How to log in as "Administrator"

Hi ... I am curious here how do i log in as the administrator ??? I am the only user for this computer ... Now when i click to log off the only option on the screen afterward is my name to start windows i don't see any other name there .... Can someone pls explain how i can log in as the administrator ???

 

Hi... Okay thanks for that info i will try it out ....

 

Can you give the step by step for that?

After safe mode, where does one go to log in as admin?

Why is it necessary to be an administrator of your own Machine? using Home XP.

 

Why is it necessary to be an administrator of your own Machine? using Home XP

Many of the things you want to do with the PC like running defrag, installing apps, etc. require administrative rights to the PC.

I'll take a guess at the safe mode logon for XP-home. It probably doesn't have the account icons to click so you have to type in the username administrator and the password you set for that account.

 

I have read that, for security reasons, you shouldn't log in as the administrator on a regular basis. But I have found it to be too much of a hassle to keep switching, and I am the only user on this machine, so I have been lazy, and my log in is the administrator account by default. Does anyone else do this? ( I can hear Mike Flynn scolding me already!) Anyone have a problem yet? I never have, but I understand the rationale, and the reasoning why there SHOULD be two different accounts is valid. FWIW, I do have a strong password!

 

Johanna - I feel much the same way about running most times with a user account and having to log off and back on with another account to do any work with the system.

I don't log on with the Administrator account though. I have my normal user account as a member of the local Administrator group which gives it 99% of the same abilities. Not good if you want to avoid accidentally trashing your PC maybe but I'm willing to run that risk.

At work, my account is a simple domain user account but added to the local administrator group on my PC. Works fine and I just do "runas" and a domain admin account for working on other systems or if I'mconnecting remotely, use a domain admin account for logon since I only get on other systems when I need to work on them.

 

Newt, out of curiosity, what are the functions of the 1% that your regular log on account will not do? It sounds as if we are essentially doing the same thing, throwing caution to the wind! When are you prompted for your admin password? I never am, and assumed it's just because I log on as the Admin, but I use a diff log on password. What functions do you restrict from your regular log on is what I am asking. I'm just wondering what you think is important enough to protect. I'm not nearly as experienced as you, so type slowly.
Johanna

 

Administrator problem

I am alos the only user on my computer and when I try to install Pinnacle Edition I ge a error message that I do not have administrative privileges to install. I have tried to install from safe mode also. Would this indicate that I have a virus on my system? I have not been able to find one using Norton.

 

Newt, out of curiosity, what are the functions of the 1% that your regular log on account will not do?

LOL - I wish I could remember right off hand. Microsoft says an account that is a member of the admin group is able to do everything the built-in admin account can.

I'm on a large AD domain at work and the PC I use is classed as "semi-managed (as opposed to fully managed where the user really can't make changes or un-managed which I haven't seen) so that may account for the things my local admin account can't do. I know the AD domain admins furnished us an applet to allow creation of a local admin account and I can't be really sure what the .exe did.

Now that I think on it, I do not remember having problems at home on my workgroup LAN.