Can't login if Administrator owns profile folder

I've got a question about XP's permissions and logins:

I've got 2 regular users on an XP Home machine. The first user (User1) has been given Administrator priviledges and his files are marked as private. The other user (User2) is just a plain Limited User.
When I boot up into Safe Mode and login as Administrator, I can't see any of the files in User1's (backdoor admin account) profile folder. It says "Access Denied ". However, as Administrator, I can view the Properties of User1's profile folder and take ownership of his files and give Administrator Full Control. After doing this, I am able to now see and change any of User1's files. HOWEVER, when I reboot back into normal mode and try to login as User1, nothing comes up. It gives me an error that it can't access User1's profile. Permissions for User1 are still Full Control for User1's profile folder. The only way for User1 to be able to log back in is boot up back into Safe Mode, login as User1, click OK to the Profile error message, do a properties on User1's folder and do a Take Ownership - putting the owner of User1's folder back to User1. Reboot back into normal mode and now User1 can logon without any problems.

Can someone please explain why User1 can't login if Administrator owns the files even though User1 has admin rights and has full control of the folder? Thanks.

 

The first user (User1) has been given Administrator priviledges
Exactly how was this done?

When I boot up into Safe Mode and login as Administrator, I can't see any of the files in User1's (backdoor admin account) profile folder
Is it only a problem when you start in safe mode? And what problem is causing you to do the safe mode startup?

 

The accounts were all setup by me with the given circumstances. I'm playing around with XP Home to see what it can do and how it compares to 2000 and NT. I believe in both 2000 and NT if Administrator is the owner of a profile folder, the user can still logon, however, I think this is something new with XP home and the fact that Administrator can't logon without being in Safe Mode. Anybody else have any ideas or seen this before?

 

XP-home is for sure a strange critter when it comes to security and worse if you are familiar with NT/2K. Things work differently and I'm still getting bit trying to answer questions about that OS since I don't have it and can't play with things on it.

Here is what Microsoft has to say about your not seeing the administrator account except in safe mode and a work-around so you can logon as admin in normal mode. The account works fine - just a matter of how to get the option to use it.

As to the other,

 

If your question is how did I give User1 Administrator priviledges, I just simply went into Control Panel | User Accounts and selected it from the available options. I can't remember if I did it via Safe Mode or in Normal Mode, but I did do it (for my test purposes).

 

Newt, that link you gave in your last post is for XP Pro only. Yes, you can bring up the classic login box via CNTL-ALT-DEL in XP Home, however, you're still not allowed to log into the Administrator account without being in Safe Mode.

 

Awk - sorry about that. I'm still getting used to the articles not saying who they apply to unless you click that link to find out. Oops.

I'm gonna have to do some research on this problem. Tomorrow though. After midnight here and I'm just too dang tired. Would probably mess it up. So, tomorrow afternoon/evening I'll take a look.

Hopefully someone else will know the answer and post it before then but if not, I'll take a shot at it.

 

Just for clarification: the default account created by XP Pro has full administrator priveleges, unless told differently. The only way I know to log in as the Administrator in Pro is in safe mode (tap F5 at boot) In safe mode, I can view any user's files by using the fast switching (essentially logging in as them). I will check this out on XP Home tomorrow, because I use Home at work and Pro at home- is that weird, or what?
Johanna
someone please correct me if I am wrong about the admin account