Solved Can't see Default Admin account

[mitchell65]

I'm trying to help Glennc with his user acounts and wanted to replicate his problem. This meant enabling the Default Admin user account.I have never had occasion to use this before but ran cmd as administrator and typed "net user administrator /active:yes"
The process finished OK and I rebooted but no Admin account. I have just one account with my name (John). No password so normally boot straight in with no login. Can't get Admin to show.
Must have done something wrong but for the life of me i can't see where>
Any help please!

 

[Brink]

Hello Mitchell,

Do you have a C:\Users\Administrator folder?

If you log off from the Start Menu instead of restarting, do you have the Administrator log on icon available there?

If you are not getting a log on option at boot for either account, then you might check to see if auto log on may have been turned on for your user account. If so, turning it off should allow both log on icons to be available at startup.


If not, then you might see if you may be able to enable the built-in Administrator account using a different option below instead, and hopefully have the Administrator user folder afterwards.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/507-built-administrator-account-enable-disable.html

 

[mitchell65]

Do you have a C:\Users\Administrator folder?
Yes

If you log off from the Start Menu instead of restarting, do you have the Administrator log on icon available there?
No
If you are not getting a log on option at boot for either account, then you might check to see if auto log on may have been turned on for your user account. If so, turning it off should allow both log on icons to be available at startup.
Whether that is checked or not makes no difference, my system boots straight to my account with no Login screen



If not, then you might see if you may be able to enable the built-in Administrator account using a different option below instead, and hopefully have the Administrator user folder afterwards.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/507-built-administrator-account-enable-disable.html
As I have Win 7 Home premium some of the following is not available to me.None of the solutions had the desired effect, and I tried them all where I could. I still cannot see a login in screen!

I have an OEM version so assume the Default Admin account was created when the OS was installed? Thanks for your help so far Brink

 

[Brink]

Yeah, most OEM installations would have a default normal administrator account setup for you to use. This account is not the built-in Administrator account though.

 

[mitchell65]

So I don't think it is possible that I do not have a default admin account, or is it?

 

[mitchell65]

I have now set a password for my account so that I get a login screen on bootup. This shows first a message that reads "The user name or password is incorrect" This is before I type the password. I click OK and then get just my User name icon, no other icon for Guest or Admin. I type in the password and system boots up OK but still no sign of the Default Admin. Strange!

 

[James Colbert]

Hi John,

Just a thought...have you tried the 'Switch User' option form the start menu? And also, you could check option one at the link Shawn provides to verify that it's not Disabled (as per screenshot taken from tut)?:



And just one other thought...does it show up in User Accounts via the CP?

James

 

[Brink]

Mitchell,

In addition, getting the "The user name or password is incorrect" at startup after you changed your password sounds like you have automatic log in turned on. Check with the tutorial below to make sure it's turned off as well.

http://www.sevenforums.com/tutorials/377-log-automatically-startup.html

 

[alphanumeric]

I just enabled the built in hidden admin account on my 7x64 PC. When i went to user accounts it didn't show up until I clicked "Manage another account". By default all that shows when I open user accounts is the account I logged in with. I had autologon enabled, but have just turned it off. I'm in the middle of installing a game at the moment but when thats done I'll reboot and see what I can see.

EDIT: It showed up and I logged in OK. Check to see if your set to autologon like Brink posted.

 

[Brink]

That's great news Kerry. Hopefully it will work for Mitchell as well.

 

[mitchell65]

I just enabled the built in hidden admin account on my 7x64 PC. When i went to user accounts it didn't show up until I clicked "Manage another account". By default all that shows when I open user accounts is the account I logged in with. I had autologon enabled, but have just turned it off. I'm in the middle of installing a game at the moment but when thats done I'll reboot and see what I can see.

EDIT: It showed up and I logged in OK. Check to see if your set to autologon like Brink posted.

Sorry I have been some time getting back but Sunday Mornings are always busy here.
I have tried all the tuts where I can. I only have Win7 Home premium so some parts do not apply. Nowhere can I see "Administrator". It makes no difference to the log on whether the "Users must enter User name and password to use this account" checkbox is ticked or not. I have tried "Manage other Accounts" and I can then see my name ie John (Administrator) and Guest account which is disabled (By choice).Can't think of what else to try.
Any other ideas please?

 

[alphanumeric]

I'm running Home Premium so its not that. Did you use an elevated command prompt when you ran the net user administrator /active:yes command? From what you describe it didn't get enabled. The first line is the account name and the second line is the group your in. There is a difference between being a member of the administrators group and being the actual (built in) Administrator account. One is the Administrator "account" doesn't have to contend with UAC. I'm sure there are other perks but thats the main one I've noticed.

 

[mitchell65]

Hi Kerry
Yes I did use an elevated command prompt and have just done so again. Same result. Then I thought i would give it one last try and low and behold it worked. So with BRINK'S and your brains and my luck we succeeded. Very many thanks to all.

 

[alphanumeric]

Glad you got it to work.
My best guess is a typo or syntax error when you ran it. Anyway I guess it doesn't really matter now that you got it to work. Don't forget to set a password for that account.

 

[mitchell65]

Hi kerry
have set a password already thanks. Why this happened We may never know

 

[Brink]

Not sure what may have been going wrong before, but that's great news Mitchell.

 

[mitchell65]

Thanks for all your help Brink. With hindsight I suppose it must have been me but I can't see how I got the "Success" message in the cmd prompt if I had made a typo. Main thing is I'm fixed and back working with Glennc on his little problem!