Windows 7 Tips & Tricks

Administrator Account Password Setup

Microsoft has in it's unbridled wisdom left the Administrator Account disabled and without a password. The "disabled" part is not so bad, the password-less part, well. Maybe, all this is completely fine, but I just like the knowledge that the Account is password protected. This is how I deal with it. Start Button >>> All Programs >>> Accessories >>> (right-click) Command Prompt >>> Run As Administrator. When the Command Prompt Window appears, type in the following command " net user Administrator /active:yes" and press "Enter". This will activate the Administrator account. It will now be visible when the following command is entered at the command prompt, " control userpasswords2 " and the advanced user account menu becomes available. I usually obscure the administrator account by changing the user name to something random, but I leave the first four letters so I can tell the administrator account form all others at a glance. In this menu you can, also, add or change any other users password. Now, I close all windows and restart the computer to allow the changes to take effect. The administrator account, under It's new name, should now appear at the LogIn screen. LogIn on an account other than the administrator account and re-open the Command Prompt Window. Start Button >>> All Programs >>> Accessories >>> (right-click) Command Prompt >>> Run As Administrator. When the Command Prompt Window appears, type in the following command " net user Admin47BcF08m7 /active:no " and press "Enter". The command will require the use of the new name of the account, not the old one to work. This will disable or deactivate the Administrator Account, which is the safer way to operate. Restart the Machine one more time and the Admin(whatever) Account should no longer appear at the LogIn screen.