Forgot SQL Server Password

Question

I installed SQL Server 2005 sometime ago and forgot the administrator password I set during setup. How can I connect to SQL server now?

EDIT: I thin

Answer 1

For these steps to work, you need to be an admin on box where SQL Server is installed.

• Stop SQL Server from configuration manager
• Start SQL Server in single user mode

• Add this -mSQLCMD command as one of the start up parameters, by right clicking the service and going into startup parameters section as shown in screenshot below and start SQL Server

• Now connect to SQLSERVER from SQLCMD (open command prompt as admin) like below:

  sqlcmd -s servername\instancename
  

  And run below command:

  USE [master]
  GO
  CREATE LOGIN [BUILTIN\Administrators] FROM WINDOWS WITH DEFAULT_DATABASE=[master]
  GO
  EXEC master..sp_addsrvrolemember @loginame = N'BUILTIN\Administrators', @rolename = N'sysadmin'
  GO
  

  Above command adds all local users as sysadmins. You may change this and add a user like or you can make another user sysadmin and remove BUILTIN\Administrators

• Once this is done, you need to now stop SQL Server and remove -mSQLCMD parameter and restart SQL Server

References:
Help : I lost sa password and no one has System Administrator (SysAdmin) permission. What should I do?