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Friend locked out of Win XP Pro - Help!

  • 28-03-2006 5:35pm
    #1
    JohnCleary
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,209 ✭✭✭✭


    OK, this is a very stupid situation but ill explain.

    I installed Win XP pro for a friend last night and left the rest to him. Now what he did was...

    While logged in as admin, he created a limited user account for himself, then disabled the admin account. So now he is stuck with his own limited user account, and cannot change anything as he is not logged in as admin, and he disabled the admin account.

    What does he do here? The log-on mode is set to the "welcome screen mode" if that makes any difference


Comments

  • #2
    Karoma
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,396 ✭✭✭✭Karoma


    hmmmm. Just hmmm.

    http://home.eunet.no/~pnordahl/ntpasswd/bootdisk.html


  • #3
    TouchingVirus
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,584 ✭✭✭TouchingVirus


    JohnCleary wrote:
    OK, this is a very stupid situation but ill explain.

    I installed Win XP pro for a friend last night and left the rest to him. Now what he did was...

    While logged in as admin, he created a limited user account for himself, then disabled the admin account. So now he is stuck with his own limited user account, and cannot change anything as he is not logged in as admin, and he disabled the admin account.

    What does he do here? The log-on mode is set to the "welcome screen mode" if that makes any difference

    Restart into Safe Mode!?


  • #4
    JohnCleary
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,209 ✭✭✭✭JohnCleary


    TouchingVirus wrote:
    Restart into Safe Mode!?

    How exactly will that help?


  • #5
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    I think Safe Mode still lets you access the Administrator account even if its disabled.


  • #6
    kippy
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 18,751 ✭✭✭✭kippy


    That password reset disk linked to in the first reply will allow you ro reset the admin password to a blank one.
    Now-something sounds a bit suspect about the situation.
    I am pretty sure that you cannot disable the admin account on XP-if there is only one admin account on the machine- so I would clarify exactly what your friend did.

    The safe mode wont help in this situation.
    Kippy


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  • #7
    seamus
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 68,317 ✭✭✭✭seamus


    I was skeptical, but it is actually possible to disable the local admin account in Win XP.

    His easiest option is to use the password reset disk. Failing that, stick the HDD in another machine, back up the data and reinstall.


  • #8
    Karoma
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,396 ✭✭✭✭Karoma


    Hmmmm.....


    Personally, I'd hand your friend the XP discs and tell him it's a "learning exercise".


  • #9
    TouchingVirus
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 8,584 ✭✭✭TouchingVirus


    Karsini wrote:
    I think Safe Mode still lets you access the Administrator account even if its disabled.

    Apparently not!?

    I do know it's always enabled in Windows Server :)

    I wouldn't be so skeptical as to the motives behind this question as you all seem to be, if the box was rooted then a bootdisk wont help the hacker - nor would a restart in safe mode :D


  • #10
    Karoma
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 19,396 ✭✭✭✭Karoma


    Who's skeptical? huh? me? never! lies and mistruths and propoganda! a pox on you!


  • #11
    JohnCleary
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,209 ✭✭✭✭JohnCleary


    Karoma wrote:
    Hmmmm.....


    Personally, I'd hand your friend the XP discs and tell him it's a "learning exercise".


    Thats exactly what I did :)


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  • #12
    tadgh
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 355 ✭✭tadgh


    Hitting 'CTRL-ALT-DEL' twice should bring you back to the Login screen where you should now be able to login as the administrator (assuming that it can't be disabled)


  • #13
    JohnCleary
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 10,209 ✭✭✭✭JohnCleary


    tadgh wrote:
    Hitting 'CTRL-ALT-DEL' twice should bring you back to the Login screen where you should now be able to login as the administrator (assuming that it can't be disabled)

    even after resetting the password to a blank, and enabling the account, that wont work... Meh I think he just formatted the drive as he had nothing on it


  • #14
    Capt'n Midnight
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Technology & Internet Moderators Posts: 92,385 Mod ✭✭✭✭Capt'n Midnight


    seamus wrote:
    I was skeptical, but it is actually possible to disable the local admin account in Win XP.

    His easiest option is to use the password reset disk. Failing that, stick the HDD in another machine, back up the data and reinstall.
    You could always just reinstall in another folder. You will be able to take ownership and stuff.

    If you had a backup, it might be possible to restore the earlier system state.

    Out of curiousity on earlier version of windows you could restore just the SAM to an earlier version , can you do that on XP ? Would deleting it kill windows or allow you in ?

    Defo try logging in as administrator in safe mode


  • #15
    [Deleted User]
    Posts: 0 ✭ [Deleted User]


    Capt'n Midnight wrote:
    You could always just reinstall in another folder. You will be able to take ownership and stuff.

    If you had a backup, it might be possible to restore the earlier system state.

    Out of curiousity on earlier version of windows you could restore just the SAM to an earlier version , can you do that on XP ? Would deleting it kill windows or allow you in ?

    Defo try logging in as administrator in safe mode
    I seem to remember deleting it would let me in but I also remember trying it once later on and it killed Windows. Maybe SP2 stopped it or something? :confused:

    There is a backup copy of the SAM in C:\WINDOWS\repair. If you copy it over the one in C:\WINDOWS\system32\config it should reset the Administrator account to what it was when Windows was installed. But of course, that's only useful if you remember the password (or lack of one) you used when installling XP.


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