Logging in as Administrator (newbie)

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I've just installed Windows XP Professional and have a question about logging in as Administrator. During the install, XP prompted for an Administrator password, but I cannot seem to access this account. I've created four additional accounts, three of which are "restricted," the fourth, "root," has the privileges of "computer administrator." I doubt that I need "root," but I'm afraid if I remove it I'll lose the ability to do administrative tasks.

If I remove "root," how can I log in as Administrator?

Thanks in advance,

John
 
Hi John,

At the Welcome screen, hit ctrl+alt+delete twice, then type it in.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers aka "Nutcase" MS-MVP - Win9x
Windows isn't rocket science! That's my other hobby!

Associate Expert - WinXP - Expert Zone



John Hom said:
I've just installed Windows XP Professional and have a question about
Click to expand...
logging in as Administrator. During the install, XP prompted for an
Administrator password, but I cannot seem to access this account. I've
created four additional accounts, three of which are "restricted," the
fourth, "root," has the privileges of "computer administrator." I doubt
that I need "root," but I'm afraid if I remove it I'll lose the ability to
do administrative tasks.
 
Try going into the Control Panel while you are logged in as root - User Accounts -. Click on the admin. account that you want to change. The next screen will give you the option to remove the password from the account. This way, when you are logging in, it won't prompt you for a password. If you log in successfully under the admin., you can go back and erase the unwanted root user.
 
Thank you for taking the time to post. I rebooted, and after the OS comes up, I'm automatically logged in as Administrator. For my sanity, I don't want to boot into a privileged account. Is there a way to go to the login screen after XP comes up

John
 
Hi John,

Start/run "control userpasswords2"

Enable the line requiring users to logon.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers aka "Nutcase" MS-MVP - Win9x
Windows isn't rocket science! That's my other hobby!

Associate Expert - WinXP - Expert Zone



John Hom said:
Thank you for taking the time to post. I rebooted, and after the OS comes
Click to expand...
up, I'm automatically logged in as Administrator. For my sanity, I don't
want to boot into a privileged account. Is there a way to go to the login
screen after XP comes up?
 
Greetings --

The built-in Administrator account really isn't intended to be
used for day-to-day normal use. The standard security practice is to
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).

As you've learned, once any additional user accounts have been
created, the 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.


Bruce Chambers

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having both at once. -- RAH


John Hom said:
I've just installed Windows XP Professional and have a question
Click to expand...
about logging in as Administrator. During the install, XP prompted
for an Administrator password, but I cannot seem to access this
account. I've created four additional accounts, three of which are
"restricted," the fourth, "root," has the privileges of "computer
administrator." I doubt that I need "root," but I'm afraid if I
remove it I'll lose the ability to do administrative tasks.
 
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