OS Tweaks and all that!!

[linoleum12]

Please can someone help? Whilst reading the recent "operating System Tweaks" article in the newsletter, as recommended I changed my user account type to 'power user'. Now, I desperately want to get back on the Administrators list but cannot do so. I am the only user on a stand-alone system with Windows XP Pro SP2.

[ktkendall]

Login as administrator then U can change yourself back. If U have never used administrator to log in then there should be no password required. In fact I make sure to password administrator and guest accounts when I load XP for security reasons..

[linoleum12]

This might seem an awfully dumb question, but how do I log in as administrator? Thanks for your interest.

[Panama Red]

If you have no Administrator Account showing in Users, reboot your computer to Safe Mode (tap the F8 key repeatedly during the boot loading to access Safe) and it should show up there. Once logged in as Admin, go to User Accounts in the Control Panel and change your settings as KTK has indicated.

[linoleum12]

the only difference in Safe mode is that my account type in the User Accounts dialog box is shown as 'guest' rather than as 'unknown'. Any moves to add my account to the administrator group in the management setup gets the "access denied" response whatever I try.

[linoleum12]

When you talk of "having no Administrator Account showing in Users", could you explain what you mean by "Users".....do you mean in the User Accounts dialog from Control Panel?

[ktkendall]

Since you have XP pro you can log in as administrator without using safe mode. Since I do not know how your login is setup right now I'll take you there from windows. From windows go to start then logoff, now when it logs U off and then stops at the login screen do a ctrl-alt-del and you should get a different kind of login box, one with blanks for username and password. Type administrator as username and leave password blank. This is the built in default windows administrator account..

[linoleum12]

I had great hopes for your suggestion, but these went when I realised I don't have a "log-off" option on the shut down menu, simply Restart, Turn-off & Standby. Sorry to be so awkward. I vaguely remember doing something that switched off the log in/off box as I was the only user, but I can't remember what!! What's the betting it requires Admin rights to alter it!!
Any other suggestions, Captain!!

[ktkendall]

You may have went to far, don't click on shutdown, just go to start and look right next to shutdown there should be an option to logoff..If U can't find it, do ctrl-alt-del and choose logoff..

[linoleum12]

All solved! I can't thank you guys enough. I think I was too close to the problem, and didn't see it till my blinkers slipped!!
Many thanks.

[ktkendall]

Most don't even know that there is an account username 'administrator' and it isn't passworded, which makes sense or else how would we get into it, but as I stated earlier, I always go in on new XP install and password guest and administrator account. Seems like a pretty big security hole to me since any hacker would know those accounts exist and are not passworded by default, but the average home user dousn't even know those accounts exist, at least the administrator one..