home edition- can't log on as administrator after setting up a new account

J

Joe

A friend has a 3-4 year old Dell with the XP Home Edition OS. She recently
decided to set up a new account for any visitors to her house. After setting
up "Visitor"- she couldn't get back to being Administrator. She'll log off
to Visitor- then up comes the Welcom Screen dialog box to enter another
account name and password- that box was always coming up before she set up
Visitor- as she wanted a password to access her computer. But this time when
it came up it no longer had in the User ID field- which was always in there
before. She remembers her password but not the name of the User ID. She
thinks she knows it- but keeps trying it and variations with no luck.

So, I checked in my "Microsoft Windows XP Inside Out" resource book. On pg.
118 in a topic called "Logging On as Administrator" it points out that with
XP Pro, it's OK and possible to log on as the Administrator from the Welcome
screen, but it's not possible to do so with the Home Edition- for which you
must go into Safe Mode. So, we did that - got into Safe Mode- but didn't
know what to do from there- the book doesn't say.

Any help would be appreciated. By the way, why should MS make this
distinction? If that really is the only way to log on to Admin. from within
Home Edition, it sure is cumbersome- there must be a better way.
 
G

Gordon

Joe said:
A friend has a 3-4 year old Dell with the XP Home Edition OS. She recently
decided to set up a new account for any visitors to her house. After
setting up "Visitor"- she couldn't get back to being Administrator. She'll
log off to Visitor- then up comes the Welcom Screen dialog box to enter
another account name and password- that box was always coming up before
she set up Visitor- as she wanted a password to access her computer. But
this time when it came up it no longer had in the User ID field- which was
always in there before. She remembers her password but not the name of the
User ID. She thinks she knows it- but keeps trying it and variations with
no luck.

So, I checked in my "Microsoft Windows XP Inside Out" resource book. On
pg.
118 in a topic called "Logging On as Administrator" it points out that
with XP Pro, it's OK and possible to log on as the Administrator from the
Welcome screen, but it's not possible to do so with the Home Edition- for
which you must go into Safe Mode. So, we did that - got into Safe Mode-
but didn't know what to do from there- the book doesn't say.

Any help would be appreciated. By the way, why should MS make this
distinction? If that really is the only way to log on to Admin. from
within Home Edition, it sure is cumbersome- there must be a better way.

it is NOT a good idea to use the built-in Administrator account on a daily
basis. one of the main reasons for this is that when (not if!) the ccount
becomes corrupt for some reason, there is NO WAY to access your machine
other than by a repair install of XP or by using something like Barts PE or
Knoppix.

Create a User Account with Admin privileges and use that for day to day
running.
 
P

Paul Smith

Hello.

On the Welcome Screen (with the list of names) try pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL
twice, this *should* bring up the familiar login box. Login as the
administrator go to Control Panel -> Users Accounts -> Change the way users
login/off and uncheck 'Use the Welcome screen'.

Alternatively you should be able to add the administrator to the Welcome
screen by editing the registry.

Generally speaking I wouldn't recommend people to actually use the
administrator account, create a new account with administrative rights if
needed.

--
Paul Smith,
Yeovil, UK.
Microsoft MVP Windows Shell/User.
http://www.windowsresource.net/

*Remove 'nospam.' to reply by e-mail*
 
D

Doug Knox MS-MVP

Once you boot the computer into Safe Mode, you'll see the built-in Administrator account on the Welcome Screen. Once there, she can use Control Panel, User Accounts to create a new administrator level user account for every day use.
 
J

John Barnett MVP

Just access safe mode, click on Administrator and then press Enter (by
default XP Home isn't password protected on the administartor account). You
should then have access to the desktop. Next go to control panel and click
on user account. Now create a new account with administrator privledges.

--
John Barnett MVP
Associate Expert
http://xphelpandsupport.mvps.org

The information in this mail is supplied "as is". No warranty of any kind,
either expressed or implied, is made in relation to the accuracy,
reliability or content of this mail. The Author shall not be liable for any
direct, indirect, incidental or consequential damages arising out of the use
of, or inability to use, information or opinions expressed in this mail..
 
B

Bruce Chambers

Joe said:
A friend has a 3-4 year old Dell with the XP Home Edition OS. She recently
decided to set up a new account for any visitors to her house. After setting
up "Visitor"- she couldn't get back to being Administrator. She'll log off
to Visitor- then up comes the Welcom Screen dialog box to enter another
account name and password- that box was always coming up before she set up
Visitor- as she wanted a password to access her computer. But this time when
it came up it no longer had in the User ID field- which was always in there
before. She remembers her password but not the name of the User ID. She
thinks she knows it- but keeps trying it and variations with no luck.


