Where did that folder come from???

[mazaprin]

Hi, I would appreciate your help to receive an explanation or solution for the strange thing that happened to me:

I use Windows XP Home with SP2 (everything working fine and up to date). Up until now and since I purchased this laptop 2 years ago there has been only 2 Users: My Wife and I and we are BOTH Administrators of this computer.

The starnge thing happened when I, for the first time, used F8 to open Windows in SAFE MODE to run an antivirus scan (also for the first time in safe mode) and at the log in screen (where usually there are opnly 2 accounts (my wife and mine) icons (or pictures), I was surprised to see a third icon named "Administrator" which I did not create (maybe windows created it when it was installed at the factory on my laptop and it only appears on Safe Mode and not in the standard Mode).

I logged in using the "Administrator" icon and ran the antivirus scan (which yielded NO viruses at all). Since then... a folder named "Administrator" has appeared out of nowhere under Documents & Settings, along with my wife's, mine's and all users' folders.

Before I went into safe mode and logged in into that Administrator Account (or icon), THERE WAS NO ADMINISTRATOR FOLDER shown on Documents & Settings. The "Administrator" Account (or icon) ONLY appears at the log in screen on SAFE MODE. When I boot in STANDARD MODE I only see the two accounts I created for me and my wife (both Administrators accounts) and I don't know WHY this Administrator Account only shows on safe mode and not in the Standard Mode nor WHY I don;t see it on Control Panel under Users' accounts.

My question is:
1.- Where did that "Administrator" folder came from if it was never shown before?
2.- How can I get rid of that "Administrator" folder on Documents & Settings that I don't need nor use? ... Can I safely delete that folder without any bad consecuences to my System?

I would appreciate your opinion about this.

[Miz]

The Administrator account is present on all XP installations. It is only accessible in XP Home in Safe Mode, which is why you hadn't seen it before.

Once it's used, a folder for it is created in Documents and Settings.

I'm not sure XP will even let you delete the Administrator folder since the account itself is necessary. I'd leave it alone. Actually, I do leave it alone on my XP systems.

[rightcoast]

Don't delete it, it is absolutely normal.

[mazaprin]

Hi, thank you very much to all of you that have responded with the same answer: "leave it alone, it is standard in XP". Well, what can I say? I think this Topic has been exhausted and all the coming answers will be on the same side, so I think we can close this topic but I don't know how to do it.
Any suggestions?