Changing Administrator Password & Script Error (WinXP Pro/SR-2)

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Hi All:
I have 2 accounts on my computer: Administrator & Phil (with administrator privileges). While I was letting a technician set things up using remote assistance, I set temporary passwords for both accounts, the password being “temp”. I’ve removed the password for the Phil user account. I tried to change the password for the Adminstrator account from “temp” to something more complex. I swore that I did, as I it required me to type the password twice.

When I now try to log in to the Administrator account & type the password, it doesn’t work (asks me if I forgot my password). If I logon as Phil & go to user accounts, I get a script error message shown below. If I go to change or remove the administrator password, I get the 2nd message below.

1. How can I get rid of the script error message?
2. Is there a danger in removing the Adminstrator password? (I don’t know what importance EFS-encrypted files are (or if I have any); I haven’t used a personal certificates, & I use RoboForm for stored passwords).
3. Is there any advantage to having a password for either the Administrator or my user account?

Thanks in advance.

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Hi Again:
Well, I got rid of the script error, although I don’t know what caused it. In the “Phil” user account, I went to Start/Run & typed

control userpasswords2 & pressed .

In the dialog box, I then checked “Users must enter a username & password to use this computer”. Without checking apply, I clicked on the Administrator account, then Reset Password, left it blank, & then clicked applied. This reset the Administrator account to have no password. Then I unchecked the box to require a username & password.

I got no warning messages by doing this & no script errors, so problem 1 is solved & I guess #2 also. I’m still not sure if it’s better to have a password to either the Administrator or Phil account.

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If the machine is connected to a network of any kind, I would password protect all accounts, pronto. No sense in making it easier on any attacks on the system that could occur.

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Hi Mark:
Thanks for the response. I’m not on a network, except for my wireless connection to my daughter’s Mac, & she doesn’t use my machine. Does that count as a network?

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I was thinking about the Internet – which I presume you share a connection to?

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Yes, we share a connection to the Internet, using a wireless router, from the cable company. Would that put my machine at risk without a password? I know that a technician that used remote assistance on my machine couldn’t connect until I put a password on the account, so I thought it might be safer not to have any password?

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Better to have some form of protection (via password) than none at all. Those Who Would Hack know this and will try that method of attack before brute force cracking or other methods. Remote Assistance requires a password by design – having no password at all is too much of a security risk therefore a password is required so that any unauthorized connections have no access. The assumption is that you have sent an invitation to the remote, and they validate this by providing the password you set.

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OK, Mark. Thanks for the advice. I’ll set a password & make a password reset disk.

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