Synopsis
In the event that you lose your super user password and are unable to recover it via email, the password can be manually reset in the database.
Note: Using this method to reset passwords may violate VISA PA-DSS guidelines, and should only be used if there is no other alternative. On most sites admins may recover a lost password simply by using the Lost Password function on the admin signin page.
Always ensure that you have a recent backup fo the DB before making any adhoc changes.
Procedure
1 - Connect to your database using SQL Server Management Studio, Enterprise Manager, or your web-based query tool.
2 - In a new query window, issue the follow SQL statement:
UPDATE [Customer]
SET [Password] = 'your new password here',
[SaltKey] = -1,
[LockedUntil] = DateAdd(mi, -1, GetDate()),
[BadLoginCount] = 0,
[PwdChangeRequired] = 0,
[PwdChanged] = GetDate()
WHERE [Email] = 'your admin email address here'
3 - Execute the query. It should return: (1 row(s) affected)
4 - In order for the password to be usable, it must be re-encrypted. Do this by forcing the site to restart, either through IIS or by "touching" the web.config file.
