Create hidden Admin user on Windows 7 laptop?

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My daughter has an HP touchsmart laptop running Win 7 Home Premium.

The fingerprint recognition gadget is playing up, and she can’t remember the password (last used it months ago) – so she’s locked out….

I’m still on XP and not familiar with the new OS so I have a couple of questions:

1) Can I use a linux based boot disk to change the user password? I’ve done it before in XP, but would like confirmation that the same disk will work on Win7 without corrupting anything. Or, if anyone can point me to an iso disk image that is known to work on win 7 I’d appreciate it.

2) On both my XP pcs if I boot into safe mode a user “Admin” appears that does not show up in the user list on the normal login screen. This does not work on the Win 7 laptop. Is it easy to set up? I’d keep the password for that for the next time we have problems…

3) Any other suggestions for getting into the PC?

Thanks

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Question one: A Google searchshows numerous posts to solve the forgotten password issue.

Question two: Here is a solution from Windows Seven forums.

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Question one: A Google searchshows numerous posts to solve the forgotten password issue.

Question two: Here is a solution from Windows Seven forums.

This solution from the Windows Seven forums addresses enabling the administrator account, but it does so for normal logon as well as safe mode. Is there a way to have the administrator account appear only in safe mode as it did in XP?

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This solution from the Windows Seven forums addresses enabling the administrator account, but it does so for normal logon as well as safe mode. Is there a way to have the administrator account appear only in safe mode as it did in XP?

I did a fair amount of hunting, google and a few other forums. The consensus seems to be that the Win 7 login process has been ‘improved’ by removing the option to have the Administrator account only show up in safe mode.

This is not explicitly stated anywhere I’ve found – but that seems to be the conclusion on other threads looking for the same answer.

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Try this for the password- http://pogostick.net/~pnh/ntpasswd/. Works great on XP, 2000, 2008, Vista and Windows 7. As far as the Admin account goes I haven’t played with safe mode yet but here is a good reference about enabling the Admin account which I’m pretty sure you have to do first- http://www.tomstricks.com/how-to-activate-hidden-windows-7-administrator-account/.

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1) Can I use a linux based boot disk to change the user password? I’ve done it before in XP, but would like confirmation that the same disk will work on Win7 without corrupting anything. Or, if anyone can point me to an iso disk image that is known to work on win 7 I’d appreciate it.

2) On both my XP pcs if I boot into safe mode a user “Admin” appears that does not show up in the user list on the normal login screen. This does not work on the Win 7 laptop. Is it easy to set up? I’d keep the password for that for the next time we have problems…

1.) See 3 Ways to Reset Forgotten Windows Administrator Password[/url].

2.) The “Administrator” account is disabled by default on Windows 7. Once you are able to get into the machine see Built-in Administrator Account – Enable or Disable – Windows 7 Forums.

Once you’ve re-enabled access to the PC see Password Reset Disk Windows 7 – How To Create a Windows 7 Password Reset Disk – Windows 7 Password.

Joe

--Joe

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1.) See 3 Ways to Reset Forgotten Windows Administrator Password.

2.) The “Administrator” account is disabled by default on Windows 7. Once you are able to get into the machine see Built-in Administrator Account – Enable or Disable – Windows 7 Forums.

Once you’ve re-enabled access to the PC see Password Reset Disk Windows 7 – How To Create a Windows 7 Password Reset Disk – Windows 7 Password.

Joe

And that “disk” can be a USB Flash Drive. Works on my Windows XP laptop anyway.

-- rc primak

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Hello Folks,

I have a follow up question to this one. I’ve activated the Administrator account and passworded it. Now how do I get it off the normal logon screen and keep it on the Safe Boot logon screen like XP? I’ve tried modifying the Registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersion
WinlogonSpecialAccountsUserList adding a data value named Administrator and setting the DWord value to 1. This worked in XP for normal accounts but it doesn’t seem to work in Win 7 64bit for the Administrator account. {I also tried a QWord and still no love}. Any Ideas?

RG

May the Forces of good computing be with you!

RG

PowerShell & VBA Rule!
Computer Specs

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I’ve tried modifying the Registry key HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREMicrosoftWindows NTCurrentVersionWinlogonSpecialAccountsUserList adding a data value named Administrator and setting the DWord value to 1. This worked in XP for normal accounts but it doesn’t seem to work in Win 7 64bit for the Administrator account. {I also tried a QWord and still no love}. Any Ideas?

According to Hide user accounts in Windows 7 :: IntelliAdmin – Remote Administration For Windows[/url] you need to set the value to 0 not 1.

Joe

--Joe

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Joe,

You’re absolutely correct! I went back and checked my notes and that’s exactly what they say…it must be the odl dyslexia! However, it gets curiouser and couiouser I tried the correct value and presto it’s gone form the normal log-on screen and ALSO form the Safe-Mode log-on screen! Change the value and it’s back on both. I guess you just can’t get it to work like XP where you could hide it from the normal log-on screen and have it show up on the Safe-Mode log-on screen.

