How to get back lost Administrator Privileges in Windows XP

[Aadimoolan]

I am using Windows XP SP3 on my system. There are two computers. Both of them have XP. I had created separate account for other people who are using it. Now I need some help here in one system which does not allow me to make any changes. I think some settings or virus has made my account limited. I cannot change any security settings, nor I can turn on firewall. There are some toolbars and popup on the screen which starts automatically. As the system is used by my kids so it looks they had accidentally installed some stupid softwares. I want to remove them, but I am getting a access denied message. I cannot even start msconfig.

[Chapal]

This is are the issues with virus. They modify the user profile and set them to limited accessibility. You can try to boot in safe mode and then run system restore. If that worked then you would be able to get rid of all those needless tools. Also there are some better antivirus on the web. Download then use it. There are free as well as paid edition. You must not go with any simple tool which is not capable of protecting your system. Getting a multi-user antivirus pack is more than enough according to me.

[Wooody]

Try to create a new account and see whether you can add admin rights to them or not. If there is virus then your task manager will also not work. You can try using a bootable antivirus scanner type tool which will clean your system and offer better help. There are chances you might face issue with cleaning. The virus also disables the system restore and does not allow the users to make any changes. Safe mode is the only option remained that is going to help you to much in many ways.