Admin account changed to a guest account!

Hi,
I'm running XP Home SP2.
I have always been using a user account with administrator rights.
Having heard that it is not safe, I thought I would change my account
type to power user.
1. I ran "control userpasswords2" and, just in case, tried to change
the account I was logged in with; which naturally did not work.
2. Then, in the same window, I defined a password for the main
(default) Administrator account, which I had never used.
3. I rebooted in Safe Mode and logged in using the default
Administrator account.
4. Went to Control Panel > User accounts, and the admin account I use
everyday was not there. Only admin, and guest.
5. Then I rebooted in normal mode and logged in using my usual login...
which is now a guest account! Meaning I don't have write access to the
C:\ root, for instance... I can't even display the calendar as I don't
have the rights to change the system date & time!
How can I sort this out? I've done my Google research but did not find
any relevant solution. I'd be very grateful for any advice.
Thanks




--
ruetasilitu

"ruetasilitu" <ruetasilitu.1c85e80@pcbanter.net> wrote in message
news:ruetasilitu.1c85e80@pcbanter.net...
>
> Hi,
> I'm running XP Home SP2.
> I have always been using a user account with administrator rights.
> Having heard that it is not safe, I thought I would change my account
> type to power user.
> 1. I ran "control userpasswords2" and, just in case, tried to change
> the account I was logged in with; which naturally did not work.
> 2. Then, in the same window, I defined a password for the main
> (default) Administrator account, which I had never used.
> 3. I rebooted in Safe Mode and logged in using the default
> Administrator account.
> 4. Went to Control Panel > User accounts, and the admin account I use
> everyday was not there. Only admin, and guest.
> 5. Then I rebooted in normal mode and logged in using my usual login...
> which is now a guest account! Meaning I don't have write access to the
> C:\ root, for instance... I can't even display the calendar as I don't
> have the rights to change the system date & time!
> How can I sort this out? I've done my Google research but did not find
> any relevant solution. I'd be very grateful for any advice.
> Thanks
>
>
>
>
> --
> ruetasilitu


Boot into Safe Mode and log on with the Administrator account.
Open a command prompt window, Start -> Run -> cmd.exe in the Open box -> Click
OK.
At the command prompt, enter the following command substituting the correct
information for where it says "YOURACCOUNT".

net localgroup administrators /add "YOURACCOUNT"

Hopefully, you'll see an entry that tells you the command completed
successfully.
Restart your computer and check the status of your current account, it should
now be a Computer Administrator.

If you want to use a limited account as your everyday account, create a new
account and then copy your current profile into the new account using one of the
methods outlined in these articles.

How do I copy a user profile in Windows XP?
http://www.petri.co.il/copy_user_pro...windows_xp.htm

To copy a user profile
http://www.microsoft.com/resources/d....mspx?mfr=true

How to copy data from a corrupted user profile to a new profile
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/811151

You will have to use a third account which is a computer administrator in order
to copy the files. You can use the built-in Administrator account or, if you're
running XP Home, create a temporary admin account that can be deleted once the
procedure is completed.

Good luck

Nepatsfan

Nepatsfan;3045916 Wrote:
> "ruetasilitu" ruetasilitu.1c85e80@pcbanter.net wrote in message
> news:ruetasilitu.1c85e80@pcbanter.net...-
>
> Hi,
> I'm running XP Home SP2.
> I have always been using a user account with administrator rights.
> Having heard that it is not safe, I thought I would change my account
> type to power user.
> 1. I ran "control userpasswords2" and, just in case, tried to change
> the account I was logged in with; which naturally did not work.
> 2. Then, in the same window, I defined a password for the main
> (default) Administrator account, which I had never used.
> 3. I rebooted in Safe Mode and logged in using the default
> Administrator account.
> 4. Went to Control Panel User accounts, and the admin account I use
> everyday was not there. Only admin, and guest.
> 5. Then I rebooted in normal mode and logged in using my usual
> login...
> which is now a guest account! Meaning I don't have write access to
> the
> C:\ root, for instance... I can't even display the calendar as I
> don't
> have the rights to change the system date & time!
> How can I sort this out? I've done my Google research but did not
> find
> any relevant solution. I'd be very grateful for any advice.
> Thanks
> ruetasilitu-
>
> Boot into Safe Mode and log on with the Administrator account. Open a
> command prompt window, Start - Run - cmd.exe in the Open box - Click
> OK. At the command prompt, enter the following command substituting the
> correct information for where it says "YOURACCOUNT".
> net localgroup administrators /add "YOURACCOUNT"
> Hopefully, you'll see an entry that tells you the command completed
> successfully. Restart your computer and check the status of your
> current account, it should now be a Computer Administrator.
>
> If you want to use a limited account as your everyday account, create a
> new account and then copy your current profile into the new account
> using one of the methods outlined in these articles.
> How do I copy a user profile in Windows XP?
> http://www.ptri.co.il/copy_user_prof...windows_xp.htm
> To copy a user profile
> http://tinyurl.com/gq9fb
> How to copy data from a corrupted user profile to a new profile
> http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/811151
> You will have to use a third account which is a computer administrator
> in order to copy the files. You can use the built-in Administrator
> account or, if you're running XP Home, create a temporary admin account
> that can be deleted once the procedure is completed.
> Good luck
> Nepatsfan

