Cannot change administrator in user accounts

I have a 2-month-old Dell Inspiron 15 notebook running Windows 8.0, and trying to upgrade to 8.1. I have plenty of HD space and 4GB memory. I have 2 user accounts, one with admin designation. I want to change the admin to the other, but I cannot. When I try to change the user accounts, I get a message requiring the account with admin to OK any changes. When I enter that account's password, I get a message that the password is incorrect. I changed the password in the "reset password" site online, but that password doesn't work in the change users part of the PC. So I am stuck. Right now, I cannot affect any changes to the system, because that requires the OK of the admin user account, and that in turn requires a password, which seems not to match the password that I entered for that account. Please advise. Thanks.

Sam K.

Hi Samkrit, welcome to the Eight Forums.

I assume your administrator account is a Microsoft Account and with "reset password site online" you mean the Windows Live (Hotmail, Outlook.com, MSN, Live) password reset site at https://account.live.com/resetpassword.aspx. Also, I assume you signed out from the original administrative Microsoft Account and signed in to your secondary standard account trying to change the account type from there.

If this is the case, sign in to your original administrative Microsoft Account using the new password. When signed in, change the account type of your secondary account from there, you don't have to be signed in to that account to change the type but instead can make all changes for all accounts from your administrative account:


If changing the type of your secondary account now works, you can change your original account to standard.

Tutorial: http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/5518-user-account-type-change-windows-8-a.html

Kari

There are at least 4 people in the last couple of weeks having the same problem as yours. Please take a look at this post to reset your account.

http://www.eightforums.com/user-acc...8440-locked-myself-out-admin-i-know-dumb.html

topgundcp said:

There are at least 4 people in the last couple of weeks having the same problem as yours. Please take a look at this post to reset your account.

http://www.eightforums.com/user-acc...8440-locked-myself-out-admin-i-know-dumb.html

Click to expand...

Different issues.

This OP has not deleted his / her admin account, nor changed its type it still being an administrative account. As he / she have reseted the Microsoft Account password for this primary administrative account, the best course of action is to sign in to that account using the new password and do all changes from there, of course first changing the secondary account to an administrator account before changing the primary account to standard in order to avoid the situation like in those 4 cases you mentioned.

This is indeed frustrating...none of these answers even come close. This is all over the web and not one working answer. I have the exact same issue too.

This is windows 8.1 and many of the menues and options suggested...even when they say it is for 8.1...do not exist on my machine...or tons of others if you just do a few searches on google you'll find a lot.

No way to set admin permissions...period. I have done every single thing anyone has suggested I could find and not a single one works.

First you do the command prompt thing to activate:yes (yes, tried admin cmd). Does no good. Then you boot into safe mode (good luck even doing that) and log on as administrator...still no luck.

I guess it is not well described so here goes:

I can get into the account settings and select the radial button that changes from 'Standard User' to 'Administrator'...but as soon as you select it the 'change account type' button below greys out and it can not be selected...in any mode, with any trick, in safe mode on the admin account, on your main account, or any new one you create.

And you can not, in any way ever, find or get admin permissions. This is all over but nobody gets this far...I did...but it still will not under any circumstances I can figure out, let me select 'Administrator' for my account, or the actual admin account.

It just is not an available function I can get to work, nor can tons of other people...and it seems like it is almost all on new laptops just recently purchased...so there is an issue not getting addressed as far as I can tell. Like tons of others who just want to be able to use their new computer...I need help!



Oh yes, I also tried the "netplwiz" way and it looked like it worked...permissions indeed seemed to change...then you go back to check in the above way and you still see standard and it still does not give admin permissions. There is a thrird option there for full access admin..looks like it works, but it doesn't work either. I feel like I have a sony computer with locked out bios! I just want my admin...LOL!

And, if you try the 'lusrmgr' you get this, completing the circle, and making you order a copy of windows 7 and wonder why you even bothered...



THANKS! IN ADVANCE, AS NOBODY ELSE HAS THE EXPERTISE FOUND HERE!

Hello Dogpa, welcome to the Eight Forums.

Let me start by saying that according to your post, you simply have no issues. You describe two "issues" which both are, again according to your post, working exactly as they are supposed to work.

First:

dogpa said:

And you can not, in any way ever, find or get admin permissions. This is all over but nobody gets this far...I did...but it still will not under any circumstances I can figure out, let me select 'Administrator' for my account, or the actual admin account.

It just is not an available function I can get to work, nor can tons of other people...and it seems like it is almost all on new laptops just recently purchased...so there is an issue not getting addressed as far as I can tell. Like tons of others who just want to be able to use their new computer...I need help!

Click to expand...

First your screenshot, notice that I have marked three details there:


Explanations:

1. You account is already an administrator account as the screenshot clearly shows, therefore...
2. ... when you select Administrator ...
3. ... the button Change Account Type is grayed out because it will not be needed, Windows does not need to take any action as the account is already an administrator account

The button is not grayed out only when it's possibly needed. If you now select Standard, the button would be working and you could change your administrator account to a standard account.

The first account created when Windows 8 and 8.1 is installed or a preinstalled Windows on a new computer is booted first time and set up is always an administrator account because to work properly, Windows needs at least one administrator account.

Notice please: remember never to change your only account to standard before first creating another administrator account!

dogpa said:

And, if you try the 'lusrmgr' you get this, completing the circle

Click to expand...

