Built-in Administrator Account - Enable or Disable in Windows 8

How to Enable or Disable Built-in Elevated "Administrator" Account Windows 8 and 8.1

This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable the hidden built-in elevated Administrator account in Windows 8, Windows RT, Windows 8.1, and Windows RT 8.1.

You must be signed in as an administrator to be able to do the steps in this tutorial.

Note   Note
Standard user (Users) - The standard account is an unelevated restricted user account then can be a local account or Microsoft account. It can help protect your computer by preventing users from making changes that affect everyone who uses the computer, such as deleting files that are required for the computer to work. It is recommend to create a standard account for each user instead of an administrator account for the user. When you are logged on to Windows with a standard account, you can do almost anything that you can do with an administrator account, but if a standard user wanted to do something that requires elevated rights that affects other users of the computer, such as installing software or changing security settings, Windows will give the standard user a UAC prompt to enter the password of an administrator account for approval and confirmation before allowing the action.

administrator user - Is an unelevated administrator account that is created by default during the installation of Windows 8 or 8.1, or is already setup for you on a OEM (ex: Dell) computer. This account can be a local account or Microsoft account. An administrator account has complete access to the computer, and can make any desired changes. To help make the computer more secure, this administrator account type will be prompted by UAC by default to give confirmation before allowed to make any changes that require elevated administrator rights. Such as those that affect the system, other users, or when running anything elevated (Run as Administrator) since running elevated will allow it to have access to the entire computer.

Built-in "Administrator" - Is the hidden elevated local administrator account that has full unrestricted access rights and permission on the computer. By default, this elevated "Administrator" account is not prompted by UAC by default to provide confirmation before allowed to make any changes that require elevated administrator permissions since it is an elevated account.

warning   Warning

  • You will not be able to open and run modern Store apps while signed in to the built-in Administrator account.
  • The built-in Administrator account is a local account that cannot be switched to a Microsoft account.
  • The built-in Administrator account's C:\Users\Administrator folder will not be created until the first time that it is signed into.
  • If you enable the built-in Administrator account, it is recommended that you create a password for it to help prevent unauthorized access of it.
  • For better security purposes, it is not recommended to leave the built-in Administrator account always enabled, or used for everyday purposes. The built-in Administrator account should only be used as needed instead.


EXAMPLE: Built-in "Administrator" Account Enabled in Windows 8
NOTE: This is for the Sign in screen and Switch User. If you do not see an option to select another user account at sign in, then click/tap on the back arrow button.

Sign-in.jpg
Switch_User.jpg






OPTION ONE

To Enable or Disable Built-in Administrator in Command Prompt



1. Open an elevated command prompt, and do either step 2 or 3 below for what you would like to do.

2. To Enable the Built-in Administrator Account in Windows 8

A) In the elevated command prompt, copy and paste the command below and press Enter, then go to step 4 below. (see screenshot below)

Note   Note
If you had previously renamed the built-in "Administrator" account's name, then you will need to substitute administrator in the command below with the new name instead.

If your Windows uses a different language than English, then you would need to substitute administrator in the command below with the translation for your language instead.





net user administrator /active:yes


CMD_Yes.jpg


3. To Disable the Built-in Administrator Account in Windows 8

A) In the elevated command prompt, copy and paste the command below and press Enter, then go to step 4 below. (see screenshot below)

Note   Note
If you had previously renamed the built-in "Administrator" account's name, then you will need to substitute administrator in the command below with the new name instead.

If your Windows uses a different language than English, then you would need to substitute administrator in the command below with the translation for your language instead.





net user administrator /active:no


CMD_No.jpg



4. Close the elevated command prompt.

5. The built-in Administrator will now be available to select to sign into.






OPTION TWO

To Enable or Disable Built-in Administrator in Command Prompt at Boot


NOTE: This option is great for when you are unable to sign in to Windows 8.

