Original "Administrator" Account lost

[Andy_XP_Devotee]

Hi.

I've been using WindowsXP in the original "Administrator" account.

By original account, I mean that I never created a new, named account with
administrator privileges. I just used the Administrator account that came
with the machine.

I recently needed a 2nd user account. Before allowing me to set up that
user account, XP said I needed to create at least one account with
administrator privileges. So I did, and I jokingly named the new
administrator account "HAL 2000."

Well, it's not so funny now!

I lost access to the original "Administrator" account. Now, when I log on,
all I can access is HAL 2000. (The 2nd user account served its purpose and
is gone and is not part of the problem.)

EVERYTHING I've set up in XP is in the lost "Administrator" account!

Does anybody know how I can get back to that original "Administrator"
account??

Obviously, I need to move my documents and settings out of that
"Administrator" account and into a new, named account with admin. privileges,
but first I just need to access the original "Administrator" account.

Any help will be GREATLY appreciated!!

Andy

 

[Jim]

Hi.

I've been using WindowsXP in the original "Administrator" account.

By original account, I mean that I never created a new, named account with
administrator privileges. I just used the Administrator account that came
with the machine.

I recently needed a 2nd user account. Before allowing me to set up that
user account, XP said I needed to create at least one account with
administrator privileges. So I did, and I jokingly named the new
administrator account "HAL 2000."

Well, it's not so funny now!

I lost access to the original "Administrator" account. Now, when I log
on,
all I can access is HAL 2000. (The 2nd user account served its purpose
and
is gone and is not part of the problem.)

EVERYTHING I've set up in XP is in the lost "Administrator" account!

Does anybody know how I can get back to that original "Administrator"
account??

Obviously, I need to move my documents and settings out of that
"Administrator" account and into a new, named account with admin.
privileges,
but first I just need to access the original "Administrator" account.

Any help will be GREATLY appreciated!!

Andy

XP quits displaying the ability to login to the built in Administrator
account when there are other accounts available
The built in Administrator accoun cannot be deleted.

Your data is most likely in the \Documents & Settings\Administrator folder
tree. All you need to do is to take ownership
of the folders and files that you need, as described in Help & Support, and
to move them to the \Documents & Settings\hal 2000 folder tree.

This eperience is merely one reason never to use the built in Administrator
account for normal use.

Jim

 

[Andy_XP_Devotee]

Thank you, Jim.

I really appreciate your taking the time to type out your reply for me.

I found the info in Documents and Settings, just as you suggested.

I'd like to move all of the "Administrator" file contents to the "Hal" file,
but I'm not sure exactly how to ask for that help using Help and Support.
Since reading your reply, I've been trying several different searches in Help
and Support, but I can't seem to ask the right question.

Can you help me with this?

Andy

 

[JS]

The account is still there (but hidden once you created that second
account).
If you want this account displayed on the Welcome screen along with your
new account then download and install TweakUI.
Power Toy's Tweak UI from Microsoft:
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/powertoys/xppowertoys.mspx

Once you start TweakUI, click on the 'Login' option near the bottom of the
list display on the left side.

Now in the 'Settings' box on the right side check the 'Show "Administrator"
on Welcome screen' box
Click the 'Apply' button and then 'OK' exit TweakUI.
The next time you boot you should see the Administrator account.

More Detail on available features in TweakUI:
http://www.winxpsolution.com/Tweakuixppro.aspx

JS

 

[Mark L. Ferguson]

811151 - How to Copy User Data to a New User Profile:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;811151

 

[Jim]

Thank you, Jim.

I really appreciate your taking the time to type out your reply for me.

I found the info in Documents and Settings, just as you suggested.

I'd like to move all of the "Administrator" file contents to the "Hal"
file,
but I'm not sure exactly how to ask for that help using Help and Support.
Since reading your reply, I've been trying several different searches in
Help
and Support, but I can't seem to ask the right question.

Can you help me with this?

Andy

Yes, I have had more than enough trouble searching Help & Support.
You might have better luck by entering this phrase in the search boc"
"How to take ownership of files and folders"
In this case the double quotes are needed to get the search engine on the
right track.
The other poster has already given you the number of the article in
question...
Jim

 

[Andy_XP_Devotee]

Hi.

I'm back and happy to report success. (I'm keeping my fingers crossed that
there are not any unintended bugs now hidden in my user accounts.)

There were some surprises, though.

I first tried doing this the way Microsoft suggests. Using the links Mark
provided, I went to the Settings and Documents folder and used cut and paste
to move all of the appropriate files from one hidden "Administrator" account
to a new user account with administrator privileges.

Doing that both worked and didn't work. I *was* able to move all of the
critical files. And I'm sure that lots of settings got moved, too. But
there was a TON of other settings that did NOT get moved. All of these may
have been the less-important visual modifications that I've made to
Windows--things like the sizes and positions of all of my windows, what's
displayed on my Start menu and what's not, the fact that I did not need a
newbie tour of WindowsXP, etc.

Even some of the things that I thought would surely be moved didn't make it.
For example, I had a bitmap image that I was using as a desktop--that didn't
get moved. Even my Display settings did not get moved, and all of those
settings are Microsoft Windows settings, so can't imagine why they didn't get
moved.

So I next tried the suggestion from JS that I install Microsoft's Power
Toy's Tweak UI. I did so. And I followed the instructions from JS on how to
get Windows to display the "Administrator" account in the logon screen.
(Crystal clear instructions, they were, too, which made doing this
easy-as-pie. Too bad JS doesn't write for Microsoft, I say.)

The result of using the Tweak UI was perfect. The "Administrator" account
now appears in my logon screen. And when I logged on as "Administrator," I
found everything exactly as I'd left it. I was soooooooo pleased.

My very sincere thanks go to all of you guys for your help. I always worry
when I have a problem with Windows because it's just so darn hard to find an
answer to anything in the Microsoft Help and Support pages. (I came to
despise the old "Databases of Common Knowledge" about Windows that Microsoft
used to like.) I often wish Microsoft would quit being stubborn and ask
Google to run the search engine for Microsoft Help and Support! (And don't
you know that that Microsoft would just love *that* suggestion.)

Finding you 3 online and willing to help me here was a very nice surprise.
So thank you for that.

Andy

 

[JS]

You're welcome.

JS