SOLVED How do I reset utilman.exe back from utilman.exe.bak

[Doogle]

To reset my admin password I followed the 4sysops instructions:

move d:\windows\system32\utilman.exe d:\windows\system32\utilman.exe.bak then:
copy d:\windows\system32\cmd.exe d:\windows\system32\utilman.exe

The first line will make backup of your existing utility manager process and save it inside System32 folder. The file will be named utilman.exe.bak. You can remove .bak from the file name to restore it after you reset password.

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Since this is all way over my head,I don't want to mess things up. Do I need to do this from the command prompt? Or can I just locate it and delete the .bak?
And do I need to do any repair to the second line that was changed? "copy d:\windows\system32\cmd.exe d:\windows\system32\utilman.exe"

 

[Trouble]

The first line of the command has moved, but..... effectively copied your utilman.exe and simply renamed it to utilman.exe.bak
So you should simply be able to "rename" it back to utilman.exe removing the .bak file extension (rename utilman.exe.bak utilman.exe) but.....
Since the second line of the command has created a utilman.exe file by in effect copying the cmd.exe file and renaming it to utilman.exe in the process you will problably need to first rename what is now effectively a command prompt (cmd.exe) posing as utilman.exe, so.....
Rename utilman.exe to utilman.SAV and then rename utilman.exe.bak to utilman.exe

Do I need to do this from the command prompt?

Yes. The same way you did it originally by booting to the Windows 10 installation media. utilman.exe is a system file and will not allow renaming from within the live, working Windows 10 environment.

And do I need to do any repair to the second line that was changed? "copy d:\windows\system32\cmd.exe d:\windows\system32\utilman.exe"

No. Since cmd.exe was simply copied and renamed during the process your cmd.exe file should still exist in its' original form in the C:\Windows\System32 folder.

In the future, should you ever need to do something similar again, perhaps you might want to use the process described in this article.
http://pureinfotech.com/2015/11/20/how-reset-windows-10-forgotten-password-regain-access-computer/
It allows you to effectively enable the hidden administrator account, from which you can then create a new account or pretty much whatever you want to do, since it is the "real" administrator account.
It's basically the same process, but slightly less convoluted and even better, it also explains how you can then recover by undoing the changes you/ve made using the process.

 

[Doogle]

I need more tutoring than most.This is what I got:

X:\windows\system32>rename c:\windows\system32\utilman.exe c:\windows\system32\utilman.SAV
The syntax of the command is incorrect.

 

[Trouble]

use ren instead of the full "rename"
Also the files are not likely in C:\ as you are booting from the install media X:\ the local drives / partitions will likely be enumerated differently you may want to do a C: hit enter and then a dir to see the contents and make sure that your Windows directory is in C: and not D: or another drive letter.

 

[Doogle]

The top of my dialog box shows: Administrator:X:\windows\system32\cmd.exe

X:\windows\system32>C:
C:\>dir
Under Directory of C:\ it lists many- including Windows and Windows.old

C:\>windows\system32\utilman.exe (I just tried this because I have no idea what I'm doing.My name should be Columbus.I don't know where I'm sailing.Hope I don't sink the ship.) Next:

C:\>windows\system32\utilman.exe
The system cannot execute the specified program.
C:\>d
'd' is not recognized as an internal or external command.
operable program or batch file.
C:\>ren C:\windows\system32\utilman.exe C:\windows\system32\utilman.SAV
The syntax of the command is incorrect.

I certainly appreciate your time. The PC is usable in the current condition.But I don't know what problems it my cause later if not renamed.

 

[Trouble]

If you are certain that your C:\ contains your Windows folder and your Windows\system32 folder, just.....
Go there.
C:\
hit enter
cd windows\system32
hit enter
ren utilman.exe utilman.SAV
hit enter
ren utilman.exe.bak utilman.exe

 

[Doogle]

Before I do that, what is "cd windows\system 32"?

I have a USB that I booted from. I don't remember which forum suggested it or where I downloaded it from. I don't know if that makes any difference. Her windows was preinstalled.

 

[Trouble]

If you are on your C:\ drive, where you say your Windows folder is, then
cd windows\system32 simply
Changes your directory that you are working with CD = change directory
which should then place your activity in the directory where you want to effect the changes to utilman.exe.bak after renaming utilman.exe to utilman.SAV

 

[Doogle]

My last input:

X:\windows\system32>C:\
'C:\' is not recognized as an internal or external command,operable program or batch file.

X:\windows\system32>cd windows\system32
The system cannot find the path specified.

I did Diskpart> list volume
Volume 1 C xxxxxxxx NTFS partition 455GB Healthy
2 system NTFS partition 1024MB Healthy
6 Recovery NTFS partition 8GB Healthy
Volume 7 RECOVERY FAT32 Removable 1909MB Healthy

 

[Trouble]

Leave the backslash off.....
Just C:
hit enter
then
cd windows\system32
hit enter

 

[Doogle]

Things are back to normal. Thanks for walking this newbie through the mine field.

Thank you Trouble.

 

[Trouble]

Glad to hear that you were able to get it sorted out.
Thanks for the follow-up and letting us know that your managed to resolve it.

 

[haf]

Sorry to necro a thread, but I just had to make an account and thank Doogle and Trouble for putting this question out there. Thanks to the very patient and thorough responses provided by Trouble, I was able to undo the "damage" I did to the utilman.exe while I was trying to fix a user's Win10 password problem. I had the exact same problem as Doogle, with the exact same feeling of cluelessness. THANK YOU GUYS SO MUCH!!! Most helpful thread ever!

 

[farshad]

how can I restore utilman.exe.bak to real utilman.exe after rest password in the command prompt ?
please write complete code

 

[Trouble]

Step #15 in this instruction article here
https://pureinfotech.com/how-reset-windows-10-forgotten-password-regain-access-computer/