I have only one account on Windows Xp pro, an administrator account. When I
go to create a new account, XP tells me I must first create an administrator
account. So I do so, and all my data/settings I had with the old
Administrator account are lost. It seems that my current Administrator
account isn't approved! How do I get about this? I need to create new limited
accounts but cant do so "without and administrator account"!
When you install XP Pro and opt to create user accounts later, you end up
using the built-in Administrator account. (This account is not intended for
every day use and is a good one to reserve for troubleshooting purposes.)
When you create a new account, this built-in account becomes hidden. In
addition, XP will require one "regular" administrative account to exist.
One that will appear on the Welcome screen and that does not get hidden.
When you created the new account in administrator group - it was not a
duplicate of any existing accounts including the built-in Administrator. It
was a brand new account. As such, it would not contain any of the data in
the old Administrator account except for "All Users" start menu shortcuts
and access to Shared Documents. You could copy data and start menu
shortcuts from the old account to the new, thereby manually creating a near
duplicate - but - it is still a separate account from the original
Administrator.
Once that required account in the administrative group is created, the
builtin Administrator account will disappear from the welcome screen. Log
on with the new account and then add limited user accounts.
NOTE: The old Administrator account is still accessible by pressing
Ctrl+Alt+Del twice at the welcome screen. The classic log on prompt will
appear. Type in Administrator (or if you renamed the account, type in that
name) and password to log on to the account.
