Malke
Mon Sep 11 20:44:13 CDT 2006
Charity wrote:
> My son thinks he is funny and he changed my account to a limited
> account. I am the registered owner of windows, so how is it possible
> that I get myself
> back into administrator status? 1st thing I'm going to do is restrict
> him like I should have to start.
In XP Home, boot the computer into Safe Mode. Do this by repeatedly
tapping the F8 key as the computer is starting up. This will get you to
the right menu. Navigate using your Up arrow key; the mouse will not
work here. Once in Safe Mode, you will see the normally hidden
Administrator account. The default password is a blank.
In XP Pro, you do not need to go into Safe Mode. At the Welcome Screen,
do Ctrl-Alt-Del twice to get the classic Windows logon box. Type in
"Administrator" and whatever password you assigned when you set up
Windows.
If you reset the built-in Administrator account's password in Home or
have Pro and don't remember the password, use NTpasswd to change the
built-in Administrator account's password to a blank.
http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/
Then go to the User Accounts applet in Control Panel and set passwords
that you will remember and make other desired changes.
Related security blurb:
Any computer running any operating system can be accessed by someone
with 1) physical access; 2) time; 3) skill; 4) tools. There are a few
things you can do to make it a bit harder though:
1. Set a password in the BIOS that must be entered before booting the
operating system. Also set the Supervisor password in the BIOS so BIOS
Setup can't be entered without it.
2. From the BIOS, change the boot order to hard drive first.
3. Set strong passwords on all accounts, including the built-in
Administrator account.
4. If you leave your own account logged in, use the Windows Key + L to
lock the computer (and/or set the screensaver/power saving) when you
step away from the computer and require a password to resume.
5. Make other users Limited accounts.
Please understand that these are technical responses to what is
basically a non-technical problem. This is a family/interpersonal issue
that can't be solved by technical means.
You didn't say how old this boy is, but I know what would happen to my
boys if they ever pulled a stunt like that. They are 17 and 13 now, and
they know that I am the mother and they are the children and that all
the computers are *mine*. Good luck with your child.
Malke
--
Elephant Boy Computers
www.elephantboycomputers.com
"Don't Panic!"
MS-MVP Windows - Shell/User