How to Create a Temporary SuperUser Account

 
How to Create a Temporary SuperUser Account

If you are unable to remember your Host account password, and have not yet configured your SMTP settings to send email from your site you can use the instructions below to create a new user and escalate it to a temporary SuperUser in order to log in to your site and reset the password of your main Host account.

This article requires the use of Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio. If you do not have this installed please refer to How to Connect to your MSSQL Database.

Always back up the website before making any changes to the database . Shared hosting customers can do this through the Control Panel. Refer to Back Up Your Website Using Plesk. Dedicated server customers can back up the site either through the Control Panel, or through the Control Suite. Refer to How to Back Up a Domain Using Control Suite.
  1. Go to the new user registration page of your DNN installation. (This is usually domain.com/register.aspx, but custom ones may require you to find it in the dbo.tabs table of the database).
  2. Create a new user, filling out the form as needed with a password you can remember and finish the registration.
  3. Connect to your DNN installations database using MSSQL Management Studio.
  4. Expand your database and locate the dbo.users table.
  5. Find the new user you have just created.
  6. Change the IsSuperUser field from "False" to "True".  If you have a large number of users and are unable to locate the new user you have just created you can run the following Query to do this for you (replacing theUsernameToPromote with the name of your new user.
     
     
    1. DECLARE @username varchar(50)
    2. SET @username = 'theUsernameToPromote'
    3. UPDATE Users
    4. SETIsSuperUser = 1
    5. WHEREusername = @username
    6. DELETE FROMUserPortals
    7. WHERE
    8.     UserId =
    9.     (SELECT UserID
    10.     FROM Users
    11.     WHERE username = @username)
     
  7. Recycle the Application Pool of the site following the instructions in our How to Recycle a Websites IIS Application Pool Knowledgebase Article.
  8. Reload your DNN website and log in as the new user.
You will now have full Host privileges and can Change the password of your default Host account, and make any other required changes.  Once you have completed your tasks using your Temporary SuperUser account you may delete it if you no longer need it.

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