user log on problem

Windows XP pro desktop has 2 users - Admin & Paul. I tried to add the user name "Administrator" (so that it was the same as existed on a XP home machine which could not be accessed over the network) but failed as I received the message the user name "Administrator" already exists - although it was not showing as a log on choice. I then chose cancel. When I rebooted the only log on choice was "Paul" while the main user "Admin" had disappeared. Luckily, I was able to use system restore to re-establish the normal log-on choices. My question is could I have re-created the user "Admin " while logged on as "Paul" without losing the original "Admin" account settings, or is there a way of re-establishing the regular log-on user choices without using system restore - which is in itself hit & miss at times.

 

XP always has a true Administrator account. It cannot be addded or deleted.

In XP Home it is called Administrator. During Setup, the first user created has Administrative priviliges and is by default called Owner. You can only logon in XP Home as user named 'Administrator' in Safe Mode.

XP Pro has a true Administrator, named Administrator. By default during setup the first user created is one with Administrative priviliges. XP Pro allows a logon by a username Administrator in both Normal and Safe Mode.

So when you installed XP Pro, you created as users:

Administrator (created automaticly)
Admin
Paul

And on your Welcome Screen logon you would see:

Admin
Paul

The built-in Administrator account is hidden from Welcome Screen when a user account with Administrator privileges exists and enabled. In Windows XP Home Edition, you can login as built-in Administrator in Safe Mode only. For XP Professional, press CTRL + ALT + DEL twice at the Welcome Screen and input your Administrator password in the classic logon window that appears.

You can, in XP Pro, have the true Administrator account appear on the Welcome Screen Logon type: http://windowsxp.mvps.org/admins.htm (You can in XP Home as well, but you cannot logon)

Answer: Only if Paul was a user with Administrative priviliges. The most certain way of accomplishing what you want would be to use one of these methods:

Method #1: Last Known Good Configuration

• Hit the F8 function key early and often beginning at computer startup. From the Boot Option menu that appears, choose Last Known Good Configuration
• Done.

Method #2: Logon as the true Administrator

• At the Welcome Logon Screen, do a Ctrl-Alt-Delete key sequence and logon as 'Administrator';
• Control Panel, User Accounts. Create a new, Admistrative priviliged, user called Admins or something other than 'Administrator' or 'Admin';
• Start, Logoff;
• Logon as the new username you just created;
• Start, Logoff;
• Logon as 'Administrator'
• Follow carefully the instruction in this KB article. You are going to copy the old profile of username 'Admin' to the new username you created just above so that the new username will have the same Desktop and features as the old username 'Admin' once enjoyed: http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=811151
• Logoff, and logon as the new username. Test.
• Done.

 

Problem solved

Many thanks for the advice, It was just what I need to learn and now I know why it was not possible to create the Administrator account.

 

You are very welcome.

Regards.