system administrator

[Guest]

I helped a friend install a new XP Home. Their bratty teenager hijacked the
machine and made herself the administrator. She won't give up the password.
Is a new install the only way around this? How do I set her parents as the
administrators when I reinstall?

Thanks.

 

[Jason]

I helped a friend install a new XP Home. Their bratty teenager hijacked the
machine and made herself the administrator. She won't give up the password.
Is a new install the only way around this? How do I set her parents as the
administrators when I reinstall?

Thanks.

Not at all just reset the local admin password on the kid. Look on
google for forgot xp admin password.

My favorites are http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/
http://ebcd.pcministry.com/. I love the ebcd one.



Jason

 

[Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]]

I helped a friend install a new XP Home. Their bratty teenager
hijacked the machine and made herself the administrator. She won't
give up the password. Is a new install the only way around this? How
do I set her parents as the administrators when I reinstall?

Thanks.

See
http://www3.telus.net/dandemar/lostpass.htm
and/or
http://securityadmin.info/db/faqresults.asp?keyword=password&SType=AnyWord&CATID=Optional
and/or
http://www.petri.co.il/forgot_administrator_password.htm



Then, put a BIOS password on the box, make sure only the parents know it.

Set the default administrator password to something only the parents know (I
believe you have to go into safe mode to do this in XP Home, but I'm not
sure)

Make the kid's account a limited user account only (if, indeed, she is to
have an account at all - I wouldn't give her one, at least not until she's
done being grounded for a month with no TV, phone privileges, etc.)

Make the parents' accounts admin accounts - and make sure only they know
their own passwords.

Make the passwords at least 8 characters, a combination of letters &
numbers, and mixed case.