The command worked.
Thanks for your efficient and detailed reply, Nepatsfan. The only
advice I got from other forums was to use system restore!
Regarding the creation of a new account, I am told that Windows XP does
not know Power Users. Indeed, the option is available in the account
properties panel but it does not work ('no such group' error
message)... Go figure.
So I guess this means XP Home leaves you the choice between either
using a regular user account, which is way too restricted for my
everyday use, and an administrator account, which is reportedly unsafe
(although to what extent is not clear to me) for everyday use...
Great. In that case I'll stick to my usual admin account.
Thank you again for your time. I'm definitely bookmarking this forum.




--
ruetasilitu

"ruetasilitu" <ruetasilitu.1c92360@pcbanter.net> wrote in message
news:ruetasilitu.1c92360@pcbanter.net...
>
> Nepatsfan;3045916 Wrote:
>> "ruetasilitu" ruetasilitu.1c85e80@pcbanter.net wrote in message
>> news:ruetasilitu.1c85e80@pcbanter.net...-
>>
>> Hi,
>> I'm running XP Home SP2.
>> I have always been using a user account with administrator rights.
>> Having heard that it is not safe, I thought I would change my account
>> type to power user.
>> 1. I ran "control userpasswords2" and, just in case, tried to change
>> the account I was logged in with; which naturally did not work.
>> 2. Then, in the same window, I defined a password for the main
>> (default) Administrator account, which I had never used.
>> 3. I rebooted in Safe Mode and logged in using the default
>> Administrator account.
>> 4. Went to Control Panel User accounts, and the admin account I use
>> everyday was not there. Only admin, and guest.
>> 5. Then I rebooted in normal mode and logged in using my usual
>> login...
>> which is now a guest account! Meaning I don't have write access to
>> the
>> C:\ root, for instance... I can't even display the calendar as I
>> don't
>> have the rights to change the system date & time!
>> How can I sort this out? I've done my Google research but did not
>> find
>> any relevant solution. I'd be very grateful for any advice.
>> Thanks
>> ruetasilitu-
>>
>> Boot into Safe Mode and log on with the Administrator account. Open a
>> command prompt window, Start - Run - cmd.exe in the Open box - Click
>> OK. At the command prompt, enter the following command substituting the
>> correct information for where it says "YOURACCOUNT".
>> net localgroup administrators /add "YOURACCOUNT"
>> Hopefully, you'll see an entry that tells you the command completed
>> successfully. Restart your computer and check the status of your
>> current account, it should now be a Computer Administrator.
>>
>> If you want to use a limited account as your everyday account, create a
>> new account and then copy your current profile into the new account
>> using one of the methods outlined in these articles.
>> How do I copy a user profile in Windows XP?
>> http://www.ptri.co.il/copy_user_prof...windows_xp.htm
>> To copy a user profile
>> http://tinyurl.com/gq9fb
>> How to copy data from a corrupted user profile to a new profile
>> http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx/kb/811151
>> You will have to use a third account which is a computer administrator
>> in order to copy the files. You can use the built-in Administrator
>> account or, if you're running XP Home, create a temporary admin account
>> that can be deleted once the procedure is completed.
>> Good luck
>> Nepatsfan
>
> The command worked.
> Thanks for your efficient and detailed reply, Nepatsfan. The only
> advice I got from other forums was to use system restore!
> Regarding the creation of a new account, I am told that Windows XP does
> not know Power Users. Indeed, the option is available in the account
> properties panel but it does not work ('no such group' error
> message)... Go figure.
> So I guess this means XP Home leaves you the choice between either
> using a regular user account, which is way too restricted for my
> everyday use, and an administrator account, which is reportedly unsafe
> (although to what extent is not clear to me) for everyday use...
> Great. In that case I'll stick to my usual admin account.
> Thank you again for your time. I'm definitely bookmarking this forum.
>
>
>
>
> --
> ruetasilitu


You're welcome. Thanks for taking the time to let us know you were able to fix
the problem with your user account.

As you've discovered, the Power Users group does not exist on an XP Home Edition
computer. It is available on XP Professional.

XP Home Edition also lacks the Local Users and Groups branch of Computer
Management which is used in XP Pro to make an account a member of the Power
Users group. Unfortunately, Microsoft left in place the option of selecting
Standard User on the account properties sheet in XP Home. As you've discovered,
it can cause big problems.

As for what type of account you use, the reality is that the vast majority of
people using XP Home Edition do so while logged on as an administrator. The main
reason why the security conscious advise people to use limited accounts is
because it restricts the ability to install programs. The theory is that since
the account can't install a program that makes changes to system files, it
reduces the odds that the system will become infected. My experience has been
that people who make smart decisions as to what they download and install can
run as administrator and never have a problem.

Nepatsfan