Help: Administartor and all accounts deleted!

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Guest

I had a perfectly normal installation of Windows XP, that ran perfectly,
until my dear mom used the computer - and now all accounts (users) including
the administrator has been deleted. I cannot log in, not even using CTRL +
ALT + DEL, and typing in "administrator". What has happened? And what can I
do to recover my system? I really don't want to reinstall!
Hope someone can help me.
 
There is nothing that I am aware of that a person can do to eliminate all
accounts by accident. It sounds like the drive crashed and information has
been lost. Not Mom's fault.

--

Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!
 
Hi. No, probably not moms fault *lol*, but the drive hasn't crashed. All data
is still there, and windows boots fine - except there are no accounts. Is
there no way to reset the admin account or something like that - I didn't
think it was possible to actually not having a admin account on windows
(thought it was hardcoded or something like that).
 
If you are using the computer now, you are logged on in an account.

I guess I am asking, what is your real concern? Does the computer log you on
automatically, without giving you a chance to choose which account to use?
What?

--

Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!
 
I'm currently using another computer.

The problem is as follows:
When I boot the computer, it starts fine and displays the welcome screen -
but there are no accounts present. Ok, then I try to press "Ctrl + Alt + DEL"
and type in Administrator and the password - doesn't work either! (Same thing
if i use safemode).
Then I reboot the machine with the WinXP CD and enter the repair console -
it prompts for my administrator password. I type it, but that too fails (I
installed this machine and I am surtain of what the password is, so no error
there).
What can I do next???

I read somewhere that it could be an error in the system registry? I can
take the harddrive and put it into another machine and edit it, but what
should I look for?
 
When you try to logon as "the Administrator", instead of typing a password
leave the space blank. Hit enter. See what happens. Many store bought
computers from major players don't have a password. How could they possibly
know what you would have chosen? So they leave the password blank!

BTW: You press C-A-D twice to get to the logon screen. Then type in
"Administrator"

--

Regards,

Richard Urban
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User

Quote from George Ankner:
If you knew as much as you think you know,
You would realize that you don't know what you thought you knew!
 
Sounds like the SAM (Security Account Manager) Hive of the Registry
is damaged or missing. Located at C:\Windows\System32\Config - as
a file named Sam (no extension). Do a Knowledge Base search on MS
site for repairing/recovering the SAM.
The following KB isn't directly attributed to your issue, but should fix
the SAM hive.
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=307545
 
I have a similar problem. When i switch the PC on only a limited user account
is visilble to log on to. How do i access the admin account???
 
IS300 said:
I have a similar problem. When i switch the PC on only a limited user
account is visilble to log on to. How do i access the admin account???
Click to expand...

You got answers to this from me in the other newsgroup to which you
posted. If you can't remember where that was or find your post, go to
Google Groups Advanced Search and search for your name.

Malke
 
Hi. I believe you are right. I used a demo of Active@'s Password changer to
view my SAM database. It contains only 2 accounts. One is the HelpAssistant
and the other does not have a name and a description of "p"...! The problem
is, that even with the WINXP floppy boot disks I can't start the recovery
console, as it asks for my admin password. And this is neither the one I used
when installing nor is it empty. So what to do?
 
This is a reach, but you'll need to do Registry recovery and your situation
is making that difficult. I would convert the XP partition to FAT32 and
then perform the Registry recovery from a 9X/ME style Boot Floppy. If
you can get the System running again - Convert the partition back to NTFS.
Otherwise, it's a format and Fresh install.
 
Hi McCarty. Thanx for your help - I think i'll just move my disc to my
secondary computer, make backups and wipe the system and do a reinstall,
eventhough that doesn't appeal *lol*

Well thanx again for your help.
 
Good Luck with it - we (Responders) just try to help everyone get out of
whatever hole they fall in. Lot's of what we offer comes from sitting in the
bottom of the same holes. Somebody asked me one time where I learned
all this stuff ? - I replied "From staying up to 2:30AM trying to figure out
how to fix a problem." Sometimes a good ole Rant or some colorful type
of language helps get me over the rough repairs. I work out some of my
frustration, when I sledge hammer old/defective disk drives. Works better
than Beta Blocker drugs for High Blood Pressure.
 
You are so right. The old IBM 'DeathStar' have been there for me everytime I
needed to have an anger outlet (well, often they were the cause of this
anger, and then it's just all that much better).

Good luck with what ever mess you'll bump into in the future*lol*

Ps. I got all data backedup nicely, and my computer up and running again
after reinstall...it took most of the night, but sh** happens...
 
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