deleting administrator

Hi,
In attempting to configure direct cable connections to another computer, I inadvertently created an Administrator. Something I do not need and which only gets in my way. How do I get rid of the Administrator?

 

aa3648--

How does it get in your way?

You should still be able to start Windows using whatever account you created before this all happened, and it should also have Adminstrator privileges.
If your intention is get rid of the Administrator option at boot, you can go here
HKLM\Software\Microsoft\WindowsNT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\SpecialAccounts\UserList.
In the right panel, you will see a line or lines "Administrator ". If you see two you will have to decide which is the one that has always been there and the new one.
To stop the Administrator from appearing in the boot window, the Data column entry should have a (0) rather than (1) at the end. You can make that change by right clicking on the word Administrator|then Modify and change the value line to 0.
But before you make any changes in the Registry you should back up the key you are changing. Registry|File|Export. If you want to reverse the change you make, you click on the .reg file you have just created.

 

Hi Welshjim,

Thank you for your response to my problem.

HKLM\.................\UserList does not list an Administrator. It does list a
( icon with ab inserted )Default REG_SZ ( value not set )

Also, three of the entries have data of ( 65536 ). In a previous registry the data is 0.

Maybe I did not create an Administrator account but deleted my administrative privileges. Can this be recovered?

 

aa3648--I wonder if a System Restore to a date prior to the problem's starting might not fix things??

If not, please tell us what problem this Adminstrator account is causing.

You could look in Control Panel\User Accounts to see whether any changes there might help.
Also try Start|Run|type control userpasswords2|OK and see what accounts are listed and if changes there might help.

 

Hi again Welshjim,

Thank you for the second response.

1) I need administrator privilege to execute SYSTEM RESTORE. I do not have this.

2) Any changes I attempt results in a " need Administrator privilege ". Example: SpamKiller after downloading cannot be installed since I do not have privileges. I wanted to reconfigure Direct Cable Connection to maybe see why I caused my problem. I could not without Administation privileges. I could effect configuration prior to my problem.

3) Running " control userpassword2 " provided a logon screen for an Administrator. I don't think I have an administrator account on the machine. Anyway, I don't have a name or password. I did not create an Administrator account.

My computer is a Dell E510 with XP Media Center 2005 edition installed. Dell installed the software. I expect if they created an Administrator at this time they would inform me of the name and password.

I have had the computer about one month and am in the process setting it up. After the Direct Cable Connection configuring I lost most of my setups.

Control Panel\User Account lists me as a Guest account. No other accounts exist.

 

aa3648--I am still not clear whether you have a new Administrator account. It seems that you cannot find it, so I wonder how you know you have it.
Here is what Google has to offer on restoring an Adminstrator account.
http://www.google.com/search?source...04-31,GGLD:en&q=restore+administrator+account
Note the suggestion to start in SafeMode.
I have run out of ideas, so I hope someone else will chime in.

I do not think Dell would assign a password to any account, Adminstrator or otherwise. Usually when you, for the first time, start a new Windows installation, you are offered the opportunity to create an account (with Administrator privileges) but under whatever name and password you choose. You can choose to not assign a password. Thereafter you will not necessarily see the Administrator account that was created by the installer (Dell). (You see it only in the various places I mentioned.)
Did you try to create a new account in User Accounts?
Don't forget you have Support from Dell and can phone or email them. Another possible option, since you have had the PC for only a month, is to use Dell's PC Restore function. I do not know if that is still installed by Dell in new PC's. My Dell has it. Basically what is does to restore the PC to its state when it left Dell, so you will have to backup your personal data and after using PC Restore, get all the updates you have already installed.
http://support.dell.com/support/top.../en/document?dn=1090151&c=us&l=en&cs=19&s=dhs

 

Hi Welshjim,

Thank you for the assistance in attempting to resolve my dilemma.

I may have been too imprecise in describing my problem only because I am not knowledgeble of the operating system.

I have received a procedure which worked for restoring my system through another forum. I though you may be interested in it for your knowledge base.

The procedure is described at Dell Community Forum........Forum Home>Software>Windows XP>Administrative Credentials.

Again, Thank you for your time and patience.

 

aa3648--Thanks for posting back with the good news. I am pleased you got your problem solved.
I assume that starting in SafeMode and clicking C+A+D twice is the start of the method you used successfully.