RG

P.S. I have also not been able to get the log-on screen to switch to the old Win 2K log-on screen using Ctrl-Alt-Del like you could in XP!

May the Forces of good computing be with you!

RG

PowerShell & VBA Rule!
Computer Specs

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For the CTL-ALT-Delete, have you configured it in the Local Security Policy? If not from the Control Panel choose Administrative Tools-Local Security Policy. Then click Local Policies- Security Options and look for Interactive logon: Do not require CTL+Alt+Delete and change the setting to Disable. As far as the Admin account if you find an answer let me know cause I have the same issue with it as you do.

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Butch,

Unfortunately, Win 7 Home Premium (64b) doesn’t have the Security Policy Editor enabled. I’ve tried several solutions from a google search but no love.

RG

May the Forces of good computing be with you!

RG

PowerShell & VBA Rule!
Computer Specs

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RG,

Sorry about that. I haven’t messed with anything lower than Pro so I’m not sure if this is an available option or not but have you tried- http://windows7news.com/2009/11/23/how-to-enable-ctrl-alt-del-in-windows7/.

Butch

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This probably varies from fingerprint reader to fingerprint reader, but once you have everything else set up as you want it, you can go back and teach (or re-teach) the reader how to recognize the finger. As with so much teaching repetition is important::keep forcing it to memorize that finger until both you and the computer are sick of it. Then, with my reader at least, you can do the same with another finger in case the first one doesn’t work for you. Either of two fingers will start the machine. You can also use a different, or at least a given finger, to activate certain other functions that require a password.

I don’t have the details handy as I’m not at the laptop, but these readers can be fussy about the state of your finger when you scan it so I suggest you read up on that as well (and I’m making a memo to myself to do the same). It is a very quick and convenient, and for some purposes more secure means of entering a password than most others, so I’d hate to see you give up on the reader itself.

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Thanks for all the replies. In the end the laptop went back to HP for service (2 day turnaround!), and the fingerprint scanner is working fine again 🙂

Regarding the Administrator account:

In XP the default is the Administrator account does not show up on the login screen. You can get to it by hitting Ctrl-alt-Del twice, (to get the old style login pop-up) or by booting to safe mode.

I have not been able to find a way to reproduce this functionality in Win7. The Ctrl-alt-del x 2 does not work, and the Administrator user is either active and visible or inactive and hidden.

If there is a way of making it only show up on the safe mode screen I’d like to hear about it.

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Most solutions here

http://www.intelliadmin.com/index.php/2009/10/hide-user-accounts-in-windows-7/

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On a normally single user Vista or Win7 PC here is what I do to avoid showing other accounts setup on the PC (as in an (or THE) Adminstrator account…
From an administrator account, I use the Run function and enter: control userpasswords2
Then first, select the primary user account, second, uncheck the box “User must provide a user name and password…” Click the Apply button.

Here is where my instructions differ from the automatic login instructions you commonly see elsewhere-

On the dialog box that pops up, make sure the userID is correct, but do not enter the password for this account. Click the OK button.

When you boot, the system will skip the select account screen and come directly to the primary user’s account. The Administrator (or other) accounts aren’t genuinely hidden, you can still get to them via the ‘switch user’ function, but it takes extra effort to get there instead of the other way around.

Hit the Enter key or click the ‘Proceed’ arrow. What happens next is a screen that tells you the user password is invalid [DUH!, we deliberately didn’t give the automatic login function a password] Hit the Enter key again and you are taken to the screen where the user enters his/her password and logs in.

Yes, it takes one extra click over the ‘normal’ login via the switch user screen. But I use the Enter key which is faster anyhow, I am not bothered with making a choice and I still have the same level of password protection.

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After you’re past the inability to get logged in, use “Administrator” to create an account with admin privileges with its own strong password and then disable “Administrator” again. Everybody knows that computers are controlled by accounts named “Administrator” and that’s where they’ll start hacking. A name like “BosS-mAn?” is hard to crack, isn’t too awful to remember and, with a strong password, helps ensure against the creepy-crawlies out there.

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This is a link to instructions for Creating a Hidden Administrator in Windows 7. It also refers to Local Security Policy, and while this feature is not directly included in Home Premium, there seems to be a Command Line way to address the feature:

[indent]Another way of activating the administrator account in Windows 7 is via Local Security Policy. Type secpol.msc in the search bar and hit enter. After the Local Security Policy pops up, navigate to Local Policies-> Security Options where you can see an entry that reads Accounts: Administrator account. Double click the entry to enable it.

Also:

The Local Users and Groups MMC snap-in isn’t enabled on Home Premium. But the command line does work. I’ve verified both on my Home Premium box this morning. (“Brad” in Comments)

[/indent]I don’t run Windows 7 myself, so I cannot verify that this will work, but that’s what the article says to do.

-- rc primak

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