As your friend has discovered, once any additional administrative
user accounts have been created, the built-in Administrator account will
no longer be displayed on the Welcome Screen. This is a default
security feature. By design, the only way to log into the Administrator
account of WinXP Home is to reboot into Safe Mode. For WinXP Pro,
pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL twice at the Welcome Screen will produce the
standard login dialog box.

So, I checked in my "Microsoft Windows XP Inside Out" resource book. On pg.
118 in a topic called "Logging On as Administrator" it points out that with
XP Pro, it's OK and possible to log on as the Administrator from the Welcome
screen, but it's not possible to do so with the Home Edition- for which you
must go into Safe Mode. So, we did that - got into Safe Mode- but didn't
know what to do from there- the book doesn't say.


The wisest course of action would be for your friend to create
another user account for her daily use, and copy desired the files and
settings from the Administrator account to this newly created user profile.

HOW TO Create and Configure User Accounts in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;279783

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

Any help would be appreciated. By the way, why should MS make this
distinction? If that really is the only way to log on to Admin. from within
Home Edition, it sure is cumbersome- there must be a better way.


The built-in Administrator account was never really intended to be
used for day-to-day normal use. The standard security practice is to
rename the account, set a strong password on it, and use it only to
create another account for regular use, reserving the Administrator
account as a "back door" in case something corrupts your regular account(s).



--

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
 
G

Gordon

Paul said:
Hello.

On the Welcome Screen (with the list of names) try pressing CTRL+ALT+DEL
twice, this *should* bring up the familiar login box.

No that only applies to Pro - the OP said Home edition.
 
S

Stephen

Joe wrote:
| A friend has a 3-4 year old Dell with the XP Home Edition OS. She recently
| decided to set up a new account for any visitors to her house. After
| setting up "Visitor"- she couldn't get back to being Administrator.
| She'll log off to Visitor- then up comes the Welcom Screen dialog box to
| enter another account name and password- that box was always coming up
| before she set up Visitor- as she wanted a password to access her
| computer. But this time when it came up it no longer had in the User ID
| field- which was always in there before. She remembers her password but
| not the name of the User ID. She thinks she knows it- but keeps trying it
| and variations with no luck.
|
| So, I checked in my "Microsoft Windows XP Inside Out" resource book. On
| pg. 118 in a topic called "Logging On as Administrator" it points out
| that with XP Pro, it's OK and possible to log on as the Administrator
| from the Welcome screen, but it's not possible to do so with the Home
| Edition- for which you must go into Safe Mode. So, we did that - got into
| Safe Mode- but didn't know what to do from there- the book doesn't say.
|
| Any help would be appreciated. By the way, why should MS make this
| distinction? If that really is the only way to log on to Admin. from
| within Home Edition, it sure is cumbersome- there must be a better way.

Want to log in as using the Administrator account on Windows XP Home ed.?
Reboot and hit F8 as computer first boots into Windows - you have to be
quick - and then choose "Safe Mode" or "Safe Mode with Networking" from the
menu. Then you will be able to log in as Administrator.

You can assign Adminstrator's group privileges to any user account if you
want - your own say - and then never give the actual Administrator account a
second thought ever again (or at least for a long while).

By default, Windows XP Home ed. doesn't allow logging on as Administrator
except through Safe Mode. It's a bit confusing because Windows XP Pro does
allow loggin on to the Administrator account without having to boot to Safe
Mode ( .. at Welcome Screen hit Ctrl + Alt + Del twice then type in
Administrator in logon box etc. etc.).
 
J

Joe

Bruce Chambers said:
As your friend has discovered, once any additional administrative user
accounts have been created, the built-in Administrator account will no
longer be displayed on the Welcome Screen. This is a default security
feature. By design, the only way to log into the Administrator account of
WinXP Home is to reboot into Safe Mode. For WinXP Pro, pressing
CTRL+ALT+DEL twice at the Welcome Screen will produce the standard login
dialog box.


Well, the new "visitor" account she created, wasn't an administrative user
account- but she still couldn't get back to her original account. Regarding
her original account, I doubt she knew that it was even called an
administrator account- I think she just wanted to have a password protection
for whatever the default system was when she first got the computer (is the
default setup the same thing as the "built-in Admin. Acct."??

