Lost Folder

[Guest]

We did not originally set up individual accounts, and all used the PC using
the administrator folder. Today I tried to set-up individual accounts, one
that was a seperate administrator, and one that wasn't. I deleted the one
that wasn't and now the only account for the administrator is the one I set
up today, the original is gone as is all our work from the past two years,
and I cant do a system restore.

Help! We have Windows xp 2003 (we bought it in 2004).

 

[Malke]

We did not originally set up individual accounts, and all used the PC
using
the administrator folder. Today I tried to set-up individual
accounts, one
that was a seperate administrator, and one that wasn't. I deleted the
one that wasn't and now the only account for the administrator is the
one I set up today, the original is gone as is all our work from the
past two years, and I cant do a system restore.

Help! We have Windows xp 2003 (we bought it in 2004).

Your original account is not gone. You apparently were using the
built-in Administrator account (which should not be used for day-to-day
work but rather saved for emergencies). The Administrator account is
not shown any more when you create a second user account with
administrative privileges. This is by design. You cannot delete the
built-in Administrator account.

Make sure you are able to see all hidden files and extensions (View tab
in Folder Options). In XP, there are four checkboxes to deal with:

a. Check "Display the contents of system folders".
b. Check "Show hidden files and folders".
c. Uncheck "Hide extensions for known file types".
d. Uncheck "Hide protected operating system files" and click "OK" to the
dialog box.

Open My Computer and navigate to C:\Documents and Settings\Administrator
and you will see all your old data in the My Documents folder. Copy it
to C:\Documents and Settings\New-User-Account\My Documents. If you want
to copy settings as well as data, then create a third user account (it
is a good idea to have more than just the two accounts on the system
anyway but you can delete the "working" account afterwards if you like)
and follow the instructions here:

Copy a User Account -
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=811151

The level of distress you evinced in your post leads me to believe that
you haven't backed anything up off the hard drive. This is not A Good
Thing. Please back up your data to CD/DVD-R right away. Here is a link
to help you with backing up:

http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Backing_Up

Malke

 

[Bruce Chambers]

We did not originally set up individual accounts, and all used the PC using
the administrator folder. Today I tried to set-up individual accounts, one
that was a seperate administrator, and one that wasn't. I deleted the one
that wasn't and now the only account for the administrator is the one I set
up today, the original is gone as is all our work from the past two years,
and I cant do a system restore.

As you've discovered, once any additional administrative user
accounts have been created, the built-in Administrator account will no
longer be displayed on the Welcome Screen. This is a default security
feature. By design, the only way to log into the Administrator account
of WinXP Home is to reboot into Safe Mode. For WinXP Pro, pressing
CTRL+ALT+DEL twice at the Welcome Screen will produce the standard login
dialog box.

The built-in Administrator account really was never intended to be
used for day-to-day normal use. The standard security practice is to
rename the account, set a strong password on it, and use it only to
create another account for regular use, reserving the Administrator
account as a "back door" in case something corrupts your regular account(s).

A wiser course of action would be to create another user account
for your daily use (as you've done), and copy desired the files and
settings from the Administrator account to this newly created user profile.

HOW TO Create and Configure User Accounts in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;279783

How to Copy User Data to a New User Profile
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;811151

Help! We have Windows xp 2003 (we bought it in 2004).

No such version, but no matter.


--

Bruce Chambers

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