select Extract All. This will decompress the zip archive which there should an ISO image file (ResetWindowsPwd.iso) inside.

Insert a blank CD or USB drive into the computer. Burn the ISO image to it with the ISO2Disc software. It will take about one or two minutes to create a Windows password reset disk.

Step 2:  Set Boot Device Order in BIOS

Turn on your locked computer and hold down F2 or whatever the setup key is shown as during the initial boot screen.  This should bring up the BIOS. In the BIOS look for the Boot Device Priority option, set CD/DVD as the 1st boot device if you want to boot from Windows password reset CD. You can either set Removable Device as the 1st boot device if you want to boot off a Windows password reset USB drive.

Next save your changes and reboot the computer.

Step 3: Reset Windows Server 2003 R2 Password

Insert the Windows password reset CD/USB into your locked computer. If you set up the BIOS correctly your computer should automatically boot from the password reset disk.

It will launch the Reset Windows Password utility after a few minutes. The program automatically scans your hard drive for partitions that may have Windows installed. In the example below it found the Windows SAM registry hive for Windows Server 2003 R2. To reset Windows domain password you need to switch to the Reset Active Directory Password mode.

Choose a user account whose password you want to reset, then click Reset Password button. You’ll see a short message appear that says password is reset successfully!

Now remove the Windows password reset CD/USB and restart your computer. You will then log on Windows Server 2003 R2 without entering a password.

Conclusion

The password resetting procedure is clear and easy that nearly every computer user with basic computer skills can get it to work. Apart from resetting Windows Server 2003 R2 password, you can also follow this guide to reset forgotten Windows password on almost all Windows operating systems, such as Windows 8/7/Vista/XP and Windows Server 2008/2000.

With Password Recovery Bundle you can solve all of these problems above.  The software can help you reset lost or forgotten passwords to any local admin and domain admin account on Windows Server 2003, unlock any Windows account which is locked out, disabled or expired. This article mainly explains how to create a password reset disk (CD, DVD or USB stick) with Password Recovery Bundle, then use it to reset Windows Server 2003 password on local and domain account. Follow these steps:

Step 1: Create a Password Reset Disk

Download Password Recovery Bundle and save it on another computer you have admin access to. Install and launch Password Recovery Bundle, then click Windows Password button,  the pop-up dialog enables you to create a password reset disk  (CD, DVD or USB stick) .

Step 2: Set Your PC to Boot from Password Reset Disk

To make your locked computer boot off the password reset disk,  head over to the computer’s BIOS and make some changes: Set CD-ROM as the 1st boot device if you need to boot the computer from CD/DVD; or set Removable Device as the 1st boot device if you want to boot from USB stick.

Step 3: Reset Windows Server 2003 Password

1. Insert the password reset disk you’ve created into your locked computer. Restart the computer. You’ll notice the boot screen is not the same as usual because it is loading from the password reset disk now.

2. It takes a while to load some necessary files and launch the Reset Windows Password utility. On the main screen of Reset Windows Password utility, you can see the Windows SAM database file and a list of Windows local accounts on Windows Server 2003.

   There are two recovery options: Reset Local Admin/User Password and Reset Active Directory Password. If you forgot local user account passwords or Directory Services Restore Mode password, please choose the Reset Local Admin/User Password option; Or choose the Reset Active Directory Password option if you want to reset domain administrator password on Windows 2003 domain controller.

   Here we’re going to reset Windows local administrator password, so we choose the first option.

   

3. Choose a user account whose password you forgot, then click Reset Password button. The program will reset your forgotten password and unlock the user account if necessary.
4. Remove the password reset disk and restart the computer.

Now you’ve reset the forgotten Windows Server 2003 password. You can then successfully log on and regain full control over your computer.  With this password reset CD, you’ll never be bothered by a forgotten Windows Server 2003 password!