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System Administrator Account


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#1
pdcagirl

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Once in awhile I want to change something in a program on my PC and have been told even though my user account is an administrative one, there are occasions when the change can be made only when on the system admin. account.

Have tried to access the latter but so far have not been able to do so :) Is there some special way to do this - can advise :)

Computer Stats:

Dell XPS 400 Dimension
XP Pro Version 2002 SP3
Pentium ® D CPU 2.80 GHz
2.79 GHz, 2.00 GB Ram

Video Card – Nvidia GeForce 9400
Sound Card – Sigma Tel High Defin.
Audio CODEC


E Drive p Sony CD –RW CRX217E
F Drive – HL-DT-ST- DVD+RW
CD-R discs are 48X
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#2
Marc Billow

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For most installs of Windows the Administrator is not available for general use, it's permissions can be accessed by Right Clicking and then hitting Run As Administrator. If during the install or setup of your OS the admin password has been changed you may need to enter it to access the rights set for this account! If you need any more info feel free to ask!
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#3
FNP

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pdcagirl- At the user login screen, make sure no accounts are selected (e.g., click anywhere except on a user's name like you would to log in to that account). Press CTRL + ALT + DELETE (you may have to do this twice), and a new login screen will appear. Enter Administrator as the username and leave the password blank (unless you entered an administrator password when you set up the operating system), and voila! Administrator account access. You can check out this YouTube video for a visual description.

Marc Billow- Good answer, but it's not applicable to this situation. That only applies to Vista/7 installs, and the question here relates to XP. Never hurts to read through the whole post! :)

Edited by FNP, 17 June 2010 - 10:55 PM.

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#4
pdcagirl

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Your instructions were perfect FNP - was able to get into the admin. accountwith no problems! Will keep your reply so if I need in future will have such.

However, I found I still could not correct what I was trying to do. It is a picky issue but one that 'bugs' me so have been trying to find a way to change an icon.

The icon for 'My Computer' which used to be, I believe, a tiny computer has jumped to an icon resembling a 'windows' icon (little sqare with tiny dots (icons) on it). All other drives have retained their icons OK - just the 'My Computer' icon has changed. Have no idea when, why, or what I was doing that might have caused this so not much help there.

Might you have more perfect instructions to follow :) ? And thanks for helping me understand how to get into the Sys. Admin. Acct. should I ever need to.
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#5
pdcagirl

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For clarification, just noticed on my post under Member on the left, the OS is listed as Vista.

My desktop - XP Pro
My laptop - Win 7

Hope this helps any confusion.
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#6
diabillic

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Your instructions were perfect FNP - was able to get into the admin. accountwith no problems! Will keep your reply so if I need in future will have such.

However, I found I still could not correct what I was trying to do. It is a picky issue but one that 'bugs' me so have been trying to find a way to change an icon.

The icon for 'My Computer' which used to be, I believe, a tiny computer has jumped to an icon resembling a 'windows' icon (little sqare with tiny dots (icons) on it). All other drives have retained their icons OK - just the 'My Computer' icon has changed. Have no idea when, why, or what I was doing that might have caused this so not much help there.

Might you have more perfect instructions to follow :) ? And thanks for helping me understand how to get into the Sys. Admin. Acct. should I ever need to.


Paste a screenshot
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#7
pdcagirl

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Here it is - hope I get it right to come through. Nope would not upload - think the file is too big and not sure how to make it into a jpeg - can advise? :)
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#8
FNP

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What file format were you saving it as? What were you using to take the screenshot?
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#9
pdcagirl

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Hey found the way to save the file as a jpeg so will see if it will upload now. Yes it did - OK now?

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#10
SpywareDr

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Have you tried Tweak UI's "Rebuild Icon's"?

Microsoft PowerToys for Windows XP
http://www.microsoft...ppowertoys.mspx

Scroll down and on the right, look for:

Tweak UI
Download TweakUI.exe
147 KB 1 min @ 28.8 Kbps

Download, install and then run it. In the left pane, select "Repair" (at the bottom). "Rebuild Icons" should already be selected, so go ahead and click the "Repair Now" button.

That should do it. Check and see if your icon has been repaired. If not, reboot and check again.

Let us know what happens ...
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#11
pdcagirl

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OK got your instructions typed out and will have at it and be back to let you know how it all worked out.
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#12
pdcagirl

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Had no problems following your instructions to the letter. Did it all twice just to make sure - sad to say the My Computer icon is quite stubborn - did not change one bit :) :)

Further ideas?
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#13
Tam2u

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Please do not try this until one of the staff here says it is a good idea but this worked for me

look it in the main directory of the drive for an autorun file. If there is one there, delete it and reboot. That fixed it for me


And I also found this article which may offer some help
http://www.experts-e...D-SOLUTION.html

Edited by Tam2u, 19 June 2010 - 11:09 AM.

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#14
pdcagirl

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do not know how to find the main directory of my Drive C in order to proceed further :) And as you suggest will wait for confirmation from someone else on this site:)
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