D
Dan Anderson
OK....In doing multiple CLEAN installs of Vista (RC1 & RC2) I have
discovered TWO separate ways to enable and use the built-in Administrator
account. What I want to know is what is the difference between these, and
is one of them better to use than the other? Of the two ways, one is VERY
quick and simple and the other is a bit more complex. Here they are:
THE COMPLEX WAY:
Click Start/All Programs/Accessories
Right-Click Command Prompt and choose Run as Administrator
Click Allow on the UAC prompt
In the Command window, type regedit and press enter
Navigate to HKLM\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Add a new key at that level called SpecialAccounts
Add a sub-key in SpecialAccounts and call it UserList
Create a 32-bit DWORD value in UserList and call it Administrator and set
the value to 1
X out of the registry editor
In the command prompt window, type WITHOUT the quotes: "net user
Administrator /Active:yes" and press enter
Log Off
When you log back on, the Administrator account will be there.
THE SIMPLE WAY:
Click Start and right-click Computer and choose Manage
Allow the UAC prompt
Click the little arrow to the left of Local Users and Groups to expand
Click Users
In the left-hand pane, double-click Administrator and UN-check the Account
is Disabled box, click Apply and OK
X out of the Computer Management and Log Off
When you log back on, the Administrator account will be there.
CONSIDERATIONS:
When enabling the Administrator account using the COMPLEX method, the
Account is Disabled box that is referred to in the SIMPLE method gets
unchecked automatically.
When enabling the Administrator account using the SIMPLE method, the
registry modifications that are referred to in the COMPLEX method do NOT get
automatically created, yet the Administrator account is still enabled.
So can anyone enlighten me as to the difference between these two methods
and which one, if any, is the preferred way and why?
discovered TWO separate ways to enable and use the built-in Administrator
account. What I want to know is what is the difference between these, and
is one of them better to use than the other? Of the two ways, one is VERY
quick and simple and the other is a bit more complex. Here they are:
THE COMPLEX WAY:
Click Start/All Programs/Accessories
Right-Click Command Prompt and choose Run as Administrator
Click Allow on the UAC prompt
In the Command window, type regedit and press enter
Navigate to HKLM\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon
Add a new key at that level called SpecialAccounts
Add a sub-key in SpecialAccounts and call it UserList
Create a 32-bit DWORD value in UserList and call it Administrator and set
the value to 1
X out of the registry editor
In the command prompt window, type WITHOUT the quotes: "net user
Administrator /Active:yes" and press enter
Log Off
When you log back on, the Administrator account will be there.
THE SIMPLE WAY:
Click Start and right-click Computer and choose Manage
Allow the UAC prompt
Click the little arrow to the left of Local Users and Groups to expand
Click Users
In the left-hand pane, double-click Administrator and UN-check the Account
is Disabled box, click Apply and OK
X out of the Computer Management and Log Off
When you log back on, the Administrator account will be there.
CONSIDERATIONS:
When enabling the Administrator account using the COMPLEX method, the
Account is Disabled box that is referred to in the SIMPLE method gets
unchecked automatically.
When enabling the Administrator account using the SIMPLE method, the
registry modifications that are referred to in the COMPLEX method do NOT get
automatically created, yet the Administrator account is still enabled.
So can anyone enlighten me as to the difference between these two methods
and which one, if any, is the preferred way and why?