Help, we recently reinstalled XP. When you start up the administrator account shows up. My girlfriend wanted to set up different accounts.(its her computor). She also wanted to set up a password on the administrator account. I do not know what she did but now when you start up the computor her daughters logon name shows and the administrator logon that she set up does not show at all! SO all we have is a limited account and cannot access the administrator account because it does not show up at all. What do we do?
Thanks, John

try booting up in safe mode, see if you see an administrator account then, i will try and help you more when i get home because i am not using a win xp computer at the mo. You could try doing a repair install of xp (presuming you have the ox o/s disk?)

Originally Posted by madmikejt12

try booting up in safe mode, see if you see an administrator account then, i will try and help you more when i get home because i am not using a win xp computer at the mo. You could try doing a repair install of xp (presuming you have the ox o/s disk?)

We did boot up in safe mode and the administrator account does show up but you cannot do anything. It is all locked up
Thanks

This is perfectly normal - when you create another user, the main admin user
disappears from the welcome screen. To access the main administrator account
log off all users and hit Ctrl+Alt+Delete twice on the welcome screen (as you would to
bring up the Task Manager). This will give you a Windows 2000 style login
box where you can select the main admin user.

The reasons for this are obvious - the main admin user isn't for day-to-day,
but for emergencies when you cannot access any other user. Therefore it's
sensible to keep it passworded and hidden.

If you cannot access this account: What exactly happens? Any error message?

If you cannot access this account you might need to run a Repair Install as madmikejt12 mentioned.

http://support.microsoft.com/default...;en-us;Q315341

Jephree, You saved the day. It worked just as you instructed. Now tell me how come it became hidden and how can i hide the administrator at will? I would like to do that to my laptop, since I know how to get back in. Thanks A lot!

Originally Posted by jephree

This is perfectly normal - when you create another user, the main admin user
disappears from the welcome screen. To access the main administrator account
log off all users and hit Ctrl+Alt+Delete twice on the welcome screen (as you would to
bring up the Task Manager). This will give you a Windows 2000 style login
box where you can select the main admin user.

The reasons for this are obvious - the main admin user isn't for day-to-day,
but for emergencies when you cannot access any other user. Therefore it's
sensible to keep it passworded and hidden.

If you cannot access this account: What exactly happens? Any error message?

If you cannot access this account you might need to run a Repair Install as madmikejt12 mentioned.

http://support.microsoft.com/default...;en-us;Q315341

When you install XP, either version, you get a builtin admin account
named "Administrator". This account is partially hidden. It is only
accessible in Home Edition through a safe mode boot and in Pro it is
hidden by default from the Welcome Screen.


Many OEM installs come with an initial "Owner" account, which is a good
candidate for your workday admin account. The retail version of XP will
hide the Administrator account as soon as you create another account. If
you create several accounts during setup and never logon to
Administrator, you won't see the Administrator profile.


If you have an admin account that is not "Administrator" then you have
two. If you have more than two, you have to wonder why, since viruses
and trojans are limited in the damage they can do if they are initiated
by limited accounts.


So the typical system should have Administrator, reserved for emergency
recovery, a routine maintenance admin account and one or more limited
user accounts.


--
Kent W. England, MS MVP for Windows XP

You can also rename & password protect all accounts including Administrator.


With XP Pro you can also use TweakUI - one of the XP Powertoys from

http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/p.../powertoys.asp

Once installed you will find it in Start - All Programs - Powertoys for Windows XP.

Its Logon page allows you to check off the accounts (including Administrator) that you see on Welcome.

Note that hitting CTL-ALT-DEL at Welcome will allow the name and password still to be entered in the dialog.