XP User Accounts and the Administrator Account

- and what to do if you lose the Admin account password -

Windows XP allows more than one user to be configured.  This allows families to all use one PC, and still be able to retain their own individual settings (i.e. shortcuts, wallpaper, default printer, etc).  You can work with user accounts by going to "Control Panel/User Accounts", where you can add, remove, or modify them.  Whenever a new user is added - by default he/she will receive administrator privileges.

Showing all User Accounts - and show all Accounts with Admin Privileges

Show all User Accounts

Many people think that going to Control Panel/User Accounts will show all of the accounts - it does not.  The only way to see a list of every user account on your machine is as follows:

1. Go to Control Panel\Administrative Tools\Computer Management    - or -    Start/Run . . . compmgmt.msc <Enter>
2. In the Computer Management window, click the + symbol to expand Local Users and Groups in the left 'tree' window
3. Click on the Users folder - the right details window should show all accounts on the computer

Note that one of them should be Administrator, which is a built in account.  You can right-click on the Admin account to reset the password, so long as you are a logged in user with Admin rights.  You should also find the account you are using and a Guest account. You should also see a Help Assistant and Support accounts: don't worry about them at this point.  Here is a sample screenshot showing 10 accounts, although on this machine Control Panel/User Accounts only shows 5 accounts as shown:

Control Panel/User Accounts - 5 Accounts Shown

compmgmt.msc  -  10 accounts shown

Show all Accounts with Admin Priveledges

1. Go to Control Panel\Administrative Tools\Computer Management    - or -    Start/Run . . . compmgmt.msc <Enter>
2. In the Computer Management window, click the + symbol to expand Groups in the left 'tree' window
3. in the right pane - right click on "Administrators" and select "Properties"
4. it will list all users in the Administrator Group - i.e. all users with Admin privileges

Where you cannot have Multiple Users  .  .  .  a Domain 

The "User Accounts" tool is not available on a computer that is a member of a Domain.  This is why virtually all workplaces use domains and home networks use workgroups - a domain is much more complex, and more secure, since user's have very little control and can only access their own machine.  The "workgroup" is a small collection of users that for homes are usually configured with full Read/Write sharing access to each other - and for small businesses have Read-only access with a password.

Windows XP User Passwords and "SAM"

WinXP-2000-NT all store user information, including crypted versions of the passwords, in a registry hive file (WinXP has 5 registry hives) called 'SAM' ("Security Accounts Manager" - no extension), found in c:\windows\system32\config (for WinNT it is in c:\WinNT\system32\config ). 

The SAM file is a part of the registry, in a binary format previously undocumented, and not easily accessible.  Microsoft provides no way of changing the password if you cannot log in as someone with appropriate privileges.  They do provide a way of making a "rescue diskette" to restore the registry files, thereby allowing you to get into Windows if you forgot your own user password - but this will not help you to find the Admin password.

That one odd, Special XP Account - that oddly, you never See - the "Administrator"

You probably will never need to login as "Administrator".  In fact, at the login screen of Windows - you will never see that account listed.  Neither will you see a user folder under "Documents and Settings" for the Administrator.  So this is why many people forget the Admin password.  But it is there.  

Why the Admin Account is not listed on the Welcome (Login) Screen - as soon as you create your own account on WinXP during installation, by default you receive administrator privileges, and is essence you have created a 2nd Administrator account.  Therefore Windows assumes there is no need to display the 1st Admin account as a login option.   Sp whenever there is more than the Administrator account, you won't see Administrator on the Welcome Screen.  However - you WILL see that account listed as a login option when booting into SAFE Mode ! !

How to NEVER need the Administrator Account

So long as your own user account has Administrator privekedges - and it certainly should since that is the default - then the only place you will ever need to login as "Administrator" is when you try to run the "Recovery Console" to repair Windows.  Fortunately - there is a way to automatically login to the recovery console as Administrator, as follows:

1. Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
2. Click Switch to Classic View in the right pane, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Local Security Policy.
3. Expand Security Settings, expand Local Policies, and then click Security Options.
4. Double-click the Recovery Console: Allow automatic administrative logon policy, and then set it to Enable.

OR you can do it this way:

1. Start/Run . . . Regedit
2. go to:  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Setup\RecoveryConsole
3. double-click "SecurityLevel" and change the DWORD registry value to 1

Another Odd User Account - "ASP.NET machine A"

This account will only be present if you have installed the ".Net Framework", which some software requires to run.  It is available via Windows Update as a non-critical install. It is used when hosting ASP.Net from IIS via your computer.  The account is created for viewing/debugging ASP.Net pages. If you are not developing ASP.Net pages, the account is used whenever you navigate to an ASP.Net page so that you are able to view and access the page. This is why the .Net framework installs the user account. On a Pro machine running IIS, it will also act so that you can debug your application.

Losing the Admin Password

Why this particular Password is Lost so Often - Since each user added to a WinXP machine has, by default, administrator rights - and since you never see the admin account and never login as admin - many people simply forget the password. 

Forgetting the Admin password is a BIG MISTAKE !!!  You need that password to use the Recovery Console - which can make the difference between a non-booting machine that you must reinstall WinXP from scratch - and a working machine !!!

*** to recover a lost Admin password see Admin Password Recovery