1. Open a command prompt at boot.

2. In the command prompt, type regedit and press Enter. (see screenshot below step 3)

3. In the left pane of Registry Editor, click/tap on the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE key. (see screenshot below)

boot-1.jpg

4. Click/tap on File (menu bar) and on Load Hive. (see screenshot below)

boot-2.jpg

5. Open the drive (ex: D ) that you have Windows 8 installed on, and browse to the location below. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: The drive letter (ex: C) will not always be the same as it is from within Windows 8.

D:\Windows\System32\config


boot-3.jpg

6. Select the SAM file, and click/tap on Open. (see screenshot below)

boot-4.jpg

7. In the Load Hive dialog, type REM_SAM and click/tap on OK. (see screenshot below)

boot-5.jpg

8. In the left of Registry Editor, navigate to and open the key below. (see screenshot below)


HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\REM_SAM\SAM\Domains\Accounts\Users\000001F4


boot-6.jpg

9. In the right pane of 000001F4, double click/tap on F to modify it. (see screenshot above)


10. Do step 11 or 12 below for what you would like to do.


11. To Enable the Built-in Administrator Account in Windows 8

A) In the 2nd column and 8th row, change 11 to 10, click/tap on OK, and go to step 13 below. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: You would do this by clicking to the left of 11 to place the cursor there, press the Delete key, then type 10.

boot-8-enabled.jpg


12. To Disable the Built-in Administrator Account in Windows 8

A) In the 2nd column and 8th row, change 10 to 11, click/tap on OK, and go to step 13 below. (see screenshot below)
NOTE: You would do this by clicking to the left of 10 to place the cursor there, press the Delete key, then type 11.

boot-7-disabled.jpg


13. Close Registry Editor and the command prompt. (see screenshot below step 3)

14. Click/tap on Continue to Windows 8, or restart the computer. (see screenshot below)

boot-9.jpg


16. The built-in Administrator will now be available to select to sign into.






OPTION THREE

To Enable or Disable Built-in Administrator in Local Users and Groups


NOTE: This option is only available in the Windows 8/8.1 Pro and Windows 8/8.1 Enterprise editions.

1. Press the Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog, type lusrmgr.msc and click/tap on OK.

2. In the left pane, click/tap on the Users folder, then in the middle pane, double click/tap on Administrator. (see sceenshot below)

lusrmgr.msc-1.jpg

3. Do step 4 or 5 below for what you would like to do. (see sceenshot below)

lusrmgr.msc-2.jpg


4. To Enable the Built-in Administrator Account in Windows 8

A) Uncheck the Account is disabled box, click/tap on OK, and go to step 6 below. (see screenshot below step 3)

5. To Disable the Built-in Administrator Account in Windows 8

A) Check the Account is disabled box, click/tap on OK, and go to step 6 below. (see screenshot below step 3)

6. Close the Local Users and Groups window. (see screenshot below step 2)

7. The built-in Administrator will now be available to select to sign into.





OPTION FOUR

To Enable or Disable Built-in Administrator in Local Security Policy


NOTE: This option is only available in the Windows 8/8.1 Pro and Windows 8/8.1 Enterprise editions.

1. Press the Windows + R keys to open the Run dialog, type secpol.msc and click/tap on OK.

2. In the left pane, click/tap on the Local Policies folder to expand it, and click/tap on the Security Options folder. (see screenshot below)


secpol.msc-1.jpg

3. In the right pane of Security Options, double click/tap on Accounts: Administrator account status. (see screenshot above)

4. Do step 5 or 6 below for what you would like to do. (see sceenshot below)


secpol.msc-2.jpg

5. To Enable the Built-in Administrator Account in Windows 8

A) Select (dot) Enabled, click/tap on OK, and go to step 7 below. (see screenshot below step 4)


6. To Disable the Built-in Administrator Account in Windows 8

A) Select (dot) Disabled, click/tap on OK, and go to step 7 below. (see screenshot below step 4)



7. Close the Local Security Policy window. (see screenshot below step 2)

8. The built-in Administrator will now be available to select to sign into.





That's it,
Shawn


 

Attachments

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Last edited by a moderator:
In an elevated command prompt, type the command below, and post back with it's contents to see what it shows at the status of your built-in "Administrator" account.

