Admin account on XP?

Question

I know, seems embarassing, but theres this comp. I haven't used for awhile and i forgot the Admin account name. It's not one of those that pops up with a list of accounts, it just makes you put in the account name. I can get on one of the limited accounts, but how would i go about getting the Admin name bakc back? Also, I had blocked a bunch of crap on the limited account, so i can't just use that instead of an Admin and call it good.

Answer 1

If your computer is setup to give a list of account names, where you click one and enter the password, the administrator account is by default not listed.



The default name for the account is 'administrator' (not case sensitive).



To access it, at the 'welcome' screen (the one that lists the accounts on the computer), hit the CTRL+ALT+DEL sequence twice and you should be prompted for a username and password. At this point, enter 'administrator' for the account name and the current password for the account.



Another thought is that if you are asked for an account and a password, you can just overwrite whatever is listed there. The default is to list the last account that was used, but that doesn't mean you can't change it - in fact that IS how you switch accounts if no list is provided to select from.



The idea being that not listing account names means you need two pieces of information to logon - the username and the password rather than just the password. This config is how networked computers operate in general for a windows environment.



Possible roadblocks:



1.) The administrator account has been renamed to something else like 'baba-yaga' or 'admin' or whatever.



2.) The password for the account has been changed.



If this is your own personal computer, then there are plenty of freeware utilities you can download from the internet that will work as long as you can boot the system to either CD rom or Floppy disk.



Look for said utilities and you should be able to find one that will show you all account names and to reset the Administrator account password.



Warning: I've had to use utilities such as these many times. DO NOT use them on a domain controller or you will mess everything up. For most workstations (IE - personal computers) you should be fine.



Warning: There are applicable laws to consider - if this is not your computer, you are sure to be breaking those laws. Also, if this is a corporate computer for your employer, you very well may be breaking policy that could get you fired.

Answer 2

Mike's answer doesn't work on an operating system password. He gave you the tip on resetting the system password on the motherboard. It's not the same thing.



If you can find a copy of ERD, it will get you into Windows and reset the password in about 5 minutes.



Other than that, you'll probably have to reinstall Windows. If it was easy to get into the Admin account, then there would be no point in having it. Microsoft learned that lesson with Windows 98.



Only an administrator can do anything with an another administrator account. Your limited user account cannot reset the password on the admin account. (look at the previous paragraph).

Answer 3

Have you ever set an administrator password? What you can do is to boot into safe mode on XP and there you will see an account named "administrator." If you have never touched this account before, you can get into that without a password, check all of the users on the computer (a right that you might have removed from your limited account).

Answer 4

Hi, I desire this might support. I is also too lazy to style what I recognize, however I can percentage a few well websites to support you with. Here are a few pointers to your question. How to Create and Configure User Accounts in Windows XP To open the User Accounts device, open Control Panel from the Start menu, after which double click on User Accounts. # Disable the Administrator account – This is a Group Policy surroundings which permits you to disable this account inside the area and on regional SAMs of Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 computer systems. The coverage is below the next GPO surroundings: Computer Configuration|Windows Settings|Security Settings|Local Policies|Security Options|Accounts: Administrator account reputation To create a brand new consumer account, comply with those steps: one million. Click "Create a brand new account" within the "Pick a undertaking" record field. two. Type the identify that you just wish to make use of for the account, after which click on Next. three. Select the favored account style, after which click on Create Account. To make alterations to an account, comply with those steps: one million. Click "Change an account" within the "Pick a undertaking" record field. two. Click the account that you just wish to difference. three. Select the object that you just might love to difference: Deleting or Renaming Administrator debts: # Rename Administrator account utilizing GPOs – It shall be difficult to disable each and every Administrator account on each and every laptop as a result of packages and different requisites. In those circumstances you'll be able to take an convenient process for making sure the Administrator account is renamed. You can configure the next GPO surroundings, which is able to rename the Administrator account on any Windows 2000, XP, or Server 2003 laptop. Computer Configuration|Windows Settings|Security Settings|Local Policies|Security Options|Accounts: Rename Administrator account # Deny “Access this laptop from the community” User Right – By default the Administrator account is grouped into the Everyone and Authenticated Users companies, which offers the account the capacity to entry all computer systems over the community through default. Since the Administrator account isn't getting used for movements management, there's relatively no use for the account to be getting access to any useful resource, on any server, over the community. If you configure the next Group Policy User Right surroundings for the Administrator account, it may possibly cross an extended method to diminish the assault floor that attackers have at the Administrator account. Computer Configuration|Windows Settings|Security Settings|Local Policies|User Rights Assignment|Deny entry to this laptop from the community

Answer 5

On XP you should be able to access the Control Panel no matter what account you are on. Just go to the Control Panel and select "Users" or "User Accounts". Once I double click that icon, I usually see all the accounts on my computer. Hope that helps :)

Answer 6

The default administrator account, and only accounts with admin rights, will show up in safe mode if you're using the welcome screen. If you restart the PC, you'll see the account names if you press F8 at startup, then go into safe mode.

Answer 7

I have heard that you can open up your PC, take out a battery that is in it for 10 seconds, put it back in, start up the computer again, and you will be able to get in right away. I wouldn't suggest doing this unless you:

1. Know what you are doing and/or

2. Have looked it up somewhere. Try googling it.