My Admin Accounts are MIA

[Top Shelf Jim]

Experts,
Instead of the Windows blue welcome screen with user icons, our PC now
offers only a black screen with a log on box for a default user with limited
rights. We can log on and access my wife's docs and get online, but have no
access to either of our two admin accounts. Any chance I can restore/regain
access to these accounts? Neither one was password protected.

 

[Holz]

Experts,
Instead of the Windows blue welcome screen with user icons, our PC
now offers only a black screen with a log on box for a default user
with limited rights. We can log on and access my wife's docs and get
online, but have no access to either of our two admin accounts. Any
chance I can restore/regain access to these accounts? Neither one
was password protected.

Not sure how this happens. Are you virus protected and updated?
I would try to run either in-place repair or boot from a rescue cd to
see which account are available. To create a rescue cd, download this
manual, http://www.conejonetwork.com, and process until page for. when
you get to page 4 and see Boot: type ntpass and press enter. you can
continue and accepting all defaults, in the end you will be able to see
a list of the available account. If Administrator is not there you will
have to run in-place repair.

 

[Holz]

manual, http://www.conejonetwork.com

should have been http://www.conejonetwork.com/upg.pdf

 

[windmap]

Check your computer for Malware/Spyware/Virus/Parasite infections.

 

[Nightowl]

Experts,
Instead of the Windows blue welcome screen with user icons, our PC now
offers only a black screen with a log on box for a default user with limited
rights. We can log on and access my wife's docs and get online, but have no
access to either of our two admin accounts. Any chance I can restore/regain
access to these accounts? Neither one was password protected.

Hi Jim

I'm not sure from your description, but the "black screen with a log on
box for a default user with limited rights" could be the "classic" or
Windows NT-style logon box, an alternative to the XP Welcome Screen.

By default it shows the name of the last logged-in user, but you can
delete this and type in any other user's name. Try doing this, putting
in the name of one of your admin accounts, and leaving the password
field blank, as you say they weren't password-protected.

You could also try replacing the limited user's name with
"Administrator" (without the quotes to access the built-in
Administrator account. The default password for this is also blank.

If this gets you in, go to Control Panel | User Accounts, click on
"Change the way users log on or off" and then check "Use Welcome Screen"
(and Fast User Switching is that is something you use). Next time you
reboot you should get the Welcome Screen.

Hope this helps. Let us know how you get on