I need an accessible Hidden account!

[bigbro51]

Mom bought a Win 7 puter so that my 15 year old grandson, who lives with them, could use it for school work, and play games. She uses it a little to email, IM, and play card games. Mom and dad are in their 70s and don’t know anything about puters. They barely know how to use a remote control on a cable box. My grandson began downloading games that install BHOs, toolbars, plugins, etc that slow the machine down till it hangs frequently.

I took it, created an admin account, cleaned off a billion toolbars, BHOs and unwanted games, and their tracking cookies, some Trojans, and viruses, and the machine began to respond again, but as soon as he gets hold of it, he accesses the User’s Control Panel and lowers my privileges, so that I can’t function as an administrator on mom’s puter. This upsets the rest of us. He says he has to have admin privileges to install and play his games, and, that I keep messing up his stuff.

I’ve tried creating an admin account and hiding it from the logon screen, and the User’s Control Panel, but that also makes it so I can’t logon, not even in safe mode.

Seems MS made Win 7 so that if there is just one admin account activated it sees no need for any other admin accounts to display in Safe Mode.

I tried the following, "Hide the Admin Account" hack, but Win 7 would not allow me to logon, since I found no way to activate a logon run dialog, nor could I use Safe Mode, cause with His admin account visible, my admin account isn't, not even in Safe Mode.

I noticed a thread entitled: Hidden Administrator Account? on this forum, which led me to ask you about this. I'm a "slightly" above average user, so be gentle.

I need something hidden from him, even in the User’s Control Panel, so that I can maintain this puter and put a stop to his ability to lower my privileges. Any suggestions, other than lowered privileges?


Instructions to Hide the Admin Account from the Default Login Screen:

You can hide accounts the same way you did in XP, but in Vista and Win 7 you need to create those registry keys.

1. In regedit, navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon.
2. Right click Winlogon and select New / Key.
3. Name the new key SpecialAccounts (case sensitive).
4. Right click The SpecialAccounts key and select New Key again.
5. Name the key UserList.
6. Click the UserList key and in the right side window right click and select New / DWord (32bit) Value.
7. Name the new DWord value with the same name as the account you wish to hide. Double click this value and in the Value Data line enter 0 (zero) to hide the account or 1 to show the account.

 

[logicearth]

You do not need a hidden account. You need to remove administrative power form the account the kid uses. As long as he has administrative power, the machine is ruined and you have no control.

 

[bigbro51]

I tried that, but mom won't let me. She doesn't mind using a limited account, but won't let me change his to one.

 

[logicearth]

Then it won't matter what you do.

I personally would just let him ruin the computer, then he can no longer play his games or do anything.

 

[bigbro51]

Mom either. I just want an account he can't change. Is there a way?

 

[logicearth]

Yes there is a way. Take away his administrative power.
I know I'm sounding like a broken record, but that is the only way.

As long as he has administrative power, he can reverse every single change you make.

 

[bigbro51]

Yes there is a way. Take away his administrative power.
I know I'm sounding like a broken record, but that is the only way.

As long as he has administrative power, he can reverse every single change you make.

MS Screwed up win 7 then! They should have allowed more than one admin account to display in Safe Mode for this very reason. He does not know about safe mode, and if i could have my admin account display I would essentially have the control I need.

This is mom's puter and she will not let me take his admin privileges away. In her house she IS the ADMIN.

Thanks for trying.

 

[Jacee]

Have you tried this? In Windows 7 my administrator account has somehow got set to - Microsoft Answers

 

[MacGyvr]

Yes there is a way. Take away his administrative power.
I know I'm sounding like a broken record, but that is the only way.

As long as he has administrative power, he can reverse every single change you make.

MS Screwed up win 7 then! They should have allowed more than one admin account to display in Safe Mode for this very reason. He does not know about safe mode, and if i could have my admin account display I would essentially have the control I need.

This is mom's puter and she will not let me take his admin privileges away. In her house she IS the ADMIN.

Thanks for trying.

Mom probably doesn't understand what you're trying to do. What is her reasoning for a misbehaving child having administrative privileges?

 

[logicearth]

MS Screwed up win 7 then!

Um...no they didn't. Your problem is the child. As long as the child as administrative access you are screwed. Period. End of story. You can never fully hide an account there will always be a record of it.

