Administator problems

[Guest]

Admin probs . I play online gaming alot of those with punkbuster , but
recently i am getting kicked because of " Inadequate O/S privileges " . I
know it is to do with me not being comp admin but i am and always have been .
On the User acount screen there is an Administrator account which wasnt there
before and my account which also says underneath it " computer administator "
.. I cannot delete the admin account leaving me as the only admin and need
help badly . I am the only person who uses this computer and all my files
pics games etc are on my account . This new Administrator account has just
appeared with the bear minimum of stuff on it when you boot in safe mode . I
have been around the houses to try and sort this out, really annoying now .
Please Please can any1 help . The frustration is that the problem i get from
the online gaming is that it is saying i am not admin , when i am. and when i
have been to other forums they just say that i need to be admin when i use
punkbuster . But I AM ARRRGH . Help

 

[Guest]

Just to add to this after reading alot of other posts regarding this , Is
there possible another way that i could step by step change all my folder and
files over to the Administrator account and delete my old 1 and if so could
some1 please show me how , not very bright were computers are concerned .
Also to add , that this problem occured when i think i was hit by a spyware
program but all that is now removed .
thanks in advance thingy

 

[Gordon]

Just to add to this after reading alot of other posts regarding this
, Is there possible another way that i could step by step change all
my folder and files over to the Administrator account and delete my
old 1 and if so could some1 please show me how , not very bright were
computers are concerned . Also to add , that this problem occured
when i think i was hit by a spyware program but all that is now
removed .
thanks in advance thingy

Don't use the built-in administrator account for your normal use. keep it
for an emergency when your normal user account gets corrupted.

 

[Sharon F]

Admin probs . I play online gaming alot of those with punkbuster , but
recently i am getting kicked because of " Inadequate O/S privileges " . I
know it is to do with me not being comp admin but i am and always have been .
On the User acount screen there is an Administrator account which wasnt there
before and my account which also says underneath it " computer administator "
. I cannot delete the admin account leaving me as the only admin and need
help badly . I am the only person who uses this computer and all my files
pics games etc are on my account . This new Administrator account has just
appeared with the bear minimum of stuff on it when you boot in safe mode . I
have been around the houses to try and sort this out, really annoying now .
Please Please can any1 help . The frustration is that the problem i get from
the online gaming is that it is saying i am not admin , when i am. and when i
have been to other forums they just say that i need to be admin when i use
punkbuster . But I AM ARRRGH . Help

Some facts:
-XP has a main "Administrator" account that is separate from an account in
the administrator group. This is by design.
-An account's folders are created the first time the account logs on.

On your system the main admin account (named Administrator) was not
accessed until recently. The account was always there but you weren't aware
of it until the account's folders were created during the first logon.

You should not delete this default Admin account. It could be your only
access for repairs if your other account in the admin group gets hijacked
by malware or if the profile is corrupted. I cannot imagine how the
presence of the main account, Administrator, could cause problems of the
nature that you describe.

Your game playing should be respecting your status as a member of the
administrative group. Why it is not doing that, I don't know.

Taking part in online activity that requires administrator status is risky
business. Malware piped from a less than reputable website could ride in on
the coattails of something that is legitimate or make itself appear to be
legitimate. If logged on with admin rights, those rights are extended to
the app. This is how many malware programs make their way onto a system -
some malware will then go on to make changes that lock you out of your own
system. Bottom line: Tread carefully when something starts demanding
administrator level access.

If using IE7, there are new security measures implemented in that version
of IE. In essence, it runs in a sandbox which in turn keeps the rest of the
system out of reach to malware. IE6 (the version that ships with XP) does
not have these extra security protections.

So where to look for an answer to your problem?

Installing controls to run games is an admin task.

If the site is in error and not recognizing the admin status of your
account, take it up with tech support for the site.

If security measures in IE7 or other security software are blocking changes
that should only be made by a local computer administrator - and if the
game site is installing legit components, tech support from the game site
should be aware of those roadblocks and how to circumvent them. You might
also find answers in the help files or newsgroups for IE7 or your security
software.

 

[Sharon F]

when i
have been to other forums they just say that i need to be admin when i use
punkbuster

PS: These folks may mean that you literally need to be logged on to *the*
administrator account (the default one discussed in other reply) and not an
account in the administrator group. Wouldn't hurt to ask them for specifics
to see if this is what they actually mean.

For what it's worth, I see red flags for granting this kind of access but
it's up to you whether you trust the site or not.

 

[Gordon]

You should not delete this default Admin account.

I didn't think you could.

 

[Sharon F]

I didn't think you could.

The operating system requires at least one admin account to be present
before it will delete another admin account. I don't think it cares if the
account being deleted is *the* admin account or one in the admin group. So
theoretically it would be possible to delete that account. I could be wrong
but a quick look through the knowledge base isn't turning up anything to
the contrary.

Honestly, I've never tried deleting the built in account since it's such
good sense to keep that fail safe available. Also I find that when working
with basic/beginner users, they can get quite creative and accomplish all
kinds of things that "couldn't" or "shouldn't" be done.

 

[Bruce Chambers]

The operating system requires at least one admin account to be present
before it will delete another admin account. I don't think it cares if the
account being deleted is *the* admin account or one in the admin group. So
theoretically it would be possible to delete that account. I could be wrong
but a quick look through the knowledge base isn't turning up anything to
the contrary.

Actually, Sharon, WinXP's built-in accounts (both Administrator and
Guest) *cannot* be deleted. They can be renamed, if desired, however.
In fact, one common security precaution is to rename the built-in
administrator account.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin

 

[Sharon F]

Actually, Sharon, WinXP's built-in accounts (both Administrator and
Guest) *cannot* be deleted. They can be renamed, if desired, however.
In fact, one common security precaution is to rename the built-in
administrator account.

Thanks, Bruce. I suspect this is something that I knew but forgot since it
is so illogical to delete the built in account.

Thanks again,

 

[Bruce Chambers]

Thanks, Bruce. I suspect this is something that I knew but forgot since it
is so illogical to delete the built in account.

Thanks again,

You're welcome. And you've a point: It's hard to remember something
can't be done, when it makes no logical sense to ever try it.


--

Bruce Chambers

Help us help you:



They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. -Benjamin Franklin