Only one user - administrator

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I want to lock down my pc. I only want to have one account (the administrator
account). I do not want anybody else to be able to set up an account. How do
I do this?

Thanks,

ngg
 
ngg said:
I want to lock down my pc. I only want to have one account (the
administrator account). I do not want anybody else to be able to set up an
account. How do I do this?
Click to expand...

It is foolish to do this. Having only one account on the system does not
give you more security and it makes it impossible to recover from account
corruption and do various other necessary repairs. You must have the
built-in Administrator account and you should have at least one other
account with administrator privileges. You can make another standard (or
Limited) user account for daily work if desired. XP is not Windows 9x/ME.
Post back if you want a general description of the user structure in XP.

You didn't say what version of XP you have or whether this is a standalone
machine, work machine in a Workgroup or domain, home network, etc. If you
want very specific instructions, you'll need to provide more information
about your computer and your situation.

In the meantime, here are some security steps for a standalone (or
peer-to-peer machine not on a domain):

Any computer running any operating system can be accessed by someone with 1)
physical access; 2) time; 3) skill; 4) tools. 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 in XP Home, regular user accounts in XP
Pro.

6. Set user permissions/restrictions:

a. If you have XP Pro, you can set user permissions/restrictions with Group
Policy (Start>Run>gpedit.msc [enter]) but be careful. Using the Policy
Editor can be tricksy. Questions about Group Policy should be posted in its
newsgroup: microsoft.public.windows.group_policy.

b. If you have XP Home, you can use MVP Doug Knox's Security Console or the
MS Shared Computer Toolkit. The Toolkit can also be used in XP Pro and may
be easier for a newbie than using Group Policies.

http://www.dougknox.com
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/sharedaccess/default.mspx
microsoft.public.windows.sharedaccess - Toolkit newsgroup

Malke
 
Go into the Control Panel and select 'User Accounts'. This will display all
the account on your PC. There may be more then one account that has Admin
privileges (Your Account + the Default Windows Administrator account). I
would keep these two, just make sure they are password protected. You can
change the account type to 'limited' or delete any other user accounts that
have Admin privileges.

JS
 
ngg said:
I want to lock down my pc. I only want to have one account (the
administrator account). I do not want anybody else to be able to
set up an account. How do I do this?
Click to expand...

It's a horrible idea from a recovery standpoint... But essentially you
delete all other users and start using a password protected administrator
account. That's if you have Windows XP Professional/Media Center
Edition/x64/Tablet PC Edition...
 
If I delete the other account, how does that prevent someone else from
opening another account? I am using Win XP Pro.
 
ngg said:
I want to lock down my pc. I only want to have one account (the
administrator account). I do not want anybody else to be able to
set up an account. How do I do this?
Click to expand...
It's a horrible idea from a recovery standpoint... But essentially
you delete all other users and start using a password protected
administrator account. That's if you have Windows XP
Professional/Media Center Edition/x64/Tablet PC Edition...
Click to expand...
If I delete the other account, how does that prevent someone else
from opening another account? I am using Win XP Pro.
Click to expand...

If you have only one account and you are the only one who knows that
password - just how do you think someone else would be able to creater
another account?

However - if you leave me alone with that system long enough - anything is
possible. ;-)
 
ngg said:
If I delete the other account, how does that prevent someone else from
opening another account? I am using Win XP Pro.
Click to expand...

Please read the answer I gave you. Then you will understand a little more
about computer security.

Malke
 
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