administrator privilege

Hi,
I'm the only person logged on to my computer and when I check the user accounts, it shows that I have administrator privileges. The problem is when I go to Microsoft Updates website, it won't recognize me as the administrator and it won't let me "run as" the administrator either. I
tried to run Microsoft Outlook, but it wouldn't let me because it said other files were needed and only the administrator could do it. Any ideas on how to fix??
drm_rhm

 

Is this pro or home edition?
If you go into user management in computer management, and doubleclick the administrators group, is the user you are signed as in that group? It should be by default, but sometime things happen.

 

Hi,
I have the home edition of Windows XP. I went to the control panel - administrative tools - and computer management, but I couldn't find the user management or the administrators group. Back in the the users group in the control panel it still says that I am the administrator.
drm-rhm

 

OK I’m lost! Does XP home even delegate privileges?

 

Hi,
I found the answer to my problem on another site. If anyone has the same problem, this is what I did..... I started XP in safe mode and went to the user accounts in the control panel. There was the real administrator's account button!! I logged in there as the administrator with the same password and then restarted XP. The usual screen came up and everything looked just as it had before I did this, but when I went to the Windows Update site, I had no problem being recognized as the administrator. I was able to choose and download updates.
drm_rhm

 

couldn't you have just logged onto the administrator at the welcome screen? (ie, ctrl alt delete, then logged in?)

 

Hi,
I tried that, but it didn't work. I have always been the "administrator" according to the users group in the control panel, but I didn't have all the administrators privileges. When I booted to safe mode a new icon(a guitar) showed up for the administrator as well as the icon(a horse) that has always showed up for me. In safe mode I was able to associate myself with the "guitar" administrator, which gave me all the privileges to download updates, etc.
drm_rhm