WMIC USERACCOUNT LIST FULL
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
hi Brinck,
here the result:

users.PNG

users1.PNG
 
Last edited by a moderator:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win 8.1 64bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    samsung NP915S3G-K01BE
    CPU
    quad core
    Motherboard
    ?
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD radeon
    Browser
    mozilla
    Antivirus
    windows defender
The first section in the top screenshot shows that your built-in Administrator account is still disabled. That would be why it's not showing up on the sign in screen.

It looks like it was a language difference. Try this command below for Option One in an elevated command prompt instead.

net user Administrateur /active:yes
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
here the result...but smart view will still not be installed...

users2.PNG
 
Last edited by a moderator:

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win 8.1 64bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    samsung NP915S3G-K01BE
    CPU
    quad core
    Motherboard
    ?
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD radeon
    Browser
    mozilla
    Antivirus
    windows defender

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
thanks anyway Brink, it seems that there is some incompatibility between W8 and smart view...a shame for Samsung
Birza
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win 8.1 64bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    samsung NP915S3G-K01BE
    CPU
    quad core
    Motherboard
    ?
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD radeon
    Browser
    mozilla
    Antivirus
    windows defender
hi brink,
for info i found the way to solve it.
Just create anew account called "authentificated users" and it works
Cheers
Birza
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    win 8.1 64bit
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    samsung NP915S3G-K01BE
    CPU
    quad core
    Motherboard
    ?
    Memory
    4GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD radeon
    Browser
    mozilla
    Antivirus
    windows defender
Birza,

I'm glad to hear that you got it sorted, but something is wrong with your installation or the program if you had to create that account to make it work.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
hi brink im having the same problem with my standard acct
i cant change to admin..
all the tuts say win8 pro or win8 enterprise
does this work for win8 with 8.1 upgrade
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    gateway-dx4380g
    CPU
    amd a6-5400k
    Motherboard
    0x1025(0x070b)
    Memory
    6.00 gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    amd radeon hd 7540d
    Browser
    chrome
    Antivirus
    avast
Hello Johnnyh, and welcome to Eight Forums.

Please provide more details about what you are trying to do. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
I believe it's worth mentioning that you should replace "administrator" string with the word in the language displayed by Windows. For example, my Windows langugage is set as Portuguese Brazilian (PT-BR), so I had to replace "administrator" with "administrador", otherwise a "could not find username" error message will return on command prompt.

I guess it's the same for other languages, so if the language is Italian, I believe you need to type "amministratore" instead.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1 Pro x64
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15-5537
    CPU
    Intel core i5-4200U
    Memory
    6 GB DDR3L 1600 MHz
    Graphics Card(s)
    AMD Radeon HD 8850M GDDR5 @ 8870M
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD ALC 269
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    Seagate Momentus 7200.5 750422
    PSU
    90-watt Dell AC Charger
    Keyboard
    Generic USB Multimedia Keyboard
    Mouse
    Genius Traveler 6000
    Internet Speed
    15 Mb/s ADSL2+
    Browser
    Google Chrome
    Antivirus
    Avast Internet Security 2014
Hello Cássio,

Agreed, and done. :)
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Impressive

Thank you very much for your suggestion. It's helped me a lot. Hope, you guys go on like this.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
Hi Brink,

I am having trouble enabling built-in admin user. When I right-click start icon, I have Windows Powershell and same thing listed again with (Admin), so I use Windows Powershell (Admin) and run the command: net user administrator /active:yes...says completed but does not seem its enabled . Even after rebooting there is no changes in the listings when you right-click the start icon. In other words I should see "Run As Administrator", but its not there.

Thanks,
Jay.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus CM6340
    CPU
    Intel i5-3350
    Memory
    10 GB

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Thanks Brink, got it.

But here is another scenario i'm baffled at....


I had to delete my son's user account since he screwed up Firefox. Anyway, after I did that I got back in the administrator account and looked under c:\Users...and it's still there.

