Using non-Admin user accounts (XP-Home)

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On a new machine that came with XP-Home, I cannot use non-Administrator accounts. When selected, the computer chugs a little, then takes me back to the signon screen. I can create and use as many Administrator-privilige accounts…they work fine. “Limited” accounts do not. Also, the “Guest” account does the same thing (chugs then goes right back to the signon screen). Ideas? I’d like to use this Limited-account feature!

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Eric ~

I had the same problem with a Fujitsu Mobile Desktop that came with XP Home. The first problem is that any OEM OS version is NOT the same as a regular full retail version. Others would like to tell you differently, but that is bull and has been confirmed by Fujitsu and Microsoft directly to me. The second problem is that your system is probably formatted FAT32. There are many fine features that will not be enabled unless your unit is formatted NTFS. This is clearly indicated in Microsoft’s own “Call To Action” to manufacturers installing XP on OEM equipment. I personally went round and round with the OEM on this issue and got nowhere until I worked my way up the corporate hierarchy and convinced them after relentless rhetoric to ship me, free of charge, a full retail version of XP Home, brand new still in the box with a price tag on it. I reformatted and did a clean install and now have all the user acounts properly working, file sharing permissions, privacy settings of user profiles, compression, etc. By your company caption I am assuming you are using this for business with multiple users. I would recommend XP Pro retail version, especially if you are using a laptop. You will need to create your own backup system since your OEM probably created a partition with a drive image copy on it and this will be dismantled in the reformatting process.

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Wow. Sounds like you had more headaches than me. While I’m using this computer for my own personal use (business), I only want one other “just in case” user and/or Guest on this computer. Seems that the non-Admin users cannot sign on to this installation. ??? I did check and verified that both HD were NTFS.

I’m puzzled that I can set up an Admin user and sign on with it, but switching that user to non-Admin blocks sign-on. I wonder if this is some lame MS-Marketing to get you to try XP-Pro…

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Eric ~

Hmmm…..you say they are NTFS, eh? I assume you are creating the limited user account as an Admin user. How are you switching to the other user account? I am unsure of what you mean by “switching that user to non-Admin blocks sign-on”. Please expound. ( BTW – am very suspicious of MS motives, but I do not believe this to be to get you to XP Pro)

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Thanks for sticking with this… Just to try something, I created a NEW user as an Admin-type. Works fine. Then went back into the Control Panel and did a “change user type” to non-Admin. That user now doesn’t work at all. I’m not switching between users (e.g. I am NOT using the “switch” feature), I’m just trying to get a non-Admin user functioning. BTW, if I try to create a non-Admin type from scratch, that doesn’t work at all. Shows up on the sign-on screen, but nothing happens when I click on, enter password, and try to get onto the system.

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If your still trying to work this out… or need another solution:
try creating a guest account (Limited User Account) then in your admin or original logon account go to security and select security and change the group of the guest account you created to power user. it works better then guest and limited user. I noticed there are some differes in the power user but it works if you go that route.

you might even need to add in power user as a group ( i think i had to do that)

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In XP-Home, there is no “Power User.” Only “Computer Administrator” and “Limited”.

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I don’t have xp-home, i have pro yet… im almost positive mine didn’t show any type of group within my security groups except “admin and limited” until i started to add them in!… I even added guest in and locked it out and several other accounts to have them locked out. But win home i know has less security protocols…. but its based off of win2000nt so i could guess it has these account groups but they are not added in…almost positive, but then again that would be easy ::grin:: not to mention for access on a intranet wouldn’t work without those login accounts located somewhere in there!

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Home can’t login to intranets and you can’t add other types of users AFAIK. I used Home for about 2 weeks and gave up on it, it was too restricting and i needed to log on networks. Reentering the username password everytime i needed to access network resources got old fast.

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MJ,
Just check that Qnumber on microsoft… this will (well would have ::grin: allow you to fix the password problems and then for example you are accessing a intranet just as say a surfer, or a backup… now it will let you add in that group. I just wish i had access to xp home… which i don’t… but i do know that 3 people at a lan party had xp-home and we all got logged into my computer… two other people had win98seco and the other 2 had win2000 nt… so i know it works… i sent an email out… hopefully ill get there answer soon… but i know its possible!!!!

http://support.microsoft.com/view/tn.asp?kb=308418%5B/url%5D
http://support.microsoft.com/directory/art…b;en-us;Q308419%5B/url%5D
heres those how to’s!

