lost user account

[Rob Mitchell]

I have a windows XP pro, on a dell xps system (about 1 year old now). I've
lost my primary user account, and am trying to figure out how to get it
back... the details may be a little longwinder, but here goes...

I was trying to password protect my user account, and only had an
administrator account. I set the password for the administrator account, it
suggested that I create a second account. I created it, it was also an
administrator account, and I gave it the same password. Name of 1st account
was 'Administrator', name of the 2nd was 'Secondary', again both are
adminstrator accounts, and have the same passwords. When I restarted the
computer, and it came back on, I only had 'Secondary' account available to
login. Now all my settings (i.e. calendar, music playlists, etc), are
seemingly gone (the 'administrator' account was the one I had been using all
along). However, under the documents and settings folder, I can see what
appears to 2 folders, 1st is 'Administrator', and 2nd is 'Secondary'. So, it
looks like the data is still on the hard drive, the name of the
'administrator' account is just gone at login.

How do I get it back?

TIA,
Rob

 

[Shenan Stanley]

I have a windows XP pro, on a dell xps system (about 1 year old
now). I've lost my primary user account, and am trying to figure
out how to get it back... the details may be a little longwinder,
but here goes...

I was trying to password protect my user account, and only had an
administrator account. I set the password for the administrator
account, it suggested that I create a second account. I created
it, it was also an administrator account, and I gave it the same
password. Name of 1st account was 'Administrator', name of the 2nd
was 'Secondary', again both are adminstrator accounts, and have the
same passwords. When I restarted the computer, and it came back
on, I only had 'Secondary' account available to login. Now all my
settings (i.e. calendar, music playlists, etc), are seemingly gone
(the 'administrator' account was the one I had been using all
along). However, under the documents and settings folder, I can
see what appears to 2 folders, 1st is 'Administrator', and 2nd is
'Secondary'. So, it looks like the data is still on the hard
drive, the name of the 'administrator' account is just gone at
login.

First - to logon as the user "administrator", reboot and at the 'welcome'
screen - press CTRL+ALT+DEL twice and type in the username "administrator"
(sans the quotation marks) and whatever (if any) password you had in the
appropriate placs.

Download/install Microsoft's TweakUI utility and use it to show the
administrator user on the welcome screen again.

Also - you can copy the stuff from one profile to the new one - as you
should not use the built-in administrator daily. ;-)

 

[Patrick Keenan]

I have a windows XP pro, on a dell xps system (about 1 year old now). I've
lost my primary user account, and am trying to figure out how to get it
back... the details may be a little longwinder, but here goes...

I was trying to password protect my user account, and only had an
administrator account. I set the password for the administrator account,
it
suggested that I create a second account. I created it, it was also an
administrator account, and I gave it the same password. Name of 1st
account
was 'Administrator', name of the 2nd was 'Secondary', again both are
adminstrator accounts, and have the same passwords.

The content of the passwords is not relevant to the perfectly normal and
default behaviour you go on to describe.

When I restarted the
computer, and it came back on, I only had 'Secondary' account available to
login.

Not exactly true, and what you're describing is normal, default behaviour.

As a security precaution and by default, as soon as a second account is
created, the Administrator account will *not be shown* on the Welcome
Screen. It is still available for login. By default, you have to use the
standard, old-style login screen to select it. And you get that screen
with control+alt+delete.

You can turn the display of the Administrator account on the Welcome Screen
back on. You can pick and choose what appears there. The easiest way to do
this and other things is to use Tweak UI, from the XP Powertoys.

For now, at the Welcome screen, press control+alt+delete, and you'll get the
old-style login dialog. Enter Administrator as the username and the
appropriate password, press Enter, and you'll be in the Administrator
account.

Now all my settings (i.e. calendar, music playlists, etc), are
seemingly gone

They are not gone at all. They are in the other account; this is the way
multiple-account machines work.

You are simply logged into another account.

(the 'administrator' account was the one I had been using all
along). However, under the documents and settings folder, I can see what
appears to 2 folders, 1st is 'Administrator', and 2nd is 'Secondary'. So,
it
looks like the data is still on the hard drive, the name of the
'administrator' account is just gone at login.

It's not gone. It's there, and you should migrate it away from the
Administrator account, which should be reserved for necessary system
maintenance.

The instructions for this are actually the same as for moving data from a
corrupted profile. And the fact that profiles can corrupt is part of why
you should *not* be using the Administrator account for regular use.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/811151

HTH
-pk