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ChangePW was a small, late-1990s-era Windows command-line utility documented by Jerold Schulman in JSI Tip 9267 on April 17, 2005. Its published help screen listed options to set a user password, select a domain or server, display userAccountControl flags, and enable or disable an account. That documentation is historical: there is no verified current download, support statement, integrity information, or evidence that the program works on modern Windows or Active Directory.
What JSI Tip 9267 documented
JSI Tips were Jerold Schulman’s short Windows-administration reference notes. Tip 9267 described a freeware program attributed to Joe Richards and identified as ChangePW V02.01.00cpp, with a help header dated November 1999. The original entry was a syntax reference, not a full installation, compatibility, or troubleshooting guide. The archived record is available from ITPro Today.
The published syntax
ChangePW V02.01.00cpp
Joe Richards ([email protected])
November 1999
Usage:
changepw.exe [/d:domain] [/s:server] /u:userid [/p:password] [/a:(y|n)] [/f]
/d:domain - domain to manipulate userid on.
/s:server - server to manipulate userid on.
/u:userid - userid to manipulate.
/p:password - password to set userid to.
/a:y - make account active.
/a:n - make account inactive.
/f - display current flags.
Use freely; you are responsible for all results.The examples below are reconstructed from that help text. They are illustrative, not commands verified on Windows 10, Windows 11, Windows Server 2022, Windows Server 2025, or any current environment.
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| Switch | Historical meaning | What the article did not establish |
|---|---|---|
/d:domain |
Select the domain containing the user. | Whether every mode supported local accounts, or how domain discovery and authentication worked. |
/s:server |
Select a server. | Whether this meant a domain controller, member server, or another server role. |
/u:userid |
Select the user ID. | Accepted name formats, quoting rules, or Unicode support. |
/p:password |
Set a password. | Exit codes, password length limits, policy behavior, or whether it could be combined with other switches. |
/a:y / /a:n |
Make the account active or inactive. | Whether this changed only the enabled state or also affected lockout, expiration, or other properties. |
/f |
Display current account flags. | The exact output format and which flags were decoded. |
Reconstructed examples
changepw.exe /u:jsmith /p:NewPassword
changepw.exe /d:EXAMPLE /u:jsmith /p:NewPassword
changepw.exe /d:EXAMPLE /s:DC01 /u:jsmith /a:y
changepw.exe /d:EXAMPLE /s:DC01 /u:jsmith /a:n
changepw.exe /d:EXAMPLE /s:DC01 /u:jsmith /fDo not infer from these lines that the utility automatically enables an account after a password reset, clears a lockout, bypasses policy, or works against a current domain. None of those behaviors is documented in the source.
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What “userAccountControl flags” actually are
userAccountControl is an Active Directory bit field. Its bits describe broader account-control properties, not merely password settings. Depending on the account, they can represent state such as disabled, password-never-expires, or user-cannot-change-password, as well as authentication and legacy directory behaviors. Microsoft documents the flags and their hexadecimal values in its userAccountControl reference.
For routine administration, a dedicated property such as Enabled or a specific cmdlet is safer and clearer than manually changing a numeric bit field.
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Why the old utility needs caution
- Availability: the old ITPro Today URL now leads to a TechTarget migration notice; it does not provide a verified ChangePW binary, source, checksum, or maintenance status.
- Compatibility: the program predates current Windows and Active Directory releases. Its supported operating systems, APIs, authentication behavior, and Unicode handling are unknown.
- Provenance: do not treat an arbitrary mirror as official, and do not assume an old unsigned executable is safe or malware-free.
- Secret exposure:
/p:passwordplaces a secret in command text. Shell history, transcripts, process inspection, monitoring, batch files, repositories, or screen recordings may expose it. - Operational risk: a wrong account, server, or delegated credential can affect a production identity. Test only in an isolated environment with a recovery plan.
If a legacy investigation genuinely requires ChangePW, establish the binary’s provenance and checksum, test it offline or in a lab, use the least-privileged account available, and document rollback. Otherwise, use supported Windows or Microsoft Active Directory tools.
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For a local account, the built-in command prompts for the password rather than putting it in the command line:
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net user USERNAME *Microsoft documents net user. PowerShell can use a secure prompt:
$Password = Read-Host "New password" -AsSecureString
Set-LocalUser -Name "jsmith" -Password $PasswordCheck that the cmdlet exists in the current session with Get-Command Set-LocalUser. The LocalAccounts module is not available in every execution context, including some 32-bit PowerShell sessions on 64-bit Windows. See Microsoft’s Set-LocalUser reference.
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Modern replacements for Active Directory
For an administrator reset of a domain user’s password:
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$Password = Read-Host "New password" -AsSecureString
Set-ADAccountPassword -Identity "jsmith" -Reset -NewPassword $Password-Reset is an administrative reset; it is not the same as a user changing a known password. Permissions, password history, complexity, and other domain policy still apply. See the Set-ADAccountPassword documentation.
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Enable or disable an AD account explicitly:
Enable-ADAccount -Identity "jsmith"
Disable-ADAccount -Identity "jsmith"References: Enable-ADAccount and Disable-ADAccount.
Inspect state without editing bit values:
Get-ADUser -Identity "jsmith" -Properties userAccountControl |
Select-Object SamAccountName, Enabled, userAccountControlSee Microsoft’s Get-ADUser reference.
Permissions, prerequisites, and common failures
Success depends on account scope, delegated rights, password policy, DNS and network access to a domain controller, trust resolution, and the availability of the relevant PowerShell module. Typical problems include:
- Unknown command: the executable is missing or not on
PATH. - Wrong scope: a local account is being addressed with an AD cmdlet, or vice versa.
- Bad target: the server is unavailable or is not an appropriate domain controller.
- Permission denied: the caller lacks reset, enable, or disable rights.
- Policy rejection: the password violates length, complexity, history, or reuse rules.
- Quoting errors: special characters can be interpreted by
cmd.exe; prompts or secure variables avoid putting them in command text. - Replication delay: a change on one domain controller may take time to appear elsewhere.
- Incomplete recovery: resetting a password does not necessarily unlock an account or change expiration settings.
For a failed operation, confirm whether the identity is local or domain-based, verify the target, retry with supported Microsoft tooling, inspect the resulting state, and check replication before repeating attempts. Repeated retries can worsen lockout risk. If an AD account was disabled accidentally, use Enable-ADAccount -Identity "jsmith"; use a local-account command for a local user.
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Should you still use ChangePW?
For new administration, generally no. Use it only for controlled legacy analysis when you can verify the exact binary’s provenance and integrity, test it safely, understand the permissions and audit implications, and maintain a recovery procedure. The 2005 tip remains useful as historical documentation of an old syntax—not as evidence of current support or a trustworthy download.
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