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Windows NT / 2000 / XP Discussion Thread
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Nov 8th, 2006

"Administrator" account disappeared

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When I first installed Windows XP Pro x64, I left the user account settings at default. This meant I had 1 "Administrator" and 1 "Guest" account.

For security reasons, I wanted to have an account with administrator capabilities, but with a differerent name. I also wanted an account with guest capabilities but with a different name.

So, while I was still logged into the "Administrstor" account, I created another administrator account with the name "Speaker" and a guest account with the name "Bookworm". This is where the problem started.

As soon as I logged out the the original "Administrator" account, it disappeared from the startup screen. Now, the only accounts I have on the XP startup screen are "Speaker", "Bookworm", and "Guest".

I have some browser bookmarks and some Photoshop files which I really need from the "Administrator" account, but I am denied access to the account in the 'Documents and Settings' folder. They are nowhere else to be found, and I can't seem to find a way to get the "Administrator" account back.

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teradost

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Nov 8th, 2006

Re: "Administrator" account disappeared

the administrator account is still there, just, now that you have a different account, it is not displayed on the startup screen normally.

boot into safemode (hold F8 when the computer is starting up, and select 'safe mode') and that will give you access to the administrator account. take whatever files you need and put them in an open folder, then reboot, and you can access them from that folder.

Dortz

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Posting Whiz in Training

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Nov 9th, 2006

Re: "Administrator" account disappeared

Hi there

I fully agree with the above post... However you could boot as normal to the welcome screen.... where you three accounts .... I presume you have a password for the accounts...Click on the name.....Do NOT type the password for that account .......Press CTRL ALT DEL and do this twice......... A window will open delete the account name and type
Administrator and press enter.... If when you first installed XP you added a Administrators password enter it in the Password box and enter you are now in the Place you want to be. Copy the files you want to the root of the C drive.

Hope this helps

Darren
South Africa

xcellpro6

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Nov 19th, 2007

Re: "Administrator" account disappeared

Click to Expand / Collapse Quote originally posted by xcellpro6 ...

Hi there

I fully agree with the above post... However you could boot as normal to the welcome screen.... where you three accounts .... I presume you have a password for the accounts...Click on the name.....Do NOT type the password for that account .......Press CTRL ALT DEL and do this twice......... A window will open delete the account name and type
Administrator and press enter.... If when you first installed XP you added a Administrators password enter it in the Password box and enter you are now in the Place you want to be. Copy the files you want to the root of the C drive.

Hope this helps

Darren
South Africa

Is there another way?as a friend of mine has this problem (it occured after he installed a second copy of XP pro on his computer which is also (for some reason,on the same partition as the original installation) but his account on the original installation has no password, nor does his brothers account on the second installation.Both account are only Limited user accounts.the two installations, after hitting the F5-Safe Mode, read as follows
1)Microsoft XP Professional (Scotts account)
2)Microsoft XP Professional(Boot Screen) (Shauns Account)

jimftew

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Nov 20th, 2007

Re: "Administrator" account disappeared

Xp by default load the admin account one time. unless you creat your own unattended install and set the admin account to always load. to get the original admin account back you have to start in safe mode, check under user account to make sure that there is another admin account, then copy any files you need from the original admin account to another directory when you restart it will be gone again.

bobbyraw

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Nov 20th, 2007

Re: "Administrator" account disappeared

Click to Expand / Collapse Quote originally posted by bobbyraw ...

Xp by default load the admin account one time. unless you creat your own unattended install and set the admin account to always load. to get the original admin account back you have to start in safe mode, check under user account to make sure that there is another admin account, then copy any files you need from the original admin account to another directory when you restart it will be gone again.

When in safe mode there is nothing,zip ,nada, no accounts are visible at all, just a blank blue screen

,is this even possible you may wonder?,well,apparently so.Before we go to the next phase,is it possible, that, if I log into one of the available accounts and change the name to Administrator(if the permissions let me) and restart, will this refer to the admin file created at installation with all the cons of an Administrator, or will it spit at me and tell me "your kidding aint ya buddy?", then end the world as we know it? {has this method been tried before?..input please} He can save the files he has access to, but as for the other files locked from access, well, all I hear is the Darth Vader death march....lol.

jimftew

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Jan 19th, 2009

Re: "Administrator" account disappeared

Click to Expand / Collapse Quote originally posted by teradost ...

When I first installed Windows XP Pro x64, I left the user account settings at default. This meant I had 1 "Administrator" and 1 "Guest" account.

For security reasons, I wanted to have an account with administrator capabilities, but with a differerent name. I also wanted an account with guest capabilities but with a different name.

So, while I was still logged into the "Administrstor" account, I created another administrator account with the name "Speaker" and a guest account with the name "Bookworm". This is where the problem started.

As soon as I logged out the the original "Administrator" account, it disappeared from the startup screen. Now, the only accounts I have on the XP startup screen are "Speaker", "Bookworm", and "Guest".

I have some browser bookmarks and some Photoshop files which I really need from the "Administrator" account, but I am denied access to the account in the 'Documents and Settings' folder. They are nowhere else to be found, and I can't seem to find a way to get the "Administrator" account back.

Well, to access the folder, look up Ownership Of The Folders. I can't fix ur disappeared prob, 4 i hav the same thing.

DeezyPC

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Nov 4th, 2010

Re: "Administrator" account disappeared

I fully agree with the above post... However you could boot as normal to the welcome screen.... where you three accounts .... I presume you have a password for the accounts...Click on the name.....Do NOT type the password for that account .......Press CTRL ALT DEL and do this twice......... A window will open delete the account name and type
Administrator and press enter.... If when you first installed XP you added a Administrators password enter it in the Password box and enter you are now in the Place you want to be. Copy the files you want to the root of the C drive.

Hope this helps

Darren
South Africa

This worked for me Thanks Darren
Franco USA

Franco C

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