Do I have to re-install Windows 7?

First I will say Hi! I'm new to the forums, and boy I really did it to myself!

Fresh new install of Windows 7- 64 bit, I fully updated after install and installed a minor amount of software.

I was in the User Account settings with my default admin user acct. (the one that is setup for you on install) hightlighted. I wanted to change some things around, I clicked on change the user and it just automatically changed me to standard user, I was shocked that it gave me no options, it just changed me to standard. 'Course you realize the expletives that came from my mouth, as I instantly realized I was fu-barred.

So I guess I'm hooped now, because I didn't have the built-in Admin acct. enabled at the time. It gives me no options to make any system changes now what-so-ever. Wondering how it is possible to allow this to happen? When the not-so-admin acct., allows you to further change your not-so-admin acct, to definitely not an admin acct!

Now what I was trying to do is, I have my old XP drive, single drive, with both OS and data on the one drive. I wanted to dual boot or have the old drive as the data drive in my new Windows 7 setup. But the permissions were not allowing me access, even though the default acct. setup at startup makes you a not-so admin acct. it is not the full blown trusted installer acct. (built-in Admin acct.)

I didn't find out some of this info till I found this site, so my hats off to the tutorials that show how to enable your fully admin (built-in acct) to give you proper access and control for your system.

Coming from XP I always had my system set up full admin when I used it just as a personal computer, and one guest acct. for friends or family to play on. With XP I had a registery locker so I would know that if anything untowards was happening.

I wanted to setup Windows 7 the same but now realize too late is different. What I can see happening now is, I will probably have to do another install, follow the instructions as per tutorial on this excellent site, rename the built-in Admin acct., then enable it, put a password on it, then I can change the not-so admin acct into to a standard guest type acct. or whatever is best. I'm trying to keep things pared down on the OS drive. I already know that with the Built-in Admin acct. it have will give me full access to my old XP drive to delete the old Windows System folders and change it to a fully data drive and hoping that you can re-link My Documents folder to My Docs folder on my former XP drive.

Whew, sorry for the long post, but appreciate any pointers, and yes you can have a good laugh too if you want, but it was a shocking experience! Nothing critical but rather embarrassing!

Lee

Were you in the User Accounts and Family Safety -> Manage Accounts section? If so, it should not be possible to change the admin account to a user account. I tried doing that, and the option was not enabled.

Or were you in the User Accounts and Family Safety -> User Accounts section, and then you clicked change your account type? I was given a chance to choose, it did not automatically switch the account.

See if logging out, then logging back into the Administrators accout, with your password, works.

Okay it's partially fixed! Real easy that one, in safe mode it gave me option to log in as the full blown Admin Admin or the Standard Acct. or the Guest Acct. I logged in as Admin Admin and changed the Standard Acct. back to the Admin acct. it once was. I think I will use safe mode to do the rest. Is there anyway to port the settings from one account to another account? Like from the default Admin to the Built-in Admin.

Oh and by the way safe mode is another way to change your built-in Admin acct name. to whatever you want whenever you want to... real easy! I changed mine to Fname (full admin), with a password.

Now I just have to get the built-in Admin to show up on the login... I am assuming it's as simple as enabling?

I sure wish there was a way to access my old XP drive fully in my default admin acct. but it won't allow it. I tried a few work arounds but the understanding I got from it was the default Admin acct created on initial install doesn't have this TrustedInstaller access for full read, write access to other drives.

And I can tell you there is some weirdness to all this... well it's a new system and I am just learning. Definitely going back to separate OS and Data drives. I was running it all on one big one in XP just fine.

I am keeping my XP OS on the 2nd drive for awhile just in case. I can still boot to it, but I have to change boot order in bios. Guess W7 won't read past sectors and recognize my old XP drive as bootable unless I do some more fiddling around - which I'm trying to avoid.

Enable the (Hidden) Administrator Account on Windows 7 or Vista :: the How-To Geek and Windows 7