How to change SQL Server Service Account using PS

Question

SQL Server runs under AD Account SQLAccount1. How to make it run under another account, SQLAccount2? How to do it un Powershell?

Answer 1

1. The GUI way to do this is to go to SQL Server Configuration Manager. Go to the properties of the SQL Server and change the account name on the Log On tab. Click the Browse button.

Than enter the account that you want to SQL Server Log on as. Click Check Names, to make sure the account exists. Than click OK on select user or group and OK on SQL Server Properties.

Than restart.

2.This blog Hey, Scripting Guy! Blog, the author Aaron Nelson - SQLvariant shows how to do this in PowerShell.

[System.Reflection.Assembly]::LoadWithPartialName("Microsoft.SqlServer.SqlWmiManagement") | out-null

$SMOWmiserver = New-Object ('Microsoft.SqlServer.Management.Smo.Wmi.ManagedComputer') "WIN7NetBook" #Suck in the server you want

#These just act as some queries about the SQL Services on the machine you specified.
$SMOWmiserver.Services | select name, type, ServiceAccount, DisplayName, Properties, StartMode, StartupParameters | Format-Table

#Same information just pivot the data
$SMOWmiserver.Services | select name, type, ServiceAccount, DisplayName, Properties, StartMode, StartupParameters | Format-List

#Specify the "Name" (from the query above) of the one service whose Service Account you want to change.

$ChangeService=$SMOWmiserver.Services | where {$_.name -eq "MSSQLSERVER"} #Make sure this is what you want changed!

#Check which service you have loaded first

$ChangeService

$UName="DomainName\UserName"

$PWord="YourPassword"

$ChangeService.SetServiceAccount($UName, $PWord)

#Now take a look at it afterwards

$ChangeService