Need help ughently with user accounts

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Guest

I am a novice user and my computer has reverted back to earlier settings which means My user account is registered as LIMITED instead of ADMINISTRATOR, and I need to chang it and also to delete the guest accounts which are on the welcome screen.
Please help. I am the owner of this computer and can prove same.
 
I am a novice user and my computer has reverted back
to earlier settings which means My user account is registered
as LIMITED instead of ADMINISTRATOR, and I need to chang it
and also to delete the guest accounts which are on the
welcome screen.
Click to expand...

Reboot computer in SAFE mode (while it first starts to reboot press F8
then select "Safe Mode" from menu)

Log on as ADMINISTRATOR instead of your user name

Select "User Accounts" in Control Panel

Click on your user name in the list

Click on "Change my type"

Click on "Computer Administrator"

Click on "Change Account Tyoe" at bottom

Click on "Change Another Account" (top left)

Click on "Guest"

Click on "Turn off Guest"

Reboot (NOT into safe mode!!!)
 
So kind of you to reply so promptly Paula AND with so much info' You will think me really thick now, but as I said before, I am a rel novice, so am not yet familiar with the word REBOOT. WOULD IT MEAN THAT ALL MY FILES AND DESK TOP SETTINGS WOULD BE LOST? ALSO WHERE DOi GO TO REBOOT? wHAT DOES SAFE MODE MEAN
Please excuse the stupid questions, but I am really very grateful f or any help
Alic

----- Pauline Johnson wrote: ----

On Sat, 31 Jan 2004 15:51:05 -0800, "Alice
I am a novice user and my computer has reverted bac
to earlier settings which means My user account is registere
as LIMITED instead of ADMINISTRATOR, and I need to chang i
and also to delete the guest accounts which are on th
welcome screen.
Click to expand...

Reboot computer in SAFE mode (while it first starts to reboot press F
then select "Safe Mode" from menu

Log on as ADMINISTRATOR instead of your user nam

Select "User Accounts" in Control Pane

Click on your user name in the lis

Click on "Change my type

Click on "Computer Administrator

Click on "Change Account Tyoe" at botto

Click on "Change Another Account" (top left

Click on "Guest

Click on "Turn off Guest

Reboot (NOT into safe mode!!!


-
Pauli

pjpjpj A T aussiemail D O T co
 
Re boot is when you completely shut down (shut power off )your computer and turn it back on. Or you use the restart option on your desktop. No desktop settings are lost.
----- Alice wrote: -----

So kind of you to reply so promptly Paula AND with so much info' You will think me really thick now, but as I said before, I am a rel novice, so am not yet familiar with the word REBOOT. WOULD IT MEAN THAT ALL MY FILES AND DESK TOP SETTINGS WOULD BE LOST? ALSO WHERE DOi GO TO REBOOT? wHAT DOES SAFE MODE MEAN?
Please excuse the stupid questions, but I am really very grateful f or any help.
Alice

----- Pauline Johnson wrote: -----

I am a novice user and my computer has reverted back
to earlier settings which means My user account is registered
as LIMITED instead of ADMINISTRATOR, and I need to chang it
and also to delete the guest accounts which are on the
welcome screen.
Click to expand...

Reboot computer in SAFE mode (while it first starts to reboot press F8
then select "Safe Mode" from menu)

Log on as ADMINISTRATOR instead of your user name

Select "User Accounts" in Control Panel

Click on your user name in the list

Click on "Change my type"

Click on "Computer Administrator"

Click on "Change Account Tyoe" at bottom

Click on "Change Another Account" (top left)

Click on "Guest"

Click on "Turn off Guest"

Reboot (NOT into safe mode!!!)
 
Thanks a million James for reassuring me. When Pauline wrote at the end REBOOT NOT IN SAFE MODE what exactly does she mean here?
 
..... snip ....
You will think me really thick now, but as I said before,
I am a rel novice,
Click to expand...

No problem - we have all started off as novices and had to get help
from others!
so am not yet familiar with the word REBOOT.
Click to expand...

It means RESTART - click on the start button, select "Turn off
Computer" then select "Restart" instead of "Turn off"

As soon as the computer starts to restart and before the Win XP screen
appears, tap the F8 key a few times.
WOULD IT MEAN THAT ALL MY FILES AND DESK TOP SETTINGS WOULD BE
LOST?
Click to expand...

Not at all. You are thinking of reinstall
ALSO WHERE DOi GO TO REBOOT?
Click to expand...

See above
wHAT DOES SAFE MODE MEAN?
Click to expand...

It is a special mode for diagnosing problems and alos for logging in
as ADMINISTRATOR. Only very basic things are loaded and most of the
things that normally load are bypassed.

By the way, if logging in as Administrator asks for a password (which
is shouldn't if nobody has used it before) then try the password you
use for your normal log in name.

Re guest accounts

I thought from your first message that you meant THE Guest account
which can be used by anyone but your second message mentions "four
guest users" so I now assume you mean normal user accounts.

In the "User Accounts" option you can click on any user name then on
"Delete this account". That should get rid of them.

Once you have changed your own user account to "Administrator" then
you can use the "User Accounts" option from there - no need to get
into "Safe Mode" - you only need to do that to log on as
"Administrator"

In case of confusion, the "ADMINISTRATOR" account (only accessible
through safe mode) is NOT the same thing as a user who has
administrator rights (which you want for your own user name). Trust
Microsoft to make things confusing!!

I won't be on internet again now until tomorrow so if you have any
more questions I will not be able to respond until then.

Good luck!!!
 
Thanks again Paulene. I am slightly confused about the two forms of ADMINISTRATOR. I only need to use it because without it I can't delete the guest user accounts, and also I can't operate windows update or defragment. If you would be so kind tomorrow, and once more confirm if the details you gave me are for the purpose I need ADMINISTRATOR for. I still haven't grasped what the other ADMINISTRATOR term means!!. You are indeed knowledgable and a huge help to me and no doubt countless other users! It's a good thing that my profession does not involve my operating a computer! Will log on tomorrow in case you have left a message for me.
Alice.
 
Thanks again Pauline. I am slightly confused about the
two forms of ADMINISTRATOR.
Click to expand...

The ADMINISTRATOR account is the one to use when things go wrong. You
access it by booting up into safe mode

Other users can have either of:-

An account with ADMINISTRATOR RIGHTS which lets them do lots of
administrative things. It is confusing because MS calls such
accounts "Computer Administrator" in the "User Accounts" program
you access from Control Panel.

or

A LIMITED account which limits their access to various things
to stop them changing important settings.
I only need to use it because
without it I can't delete the guest user accounts,
Click to expand...

It is a bit confusing to call them "Guest" user accounts. Windows XP
allows for ONE "Guest" account which any one can use. The others are
just called "User Accounts" and can be either "Administrator" or
"Limited".

Normally, a user with administrator rights can change passwords for
other users and can delete other users accounts. But if, as you said
before, your own account has somehow become a limited one then you
need to get into the account called "ADMINISTRATOR" that can only be
accessed in SAFE MODE.
and also
I can't operate windows update or defragment.
Click to expand...

The Defrag program is best used in safe mode as it has the habit of
restarting every time some other program writes something to you hard
drive. Starting in safe mode stops all those other programs from
starting up and only leaves the basics running. Also, before
defragging, turn OFF your screen saver if you have one in use as I
have found that some of this can also write to disk and upset defrag!!

Hope this helps.
 
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