last shot before clean re-install - botched builtin Admin

[cognus]

gang I have seen this movie before and cannot recall how I solved.
I have a "new" laptop via a reseller. it has a factory-loaded windows 8 pro.
it works fine - now upgraded to 8.1.
however there is a huge security "hole" which I cannot live with.
Enabling the builtin Administrator account, it demands a password though the Builtin Administrator account has clearly never been 'first-run' - never setup, has no entries, it is virgin.
Checked with the reseller, and they are clueless - they say it is impossible. Its not. seen this on Windows 7 and 8

is there a solution other than deleting the partition and starting from scratch?

 

[David Bailey]

Maybe as in the pictures---

netplwiz





If it asks for your password you are SOL.

 

[cognus]

thank you for responding.
I decided it wasn't trustworthy so killed all the partitions, loaded 8.1.1 from created dvd.
took less time than fighting it, in the end...

pretty clever btw... apparently MS has a database of factory-imaged systems somewhere 'cause it figured out what key to use

 

[CountMike]

It's probably OEM version of Windows you have and uses BIOS to activate.