Step-by-Step guide: Accessing a Windows Server from Windows and Linux, and changing user passwords

If you need to change a user password on a Windows server, including the Administrator's, feel free to use this step-by-step guide.

In this guide, we'll walk through how to access a Windows server from both a Windows PC and a Linux machine using Remmina. After successfully accessing the server, we will also cover the steps to change the password for any user on the Windows server.

Key Points to Consider:

• This guide applies to any user on the Windows server, including the Administrator account.
• Ensure you have Administrator privileges to change the password for other users.

Step-by-step Instructions

Step 1: Accessing the Windows Server

A. From Windows Using Remote Desktop Connection (RDP)

1.  Open Remote Desktop Connection:
   • Option 1:
     Press Windows + R to open the Run dialog, type mstsc, and press Enter to open Remote Desktop Connection. (see Fig. 1)
     
     Fig. 1. Open Remote Desktop Connection by typing "mstsc" in the Run dialog.
   • Option 2:
     Click on the Start menu and search for "Remote Desktop Connection" in the search bar. Select the Remote Desktop Connection application from the search results. (see Fig. 2)
     Fig. 2. Search for and select "Remote Desktop Connection" from the Start menu on a Windows PC.

2. Enter the Windows Server IP Address:

   • In the Computer field, input the IP address or hostname of the Windows server (see Fig. 3).
     
     Fig. 3. Enter the IP address of the Windows server in the Remote Desktop Connection window.
   • If you want, click Show Options and enter your username for convenience (see Fig. 4).
     
     Fig. 4. Expand additional settings by clicking on "Show Options" in the Remote Desktop Connection window.
   • Click Connect (see Fig. 5).
     
     Fig. 5. Enter the username and click "Connect" to initiate the Remote Desktop session.

3. Enter Credentials:

   • A prompt will ask for your username and password (see Fig. 6).
     
     Fig. 6. Enter the administrator password and click"OK" to proceed with the Remote Desktop connection.
   • If you receive a certificate warning, click Yes to proceed (see Fig. 7).
     
     Fig. 7. Accept the certificate warning by clicking "Yes" to continue connecting to the remote Windows server.

4. Access the Server:

   • You are now logged into the Windows Server and can interact with its desktop.

B. From Linux Using Remmina

1. Install Remmina (if not already installed):
   
   • On Ubuntu/Debian, install using:

     $ sudo apt install remmina remmina-plugin-rdp

   • On Fedora:

     $ sudo dnf install remmina

   • On Arch Linux:

     $ sudo pacman -S remmina

2.  Launch Remmina:
   • Open Remmina from your applications menu or run remmina from the terminal.
3. Select RDP and Enter the IP Address:
   
   • In the main Remmina window, select RDP from the protocol dropdown (see Fig. 8).
     
     Fig. 8. Select the RDP connection type in Remmina to connect to the remote Windows server.
   • Enter the IP address or hostname of the Windows Server in the field next to the RDP dropdown (see Fig. 9).
     
     Fig. 9. Enter the IP address of the remote Windows server in Remmina to initiate an RDP connection.
   • Press Enter.
4. Enter Credentials:
   • After pressing Enter, a pop-up window will appear asking for your username and password.
   • Enter your credentials in the fields provided (see Fig. 10).
     
     Fig. 10. Enter the RDP authentication credentials (Username and Password) to connect to the remote Windows server via Remmina.
5. Click OK and Accept Certificate Warning (if prompted):
   • After entering your credentials, click OK (see Fig. 11).
     
     Fig. 11. After entering the RDP credentials, clicking OK to initiate the connection to the remote Windows server in Remmina.
   • If a certificate warning appears, click Yes to accept.
6. Access the Server:
   • Once connected, you will have full access to the Windows Server desktop.

Step 2: Changing a user's password on the Windows Server

Once logged into the Windows Server (whether from Windows or Linux), you can change any user password, including your own or any other user, assuming you have administrative privileges.

Method 1: Change password using Computer Management

1. Open Computer Management:

   • Press Windows + X and select Computer Management from the menu (see Fig. 12).
     
     Fig. 12. Accessing Computer Management from the Windows Start menu by pressing Windows + X and selecting Computer Management.

2. Access Local Users and Groups:

   • In the Computer Management window, expand Local Users and Groups on the left (see Fig. 13).
     
     Fig. 13. Navigate to Local Users and Groups within Computer Management to manage user accounts on the Windows Server.
   • Click on Users to see the list of users on the server (see Fig. 14).
     
     Fig. 14. Select the Users folder under Local Users and Groups to view and manage user accounts on the Windows Server.

3. Select the User:

   • Find the user whose password you want to change.
   • Right-click on the username and select Set Password (see Fig. 15).
     
     Fig. 15. Right-click the Administrator account and select Set Password to change the password for the user on the Windows Server.

4. Set the New Password:

   • A warning will appear explaining potential data loss if the user has encrypted data. Click Proceed (see Fig. 16).
     
     Fig. 16. Click Proceed in the warning dialog to confirm resetting the password for the Administrator account on the Windows Server.
   • Enter the new password and confirm it.
   • Click OK to finalize the password change (see Fig. 17).
     
     Fig. 17. Enter and confirm the new password for the Administrator account, then clicking OK to finalize the password change on the Windows Server.

Method 2: Change password using PowerShell

1. Open PowerShell:
   • Press Windows + X and select Windows PowerShell (Admin) (see Fig. 18).
     
     Fig. 18. Select Windows PowerShell (Admin) from the Windows start menu by pressing Windows + X to run PowerShell with administrative privileges.
2. Use the Command to Change the Password:
   • Enter the following command to change the password. Replace target_username with the user’s name and follow the prompt to input the new password:

     $username = "target_username"
     
     $newPassword = Read-Host -AsSecureString "Enter the new password for $username"
     
     Set-LocalUser -Name $username -Password $newPassword

3. Password Change Complete:
   • The password will be updated after you enter the new password and confirm.

Method 3: Change password using Command Prompt

1. Open Command Prompt:
   • Press Windows + X and select Command Prompt (Admin) or search for cmd (see Fig. 19).
     
     Fig. 19. Search for and selecting Command Prompt by typing cmd in the Windows search bar.
2. Change the Password:
   • Run the following command, replacing username with the user’s name and newpassword with the desired password:

     $ net user username newpassword

3. Password Change Complete:
   • You’ll see a confirmation message that the command was successful.

     The command completed successfully.

Summary

In this guide, we walked through accessing a Windows Server from both a Windows PC using Remote Desktop Connection and a Linux machine using Remmina. After connecting, we explored several methods to change the password for any user on the Windows Server, including Computer Management, PowerShell, and the Command Prompt.

By following these steps, you can securely manage user accounts and ensure that passwords on your Windows Server are updated efficiently, providing strong security for all users.