User accounts

[Olin Mastin]

Windows XP Professional.
How can I create a new user acount/s without having to
change the existing Administrator desktop? When I
attempt to create user accounts, the software says I have
to choose an account to be the administrator. When I do
that, all of the original Administrator desktop settings
are lost. I want to keep them! There must be a way.
Anybody know how? Fortunately I have Roxio GoBack, so I
was able to restore everything, but I would like to
create new users without losing my desktop settings
(naming myself as administrator).

 

[purplehaz]

Sounds like your using the hidden administrator account as your everyday
user account. This is a no-no. You should not use the hidden administartor
account for daily use. It is simply there to administer the computer in the
event all other everyday users become corrupt. A backup, if you will.
Surfing the net using this account can also be hazardous and not
reccomenned. What you need to do is create a new user for yourself, give it
admin rights, and then set it up the way you want or copy the profile over
from the hidden admin account. Then use this new user as your everyday
account. Then you can create more new limited users and your settings should
not change.

 

[Ken]

Built in accounts can't be deleted. So, I sign in as
administrator; create an account with my name and make it
an administrator account also. Then, since it is not
safe to stay on the web with an administrator account, I
create an account called "Admin" and make it an
administrator account. This allows me to assign the
account that has my name as a power user account which
allows me to do most things like downloading, etc.
Once your Admin account is created with Administraor
rights you should have no problems creating any other
accounts you want. Use your admin account to make system
wide changes, and the account with your name for
everything else. You end up with one account called
Administrator; one called Admin; and your own user
account. Hope this helps.

 

[OlinMastin]

I am unable to copy the profile. Error message pops
up: "Profile Error: FAILED TO SET SECURITY ON THE
DESTINATION PROFILE, Error- Access is denied." How do I
get around that one? I tried in vain to find the place
to change the security.

 

[purplehaz]

You can't copy the profile if your in that account you'll have to log into
another account to copy the hidden admin profile to the new user. This may
require you to make another temporary user to log into. This is why you
shouldn't use the hidden admin account. Normally you'd log into the admin
account and copy profiles, but since your trying to copy the admin profile
you have to log into another account.

 

[Olin Mastin]

Even after following these instructions, I still get the
same error message. This is totally frustrating. I used
good `ole Roxio "Go-Back" to put my computer back to how
I like to use it. Why, why, why does Microsoft have to
make things so terribly complicated?? It would only seem
logical to me that if I create another accout as
administrator with full "powers" that the original
adminstrator profile would come up. I'm at my wits end
on this. Is this "don't-run-your-computer-as-the-
administrator" only peculiar to Windows XP Professional,
or in Windows XP in general? If no one out there knows
how to get rid of this error message, I'm just going to
run my computer the way I like it set up. If this was
made obvious as the thing to do when I first booted up my
new computer, then I could have configured it from
the "get-go". But I'll be hanged if I will go through
all that work again!! Yes, it would be fine if only the
profile would copy.