PLEASE help me find ADMINISTRATOR Account

[Guest]

I just tried to set up a user account on my PC for my daughter. When I
finished setting her up with an account name and password, my administrator
account was GONE! All I have left are her account and guest, neither of
which contain ANY of my stuff. Is there any way to bring it back? And why
did it disappear?

 

[Malke]

I just tried to set up a user account on my PC for my daughter. When I
finished setting her up with an account name and password, my
administrator
account was GONE! All I have left are her account and guest, neither of
which contain ANY of my stuff. Is there any way to bring it back? And
why did it disappear?

As you have discovered, with XP Pro when you make a new user account with
administrative privileges the built-in Administrator account is hidden. It
is not recommended to use the built-in Administrator account for everyday
work anyway - it is really there for emergencies.

To get access to your account, at the Welcome Screen do Ctrl-Alt-Del twice.
This will bring up the classic logon box. Type in "Administrator" (without
the quotes) and your password. Once logged in, consider creating another
user account for yourself and copying your stuff to it. Or else just
continue using the Administrator account but create another account for
emergencies. You don't ever have to log into it if you don't want but in
case your account (built-in Administrator) ever becomes corrupted, you'll
have a fallback.

Copy a User Account - http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=811151
(You will need to log into the new account once before you can copy anything
to it.)

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

Enable Administrator account on Welcome Screen -
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/scripts_desc/xp_admin_ok.htm

Malke

 

[WB]

I just tried to set up a user account on my PC for my daughter. When I
finished setting her up with an account name and password, my
administrator
account was GONE! All I have left are her account and guest, neither of
which contain ANY of my stuff. Is there any way to bring it back? And
why
did it disappear?

It's because you have been using the default built-in Administrator account.
This account is reserved for troubleshooting.
Once another account has been created, the Administrator account does not
show up but it is still there...so don't panic. This is Windows default
behavior to protect this account. You should not be using this account
except for maintenance.

Use your daughter's account to create an account for yourself and then copy
your files to it.

Or you use the Administrator account to create your new account:
Reboot and press F8 before Windows splash screen to enter Safe Mode:
Description of Safe Mode and how to access it:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=31522

Copy your files to the newly created account:
How to copy user data to new profile:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=811151

 

[Guest]

Malke, thank you so much. Do you mean the welcome screen that comes up after
restarting?

 

[Bruce Chambers]

I just tried to set up a user account on my PC for my daughter. When I
finished setting her up with an account name and password, my administrator
account was GONE! All I have left are her account and guest, neither of
which contain ANY of my stuff. Is there any way to bring it back? And why
did it disappear?

As you've 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.

The built-in Administrator account really was never 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).

A wiser course of action would be to create another user account
for your daily use (as you've done), 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




--

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

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell

 

[Malke]

Malke, thank you so much. Do you mean the welcome screen that comes up
after restarting?

Yes. In XP Pro, you can get the classic logon at the Welcome Screen (where
the icon for Administrator is no longer shown) by doing Ctrl-Alt-Del twice.
I am assuming you have XP Pro because with XP Home the only way to access
the built-in Administrator account is in Safe Mode.

Malke

 

[Guest]

I just tried to set up a user account on my PC for my daughter. When I
finished setting her up with an account name and password, my administrator
account was GONE! All I have left are her account and guest, neither of
which contain ANY of my stuff. Is there any way to bring it back? And why
did it disappear?

 

[Guest]

As you've 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.

The built-in Administrator account really was never 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).

A wiser course of action would be to create another user account
for your daily use (as you've done), 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




--

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

Many people would rather die than think; in fact, most do. -Bertrand Russell