manage user accounts screen is blank

[larrylost]

My computer was a display model from a store. It had apparently been set up with a super administrator account. I had set up other administrator accounts and deactivated this account. I think I was trying to rename it because I had allowed remote access to some people I didn't trust and there was logon stuff left on my computer. But after that, my administrator accounts won't let me manage other useres. When I click on the screen, the selection box is blank. One the screens for my account, the image box is blank. I also lost access to all the files owned by the account that was deactivated, but I was able to give myself permission to view them.

When I go to the command prompt and type users, the old account name is there. But when I try to activate it by issuing active/yes, I get a "can't find the file message."

When I also turned on the administrator account, and it has the same issues as my current account.

I think I should be able to manage other accounts,, so there must be some permission list somewhere that needs to be changed, but where and how?

My next attempt will be to create a new account and try to copy the stuff my the deactivated one to that in the hope that it will give me a new account with the same super user privilege turned on. But that is a security risk that I would like to avoid if I can. Any suggestions?

 

[richnrockville]

Welcome Larrylost to the windows 7 forums.

Most stores that sell their display model will reset the computer the default new system specifications.

I would take it back to the store and have them restore it properly. I am not sure but I believe that Microsoft
requires them to restore to the OEM specifications and software so that you would have to start from ground
zero as far as users and passwords in order to register/validate your computer.

There really isn't any user called a "super user", there are administrators and users.

Rich

 

[larrylost]

By super user I mean an administrator account that doesn't prompt for permission to do certain tasks. The discussions state that this exists, but that some of the UAC protections are turned off making it a lot easier for a virus to gain control since actions can be taken without and response from the administrator. Maybe there is better name for it, but there are discussions about how to set up such an account, and at least one of them used the term "super administrator". I thought it was an apt name, but there may be a better one. Again, the difference between this type of administrator account and the normal one is that all UAC's are turned off the account.

But none of this solves the problem of not being able to manage the user accounts. About the only things I can do is make some changes to my account and create and delete accounts. The other links do nothing. For example, when I click on parental control, the screen blinks for an instant, and then just stays like it was.