The only way to solve your problem is to take away administrative power from the child.

Just let the computer go to shit. Let your parents deal with the child and crappy computer he is turning it into.

 

[bigbro51]

Have you tried this? In Windows 7 my administrator account has somehow got set to - Microsoft Answers

All the Admin accounts are fully functional with admin privileges. The problem is his is the only one that displays in safe mode. As long as there is one admin account on the Win 7 sign-in screen visible, no other admin accounts will display in safe mode, not even the built in admin account.

 

[logicearth]

Have you tried this? In Windows 7 my administrator account has somehow got set to - Microsoft Answers

All the Admin accounts are fully functional with admin privileges. The problem is his is the only one that displays in safe mode. As long as there is one admin account on the Win 7 sign-in screen visible, no other admin accounts will display in safe mode, not even the built in admin account.

It is because you told Windows not to display them when you changed the Registry for hiding accounts. That is what you did is it not? All three admin accounts on my computer show up on the welcome screen for Safe Mode.

 

[WebMattR]

Here's the solution I like.

Take away his administrator status. Tell mom that if he wants games installed, you'll install them for him. That's what I had to do at 15 years old (which was a measly 7 years ago, btw). If they don't like this, then refuse to support the machine. You're trying to make a really simple situation/solution into a very complicated one.

 

[Tepid]

You know,,, there is a reason that MS included some Parental Controls in Windows.
Use them, or don't complain.

And 2nd, is don't treat 7 like XP. Not everything will work properly, for a reason.

 

[James Colbert]

The first viable solution would be to remove the computer from the kid completely (really, somebody should be a parent here...). If that's not possible, I agree with other users who say let the system die a slow, trojan infested death. If your mom wants you to maintain the computer, tell her that she has tied your hands and refuse to look at it unless she gives you full control. Then lock his account down. Make your account the only admin acccount with a strong, strong password...something like the first letters of a phrase you'll remember - a line in a song or something. Then add a number or two.

James

 

[bigbro51]

Have you tried this? In Windows 7 my administrator account has somehow got set to - Microsoft Answers

All the Admin accounts are fully functional with admin privileges. The problem is his is the only one that displays in safe mode. As long as there is one admin account on the Win 7 sign-in screen visible, no other admin accounts will display in safe mode, not even the built in admin account.

It is because you told Windows not to display them when you changed the Registry for hiding accounts. That is what you did is it not? All three admin accounts on my computer show up on the welcome screen for Safe Mode.

You don't seem to understand the purpose for that move.

I want an administrative account that will display in the Safe Mode sign-on screen, that does not display on the normal sign-on screen.

My grandson will not look any further than the User's Control Panel to disable my admin account, so, if I could create an admin account that is not on the regular sign-on screen, yet shows up on the Safe Mode sign-on screen, he won't find it and disable it. However, Win 7, unlike XP, will not allow any hidden admin accounts, that do not display on the regular sign-on screen, to display on the Safe Mode sign-on screen. They both display the same accounts, no hidden accounts, such as the special admin account that comes with the Win 7 installation. In other words if it shows on the regular sign-on screen, then it shows on the Safe Mode sign-on screen. If it's hidden on the regular sign-on screen, it is also hidden on the safe Mode sign on screen. Try it and see for yourself.

 

[logicearth]

If you want to keep going down this path suit yourself. You won't get any where.

 

[TritonForceX]

I'm sorry, I know this is a little out of date, I just feel for people when they ask an honest question and others won't bend their thinking a different direction.

You can create your administrator account, then use local group policy settings to apply restricted settings to the kid's user account that will prevent him from accessing the Control Panel. Then he can keep his administrative privileged account, but not demote your account.

From an Administrative account, go to Start -> Run and type "mmc", from File->Add/Remove Snap-in, scroll down the list and select Group Policy Object. When the Select Group Policy Object window appears, click Browse, click the Users tab, then select the specific user account.

The settings you're looking for are under the Administrative Templates folder. Microsoft has done an OK job at stating what each setting does, but for this task you should be able to figure it out. If not, Google should fill in any blanks.

Hope this helps.

 

[corruptDNA]

Well i have an idea, why dont u temporarily show the hidden admin account, do the work, and then hide it again..