Again, no issue. Your screenshot clearly tells that Local Users and Groups Manager cannot be used with your basic Windows 8.1 edition. To get it, and Group Policy Editor to work you need a Windows 8.1 Pro edition:

dogpa said:

and making you order a copy of windows 7 and wonder why you even bothered...

Click to expand...

Please don't take this wrong but as I see this, there are two reasons why you should not give up Windows 8 just because of these "issues":

1. Changing the account type in Windows 7 works exactly as it works in Windows 8. If an account already is of certain type, the Change Account Type is grayed out if user tries to change the type to the same it already is
2. Windows 7 does not make thinking and logics any less important than Windows 8; both your so called "issues" are examples of situations where simple logics had told that they in fact are not issues in any way but are working as designed and as they should work

Kari

I thank you for your insight, but...

Just becauser it says I am an administrator doesn't mean I am. I get pop-ups saying "you don't have access, contact your administrator"...as do many others.

Can you suggest a function I can try that will give me the pop-up so I can verify?

I have already installed everything and worked around the issues.

Next time I try something that gets the popup I can copy it here, but maybe the fact that there are a dozen ways to do everything and no logic (nothing MS ever did is attached to anything logical, 7 or 8) has something to do with it.

As for giving up on 8, it is a system for phones and once you add a dozen programs and alter stuff after reading half of this forum and many others you can apparently get it to almost work like a computer...as long as the illogical default settings you can not change (because it is designed for a phone) are OK for you. Like most people, I thought xp worked and I liked the fact that I could get it to work like I want, not have to be forced to have it like a geek that never sees the light of day at microsoft wants me to have it. I still seem to be able to use xp pro 64 fine...we needed a new op system because...?

I think the most blatantly obvious way to see the microsoft arrogance it the inability to adjust the appearance. They removed it and they let you use themes...and the available adjustments...even if you figure out how to do a few extra things in the high contrast 'theme', you still can not adjust stuff you always have been able to. Again, dumbed down for a phone.

7 pro 64 is on it's way and I may do a dual boot, but there is zero reasons I see for this to stay. I don't even want dumbed down 'apps' on my phone, let alone my computer.

So, add a start menu program, add one for apps to work right in a window, and a few others and maybe this dog will function, but since it will take 3 years to find all of the hidden stuff and get it fixed you can use 7, which works fine.

9 will be out by then, another polish of a phone system, and then what?

This is all because we rejected ".net" and they do not have an improved version of 7 because they got caught with thier pants down and can not apparently make a better system than a toy phone touch screen thingie for 12 year old girls. Me, I need a functioning thing. God mode helps you find the stupid stuff hidden all over, but seriously, why spend all this time?

I tried to make a folder in the windows folder as a test and got "Access is denied" through a couple of programs, but if I try through "this pc" it worked. Nothing can access it though. Do I have permission issues on certain programs...and why?
So maybe I'm in admin mode...and maybe they just do not let me access my own computer. Gee, saved from myself by microsoft? LOL!



What possible advantage does 8 have? Please do try to convince me, even if it is only so I can get a good laugh.


Anyway, thanks!

Windows system folders are protected, which is why you get that message, and you should not create folders or save files in them. Simple: Do not save your own files in Windows system folders, they are protected.

Why would anybody (except M$) want to convince you to like Windows 8 (or any other ) ??? It's your right to reject it or to think any other way.

CountMike said:

Why would anybody (except M$) want to convince you to like Windows 8 (or any other ) ??? It's your right to reject it or to think any other way.

Click to expand...

If you are referring to my response to Dogpa earlier in this thread, what I told him, let me explain something.

What I said was:

Kari said:

Please don't take this wrong but as I see this, there are two reasons why you should not give up Windows 8 just because of these "issues":

1. Changing the account type in Windows 7 works exactly as it works in Windows 8. If an account already is of certain type, the Change Account Type is grayed out if user tries to change the type to the same it already is
2. Windows 7 does not make thinking and logics any less important than Windows 8; both your so called "issues" are examples of situations where simple logics had told that they in fact are not issues in any way but are working as designed and as they should work

Click to expand...

Read that once again. I was not trying to convince him to like Windows 8, I was simply telling him that the reasons he gave to go back to Windows 7 simply are "wrong" reasons due to the fact that this changing the account type works in exactly the same way in Seven so changing to it would not change anything, and also that as his so called "issues" really are no issues at all but instead normal Windows behavior, similar both in Windows 7 and 8, he would gain nothing. Seven needs the user to use his own brain just as much as Eight, changing the account type works exactly the same way, and so on.

Would it have been better if I had not shown to Dogpa that his "issues" really are logical and normal behavior of Windows? Should we really not explain things when we notice that the OP has either misunderstood something or does not understand something to start with?

Kari

No Kari, it was response to dogpa's "What possible advantage does 8 have? Please do try to convince me, even if it is only so I can get a good laugh".
We are not M$'s agents or salesmen to convince anybody of anything. I think you explained enough about his "issues" and why they are not that but a normal way it's done.

OK, my apologies Mike for misunderstanding your post .

dogpa said:

View attachment 46155

What possible advantage does 8 have? Please do try to convince me, even if it is only so I can get a good laugh.


Anyway, thanks!

Click to expand...

It takes time to learn a new OS.

Why you want a new folder in Windows is a mystery.

Try taking ownership.
I took it on everything.
No problem making a new folder in Windows folder.---






http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/2814-take-ownership-add-context-menu-windows-8-a.html