Can't reset my Azure VM's remote desktop password

Question

A client of our has lost their RDP password for an Azure virtual machine and I'm trying to recover it. I've run through the steps outlined in this article:

http://blogs.technet.com/b/keithmayer/archive/2014/06/26/microsoft-azure-virtual-machines-reset-forgotten-admin-password-with-windows-powershell.aspx

but still cannot connect to the machine. All I get is a message saying "Your credentials did not work".

It's my understanding that I've just set the credentials, so why is there a problem?

The password I'm using is 10 characters, and contains a mixture of upper case, numbers, letters and symbols. So I don't think it's a strong password issue.

I've also tried using the AzureVMAccessExtension. I followed the steps outlined in that to reset the admin password as well as tried creating a new account. Neither of these has worked. I get the same error as above.

I can't scrap the VM since it has software running on it in production. So to detach and reattach to a new VM is not an option.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get access to this VM or why the powershell scripts are not working for me?

Answer 1

With the new preview portal, you can gain access to Azure VM by using the new Password Reset feature (life-saver when you forgot your VM password). It will create a new admin user to the existing VM.

Navigate to Browse All (Left Side Menu)-> Virtual Machines (Classic) -> Click on the Target Virtual machine -> Select "All Settings" -> Password Reset