Guest Account in XP

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freedomfromjack

HI,

I need to completely and permanently remove, delete the guest account
on my system, both in DOS and in XP. I have someone in the house who
insists on getting onto my system without my knowledge or consent. Can
anyone help me?
 
freedomfromjack said:
HI,

I need to completely and permanently remove, delete the guest account
on my system, both in DOS and in XP. I have someone in the house who
insists on getting onto my system without my knowledge or consent.
Can anyone help me?
Click to expand...

You cannot remove the Guest account, although you can disable it. The
Guest account is a system account used for when someone without a user
account on the computer needs to log in and do a few things. It runs
with elevated privileges which makes it a security risk; that is why it
is normally disabled. Disable it from the User Accounts applet in
Control Panel while logged into an account with administrative
privileges.

Here are a few suggestions for securing your computer better:

Any computer running any operating system can be accessed by someone
with 1) physical access; 2) time; 3) skill; 4) tools. This is why
servers are kept in locked rooms with controlled access. 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 and there are ways around all of
these precautions. This is a family/interpersonal issue that can't be
solved by technical means.

Malke
 
All great advice. Also, please note the following:

In Windows XP, by default, there is no administrator password for THE admin
account. In Home Edition, the ONLY way to add a password is to boot into
safe mode, log on to the Administrator account, and change the password like
normal (control panel, users).

In professional, the best way to do it is to log off of all users (don't
'switch user') and then press CTRL-ALT-DEL twice at the Welcome screen. Type
"Administrator" for the user name and leave the password blank. Log in,
change the password, and log out.


For instance, with the guest account turned off, if it's Home Edition, I
could just boot into safe mode, turn the guest account back on from the
easy-to-access Administrator account, and use it.

- skeene
 
Thank you both for your suggestions.

For some reason I can't get into my BIOS area to change things around
and I also want to make sure that there is no place in DOS where things
can be changed back to guest account activated. Can you please tell me
in great "computer novice language" detail how to permanently disable
the guest account in Windows XP HOME and DOS? I DESPERATELY need to
shut down this guest account so that it CANNOT be reactivated by
someone who can read (websites with this info). I need to absolutely
make sure that the guest account CANNOT be reactivated by anyone
withOUT an administrator account or password.

Thanks again.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
freedomfromjack said:
Thank you both for your suggestions.

For some reason I can't get into my BIOS area to change things around
and I also want to make sure that there is no place in DOS where
things
can be changed back to guest account activated. Can you please tell
me in great "computer novice language" detail how to permanently
disable
the guest account in Windows XP HOME and DOS? I DESPERATELY need to
shut down this guest account so that it CANNOT be reactivated by
someone who can read (websites with this info). I need to absolutely
make sure that the guest account CANNOT be reactivated by anyone
withOUT an administrator account or password.
Click to expand...

Why can't you get into the BIOS? What happens when you try? Do you have
a brand-name computer like HP or Dell? If so, what is it? Although this
doesn't have anything to do with the Guest account, you need to be able
to make the changes in the BIOS as I described in order to secure your
computer better.

Accessing the BIOS
http://michaelstevenstech.com/bios_manufacturer.htm
http://www.uktsupport.co.uk/reference/biosp.htm
http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch000235.htm

To disable the Guest account, simply log into any account with
Administrative privileges and go to the User Accounts applet in Control
Panel. Click on the Guest account and you'll see where you can disable
it.

Please be aware that in most cases - as I already told you - the Guest
account is disabled. Having the Guest account disabled will not stop
anyone from getting into Windows if you don't lock down the computer
from outside of Windows better. There is no DOS in XP, but anyone who
can boot the system with a rescue cd can get in and change things in
less than 5 minutes. This is not a Windows-only issue. As I said
before, any computer running any operating system is vulnerable to a
skilled person with physical access.

If the processes I previously outlined are too difficult - and there is
no shame in admitting this isn't your cup of tea; we all have our areas
of expertise - take the machine to a local professional (not someone at
BigStoreUSA) and have them do it.

Again, please remember that these are technical responses to a
non-technical problem and they can all be gotten around. You should be
addressing the root issue, which has nothing to do with your computer.

Good luck,

Malke
 
Thanks for your help Malke,

I'm not sure if you mean I should change the BIOS password and control
from within the computer programming or on the motherboard. If it's th
motherboard, I'll have to take it to get professionally changed. If yo
mean from within the programming, I can't seem to gain access to alot o
the menus that I used to be able to get into. Are there any DO
commands that can disable the guest account and could you please giv
me the "inside programming" version of getting around the BIOS an
resetting passwords so that I can lock people out?

I really appreciate your time and patience with me, as well as, o
course, your help.

L
 
freedomfromjack said:
Thanks for your help Malke,

I'm not sure if you mean I should change the BIOS password and
controls
from within the computer programming or on the motherboard. If it's
the
motherboard, I'll have to take it to get professionally changed. If
you mean from within the programming, I can't seem to gain access to
alot of
the menus that I used to be able to get into. Are there any DOS
commands that can disable the guest account and could you please give
me the "inside programming" version of getting around the BIOS and
resetting passwords so that I can lock people out?

I really appreciate your time and patience with me, as well as, of
course, your help.

Lu
Click to expand...

Don't worry about it - I'm not losing patience but I think that based on
your answers you'd be best off taking the machine to a local
professional. It should not be too expensive. I'm also concerned
because you say you're having trouble accessing things you should be
able to access and perhaps the Evil Boyfriend (or whoever) has
installed keyloggers, changed settings, etc.

You aren't going to be able to tell what has been done yourself. I'm not
saying that to be hurtful; I'm just being practical. We all have our
areas of expertise.

Good luck,

Malke
 
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