I don't understand why MS would do this for the Home Edition- it seems like
something that could easily happen, a naive Home Edition user sets up a
visitor acct. then can't get back to her original account without going into
Safe Mode- not something that most Home Edition users are likely to want to
try. I dunno.....

Or maybe MS should have offered a warning that by setting up the new account
such a problem might occur.

Joe
 
J

Joe

When you get a new computer with either version of XP- what you start with
(let's for the discussion say it's a Dell)- is that the Admin. account?

I've been using computers for years but never bothered to set up other
accounts so I was almost totally unaware of these issues.
 
J

Joe

So, when you create a new account- either an admin. or plain user acct.- you
can't see the created files of the other accounts? But, the admin. person
can then allow any acct. to see the files of any other acct.?
 
B

Bruce Chambers

Joe said:
When you get a new computer with either version of XP- what you start with
(let's for the discussion say it's a Dell)- is that the Admin. account?


That depends entirely upon how each individual computer manufacturer
configures their product. Some OEMs create an "Owner" account (with
administrative privileges) that is opened by default, if not other
accounts are created. Some OEMs leave the system so that it opens the
built-in Administrator accounts. The better, more helpful OEMs leave
the system in such a state that the new computer owner is prompted to
create a new user account the first time he/she boots up the computer.

I've been using computers for years but never bothered to set up other
accounts so I was almost totally unaware of these issues.


If you've been using the built-in Administrator account, you've been
running on borrowed time, and have been very lucky. Should that one
user profile become corrupted (which can be caused by something as
simple and mundane as a power outage at the wrong moment), youcould very
easily find yourself having to take drastic recovery actions.


--

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
 
S

Stephen

Joe wrote:
| When you get a new computer with either version of XP- what you start with
| (let's for the discussion say it's a Dell)- is that the Admin. account?
|
| I've been using computers for years but never bothered to set up other
| accounts so I was almost totally unaware of these issues.
|
|
| || Joe wrote:
||| A friend has a 3-4 year old Dell with the XP Home Edition OS. She
||| recently decided to set up a new account for any visitors to her house.
||| After setting up "Visitor"- she couldn't get back to being
||| Administrator. She'll log off to Visitor- then up comes the Welcom
||| Screen dialog box to enter another account name and password- that box
||| was always coming up before she set up Visitor- as she wanted a
||| password to access her computer. But this time when it came up it no
||| longer had in the User ID field- which was always in there before. She
||| remembers her password but not the name of the User ID. She thinks she
||| knows it- but keeps trying it and variations with no luck.
|||
||| So, I checked in my "Microsoft Windows XP Inside Out" resource book. On
||| pg. 118 in a topic called "Logging On as Administrator" it points out
||| that with XP Pro, it's OK and possible to log on as the Administrator
||| from the Welcome screen, but it's not possible to do so with the Home
||| Edition- for which you must go into Safe Mode. So, we did that - got
||| into Safe Mode- but didn't know what to do from there- the book doesn't
||| say.
|||
||| Any help would be appreciated. By the way, why should MS make this
||| distinction? If that really is the only way to log on to Admin. from
||| within Home Edition, it sure is cumbersome- there must be a better way.
||
|| Want to log in as using the Administrator account on Windows XP Home ed.?
|| Reboot and hit F8 as computer first boots into Windows - you have to be
|| quick - and then choose "Safe Mode" or "Safe Mode with Networking" from
|| the
|| menu. Then you will be able to log in as Administrator.
||
|| You can assign Adminstrator's group privileges to any user account if you
|| want - your own say - and then never give the actual Administrator
|| account a
|| second thought ever again (or at least for a long while).
||
|| By default, Windows XP Home ed. doesn't allow logging on as Administrator
|| except through Safe Mode. It's a bit confusing because Windows XP Pro
|| does allow loggin on to the Administrator account without having to boot
|| to Safe
|| Mode ( .. at Welcome Screen hit Ctrl + Alt + Del twice then type in
|| Administrator in logon box etc. etc.).

No, not for XP Home. Possibly for XP Pro (but shouldn't be). The
manufacturer should have created some account and given it a name, say,
"user" or "Customer" or somesuch. Because there are no other user accounts
and because it has no password, the computer boots straight into that one
account. Assign it a password, create another account etc. etc. and the
Welcome screen appears at boot time asking which account you want to log on
to, or for the password.

