Re: I have a ESXi VM but do not know the password to the system. I also do not know the password for the VSphere Client. The IT person who used to be here is deceased. We are moving buildings. What can I do?

Hi,

Pls let me know  which ESXi version you are using..

Pls find below method method for ESX3.x AND 4.x

ESXi 3.5, ESXi 4.x, and ESXi 5.x

Reinstalling the ESXi host is the only supported way to reset a password on ESXi.  Any other method may lead to a host failure or an unsupported configuration due to the complex nature of the ESXi architecture. ESXi does not have a service console and as such traditional Linux methods of resetting a password, such as single-user mode do not apply. 

ESX 3.x and 4.x

To change the password for the root user on an ESX 3.x or ESX 4.x host, you must reboot into single-user mode. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Reboot the ESX host.

2. When the GRUB screen appears, press the space bar to stop the server from automatically booting into VMware ESX.

3. Use the arrow keys to select Service Console only (troubleshooting mode).

4. Press the akey to modify the kernel arguments (boot options).

5. On the line presented, type a space followed by the word single .

6. Press Enter. The server continues to boot into single-user mode.

7. When presented with a bash prompt such as sh-2.05b#, type the command passwd and press Enter.

8. Follow the prompts to set a new root user password. For more information, see Changing an ESX host root password (1004659).

9. When the password is changed successfully, reboot the host using the command reboot and allow VMware ESX to boot normally.

Regards,

Sachin Bhardwaj