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Yes, you can “logon” from winhome, but you can’t log onto domains as you can with pro or win9x. You need to respond to the password dialog everytime.

I think you need to re-read the KB and test it on a copy of home. It involves users adding users, not users adding groups. I beleive it tells you that any user can add new users, when logged in as a user and tells you how to force them to actually log in as the admin.

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Edited by MaryJ on 10-Jun-02 10:08.

the first post was the proof that adding other groups then limited, admin, and guest are possible… just by the use of POWER USER… so i did more research and the later two articles deal with guess what?… domain users and adding them in… fyi
from http://support.microsoft.com/view/tn.asp?kb=308418%5B/url%5D excerpt…
“This article assumes that you are using Windows XP on a domain. By default, simplified sharing is enabled in Windows XP if you are not connected to a domain, which means that the Security tab and advanced options for permissions are not available. ” end quote.
again.. the previous words proof that adding groups to be used with DOMAINs… but then again i don’t have access to a copy of xp-home…

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Edited by MaryJ on 10-Jun-02 10:07.

I suggest you get a copy of home and try it, then let us know how you added user groups to it.

[indent]

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Windows XP on a domain

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[/indent] indicates the page you found only applies to pro since home CANNOT/DOES NOT do domains.

The person asked a question about accounts home. You can’t tell them how you do it in Pro since Home is a lot different in the area of security, domains, accounts and user groups. Once oyu have some experience using Home, you’ll understand why *you* are hitting your brickwall.

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Eric ~

Sorry, buddy. The little bit of further research I did for this topic turned up nothing useful to assist you at this point. I am not sure what the problem might be.

Anyone else have any ideas?…….Anyone?……..Bueller…..?

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Thanks for the efforts. I hate having something weird like this happen, and not hear anyone else have the problem, or (even better ) have a solution. If I find one, I’ll post it here to help the group…

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I’m having the same trouble with XP Pro that came bundled with a new Dell. I successfully created one Administrator and three Limited User accounts (LU’s) OOB, but kids had trouble running Win95 games — “unable to create data file” messages. My first idea was to add the LU’s to Power Users; no luck. I fiddled with the games’ security settings, ownership, directory permissions, etc. Eventually the kids were disconcerted by the “Do you want to run this game as another user?” dialog, the only choice being Administrator and requiring my Administrator password. No way.

Thereafter, though, their names appeared on the Welcome screen, but clicking caused only a momentary flicker. One LU had a password; the password prompt appeared, but entering the password correctly did nothing.

I played with user accounts, group membership, etc.. Ultimately I tried deleting and re-creating their accounts. Twice, once with the old names, then with different names. But now I can only create LU’s; they appear on the welcome screen but clicking them does zip.

I can add and delete groups, manipulate group membership, etc., to my heart’s content, but nothing brings the LU’s to life.

So I have no solutions to offer, just a new wrinkle on the problem, and the tidbit that this occurs in XP Pro as well.

BTW, a wee-hours call to Dell’s much-vaunted tech support led me through a maze of voice menus, long strings of codes located in awkward places, etc., metallic synthesized voices assuring me that my call is oh so important, etc., only to end with, “We’re sorry, nobody is available to help you right now. Please call back later.” Not an auspicious beginning.

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Well, I’ve solved my own problem after considerable rummaging around.

Go to Control Panel (or Settings), then Admin Tools, then Local Security Policy, then User Rights Assignment. There is a setting called “Logon locally.” It probably has nobody listed in Properties. Open it up and add all the Limited users who cannot log in, or add the Everyone group. Bingo. Or at least that’s what worked for me. You can adjust the user type before or after you do this.

Tom

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FYI::
Users Group Member Can Add New Users in Windows XP (Q310753)
——————————————————————————–
The information in this article applies to:
Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
Microsoft Windows XP Professional
Microsoft Windows XP 64-Bit Edition

Log on to the Windows-based computer using an account with administrator rights.
Click Start , and then click Control Panel .
Double-click Administrative Tools , and then double-click Computer Management .
Double-click Local Users and Groups , and then click the Groups folder.
In the right pane, double-click Power Users .
Click NT AUTHORTYINTERACTIVE , and then click Remove .
Click OK .
————————————————————————————
So this proves there is other groups in the security then just those three mentioned before.. theres like 40+ if i remember correctly.
This might allow you to add other different groups to the security log ins… xp-home,pro,2knt, all are supposed to be a$$backward compatible… not that everything works as it should

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