Try:

Start > Control Panel > User Accounts

and take a look. If you want to assign a password to an account, yet log on
without having to type in a password etc., try TweakUI for Windows XP
available from Microsoft. In its Logon section you can set the machine to
auto-logon ...

... however ..

... it's "best practice", though, to assign your account a password and logon
on with it. Remember that in XP Home ed. there is an Administrator account
even though you can't use it to log on execpt through Safe Mode. By default
it has no password. You might want to assign it a password as well. You will
have to do it by booting to Safe Mode, choosing the Administrator account at
the Welcome Screen and then going into Control Panel > User Accounts to
assign the Administrator account a password.

In XP Pro, the Administrator account has its password set during the
installation routine. Now, it may have no password actually set - the box
was left blank - so you might want to make sure to assign the Administrator
account a password if there's none already, if you are using Pro.
 
S

Stephen

Bruce Chambers wrote:
| Joe wrote:
|| When you get a new computer with either version of XP- what you start
|| with (let's for the discussion say it's a Dell)- is that the Admin.
|| account?
||
|
|
| That depends entirely upon how each individual computer manufacturer
| configures their product. Some OEMs create an "Owner" account (with
| administrative privileges) that is opened by default, if not other
| accounts are created. Some OEMs leave the system so that it opens the
| built-in Administrator accounts. The better, more helpful OEMs leave
| the system in such a state that the new computer owner is prompted to
| create a new user account the first time he/she boots up the computer.
|
|
|| I've been using computers for years but never bothered to set up other
|| accounts so I was almost totally unaware of these issues.
||
|
|
| If you've been using the built-in Administrator account, you've been
| running on borrowed time, and have been very lucky. Should that one
| user profile become corrupted (which can be caused by something as
| simple and mundane as a power outage at the wrong moment), youcould very
| easily find yourself having to take drastic recovery actions.

Up and at 'em and working on Windows on a Sunday morning (and we're not
talking praying in front of stained glass) .. So what is this Windows stuff
with you .. a religion !?
 
B

Bruce Chambers

Stephen said:
Up and at 'em and working on Windows on a Sunday morning (and we're not
talking praying in front of stained glass) .. So what is this Windows stuff
with you .. a religion !?


I have no religion; I'm not superstitious.


--

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
 
S

Stephen

Bruce Chambers wrote:
| Stephen wrote:
|
|| Up and at 'em and working on Windows on a Sunday morning (and we're not
|| talking praying in front of stained glass) .. So what is this Windows
|| stuff with you .. a religion !?
||
||
|
|
| I have no religion; I'm not superstitious.

But you are rather dedicated as far as I can tell ..

:)
 
J

Joe

Bruce Chambers said:
That depends entirely upon how each individual computer manufacturer
configures their product. Some OEMs create an "Owner" account (with
administrative privileges) that is opened by default, if not other
accounts are created. Some OEMs leave the system so that it opens the
built-in Administrator accounts. The better, more helpful OEMs leave the
system in such a state that the new computer owner is prompted to create a
new user account the first time he/she boots up the computer.




If you've been using the built-in Administrator account, you've been
running on borrowed time, and have been very lucky. Should that one user
profile become corrupted (which can be caused by something as simple and
mundane as a power outage at the wrong moment), youcould very easily find
yourself having to take drastic recovery actions.


hmmm..... I also have a 3-4 year old Dell with Pro- I just looked in User
Accounts and see 2 (I never even looked in there before so what's in there
was put there by Dell) - and I see 2 accounts- one with my name followed by
"Computer Administrator"- and the second account is called Guest. Is the
first one something other than the "built in Admin. acct."??

I'm amazed that all this account stuff totally escaped me in the 20 years
I've been using PCs- never had a need, always worked alone in my private
office and never was concerned about passwords.
 
G

Gordon

Joe said:
hmmm..... I also have a 3-4 year old Dell with Pro- I just looked in User
Accounts and see 2 (I never even looked in there before so what's in there
was put there by Dell) - and I see 2 accounts- one with my name followed
by "Computer Administrator"- and the second account is called Guest. Is
the first one something other than the "built in Admin. acct."??
Yes.


I'm amazed that all this account stuff totally escaped me in the 20 years
I've been using PCs- never had a need, always worked alone in my private
office and never was concerned about passwords.

You've presumably gone from Windows 3.1 via Windows 95 to windows 98 then.
XP is the next generation of the NT family which was designed right from
the beginning for a corporate environment, where user account and passwords
have indeed been common for at least ten years if not a lot longer!
 

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