On server 2008 r2, I have cleaned up the user accounts of the sytem to image, set the static IP addresses to DHCP, changed from domain to workgroup. So the only account left, is the local administrator. When I run sysprep, everything looiks fine, and the system starts up afterwards, asking me for time zone/language, etc. Next, it tells me the password must be changed on the first login...so I go to change it, and every time, it tells me "access denied". Now, this is the only account like I said, on the system, and it is a local administrator account. I have tried multiple carious to ensure I am using a complex enough passwords, etc...but I am lost and completely stuck, as I can't get logged onto the system. Plese help!

Hi, Did you run sysprep /generalize to sysprep the Windows Server 2008 R2 system? And please try Password01! as the new password. For more information about sysprep and built-in account password, please refer to: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd744293(WS.10).aspx Tim Quan

Hello there! Yes, I did use the /generalize switch, and when I just now tried Password01!, it still gave me access is denied. It starts up, accepts the windows setups for US, English, etc, and tells me I am required to change the password on first login (which I want it to do anyway), but no matter what I put in, it tells me access is denied. I have tried by manually removing the system from a domain and adding to a workgroup before sysprep, and by letting sysprep do the domain removal...and both result the same. I have another system that I have successfully done the sysprep for, exactly the same, and it worked great. The only difference that I can really see, is that this one was actually a member of a domain, whereas the other never was, but was always a workgroup member. Thomas F

...on a whim, I decided to try the sysprep from the cmd line (as before I opened the sysprep folder, and double clicked on the executable, checked for generalize and shut down), with the /generalize /shutdown /oobe options, and no difference. It still tells me I am required to change the password on first login, and when I try to chage to anything, tried various different things to ensure, it says "access denied". The article referenced above seems to indicate that the local admin account is typically disabled during the sysprep unless you go in to audit mode...so, fi the Administrator is the ONLY account on the system, how are you supposed to get access to it, and why didn't it disable on the other system I ran sysprep for, exactly the same way? Again, the only difference in the two seems to be that this system was once a member of a domain. Please help!

Unbelieveable! I found the issue... The local/built-in Administrator account properties had "User cannot change password" checked. How that happened, I have no idea...but it did. Once I deselected this setting, it worked like a charm as it should. I guess one question...does anyone know if adding a domain administrator account would by any chance automatically change the local one in this way?

So, you found the answer but how did you log in after sysprep to fix that? I tried safe mode, it still requires me to change password and still get access denied. It's not on the domain so I can't access it with domain credentials. There are no other local users, at least not admin level.

I actually had to revert my VM and redo the sysprep after unchecking.

Faced this exact issue .... ended up doing the same thing not sure why this issue is not addressed with a proper fix...

I experianced same issue with a Physical to Virtual (P2V) copy yesterday. I had 2 VM's (VMWare) created from a single physical host. The first was fine after the Sysprep (with Generalize), but the second gave me the "Access Denied" error on first boot when trying to change the password for the Administrator (local) account (which you are required to do). Research indicates that this CAN occur if there is another acount in the local Administrator group at the time of the Sysprep. The tick box for 'User cannot change password" then gets checked on the Administrator account and you get an the "Access Denied" error when trying to change the password at first boot. The resolution was to log in using the other account that is in the local admin group and remove the tick for the passowrd change. Then login as local admin and change the password. There appears to be an intermittant glitch in Sysprep 3.14.