I tried to delete the folder and the message box says Folder Access Denied. And inside the box say...you nee to provide administrator permission to delete.... So, I downloaded "Take Ownership" installed that and selected the folder ..right click.to delete...no surprise....still does not work!!! All this even IN the Admin account....Is this a Windows bug?

Just to mention another thing...I went to systems properties, advanced...users and there my son's name is not there, but it only shows in the c:\users folder.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Windows 8.1
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Asus CM6340
    CPU
    Intel i5-3350
    Memory
    10 GB

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
The more I browse this forum, the more helpful things I find. Maybe someone should create a list of 'Useful and Sensible things to do when you first get your computer just in case' focussed on us non-techie users (i.e. the majority :D).

Anyway, back to the topic:

I've decided it would be a good idea to change the name and password of the built in administrator account (which has never been enabled). I can see how to do most of this from the tutorials, but I'm not sure if this account already has a password associated with it or not. Is there any way to find this out?

I've read the tutorial on changing passwords but I'm unsure if this would work to change the password on the built in Admin account.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win8.1 64bit, Windows 10 TP on VMWare Player
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15 3521
    CPU
    1.80 gigahertz Intel Core i5-3337U
    Motherboard
    Dell Inc. 0010T1 A00
    Memory
    8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio & Intel Display Audio
    Hard Drives
    TOSHIBA MQ01ABD050 [Hard drive] (500.11 GB)
    Cooling
    Additional fan
    Mouse
    Kensington Trackball
    Browser
    IE
    Antivirus
    Emsisoft Internet Security, Malwarebytes free & antiexploit

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    64-bit Windows 10
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Custom self built
    CPU
    Intel i7-8700K OC'd to 5 GHz
    Motherboard
    ASUS ROG Maximus XI Formula Z390
    Memory
    64 GB (4x16GB) G.SKILL TridentZ RGB DDR4 3600 MHz (F4-3600C18D-32GTZR)
    Graphics Card(s)
    ASUS ROG-STRIX-GTX1080TI-O11G-GAMING
    Sound Card
    Integrated Digital Audio (S/PDIF)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 x Samsung Odyssey G7 27"
    Screen Resolution
    2560x1440
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung 990 PRO M.2,
    4TB Samsung 990 PRO PRO M.2,
    8TB WD MyCloudEX2Ultra NAS
    PSU
    OCZ Series Gold OCZZ1000M 1000W
    Case
    Thermaltake Core P3
    Cooling
    Corsair Hydro H115i
    Keyboard
    Logitech wireless K800
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master 3
    Internet Speed
    1 Gb/s Download and 35 Mb/s Upload
    Browser
    Internet Explorer 11
    Antivirus
    Malwarebyte Anti-Malware Premium
    Other Info
    Logitech Z625 speaker system,
    Logitech BRIO 4K Pro webcam,
    HP Color LaserJet Pro MFP M477fdn,
    APC SMART-UPS RT 1000 XL - SURT1000XLI,
    Galaxy S23 Plus phone
Thanks Shawn, will give this a go.

I was reading a thread on here from someone who said he (I feel sure it's a 'he':)) told everyone he knew to always use the built in admin account and delete all others on the computer. And there's no automatic password protection on it - doesn't bear thinking about.
 

My Computer

System One

  • OS
    Win8.1 64bit, Windows 10 TP on VMWare Player
    Computer type
    Laptop
    System Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inspiron 15 3521
    CPU
    1.80 gigahertz Intel Core i5-3337U
    Motherboard
    Dell Inc. 0010T1 A00
    Memory
    8gb
    Graphics Card(s)
    Intel HD Graphics 4000
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio & Intel Display Audio
    Hard Drives
    TOSHIBA MQ01ABD050 [Hard drive] (500.11 GB)
    Cooling
    Additional fan
    Mouse
    Kensington Trackball
    Browser
    IE
    Antivirus
    Emsisoft Internet Security, Malwarebytes free & antiexploit
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