2

So there's this computer which has two accounts on it:

  • A regular one (with password and I know the password)
  • An administrator (without password).

You can't access or modify anything related to admin privileges in any of the accounts. You can't run Command Prompt elevated (which means no activating built-in administrator). Can't access any settings. When logged on to the admin, it says it's the Administrator, but when trying to reinstall (Windows 8 was already installed when bought the computer), restore, or refresh, it says there are no administrator accounts on the computer.

How can I fix this?

leAsome
  • 21
  • 2
  • I'm not a computer genius(obviously), but I can surely tell the situation is pretty bad. – leAsome Aug 18 '15 at 22:52
  • see if You find anything useful here: http://superuser.com/questions/239130/how-to-get-back-to-work-with-a-windows-7-pc-that-has-no-admin-account – Divin3 Aug 18 '15 at 22:59
  • Can you login as the administrator account and create a **new** administrator account and use that account with any success? – I say Reinstate Monica Aug 19 '15 at 02:16
  • What evidence exactly do you have that leads you to state when you login as Admin *it says it's the Administrator*? – I say Reinstate Monica Aug 19 '15 at 02:19
  • I'm surprised the Administrator account has no password. That alone can cause all sorts of issues. Can you log on as Administrator and try set/change its password to something? Fingers crossed that does the trick. – misha256 Aug 19 '15 at 04:26
  • Use the sticky keys replaced by command line trick to reset password? http://lifehacker.com/5612487/hack-the-sticky-keys-feature-to-reset-a-forgotten-windows-password ... Or use the elevated cmd prompt provided to create a new account? – WernerCD Aug 19 '15 at 04:35
  • possible duplicate of [What can I do if I forgot my Windows password?](http://superuser.com/questions/72244/what-can-i-do-if-i-forgot-my-windows-password) – DavidPostill Aug 19 '15 at 08:51
  • @Twisty I can login as the administrator, but I cannot create a new one. Can't even modify any of the accounts. When I go to Control Panel/User Accounts and Family Safety/User Accounts, it says there, under my profile picture, that the user is administrator. But I don't have any administrator privileges. – leAsome Aug 19 '15 at 09:20
  • @misha256 I can log on as administrator, but I can't modify any accounts. It goes like this: 1) I go to Control Panel/User Accounts and Family Safety/User Accounts 2) I click any of the titles 3) Mouse changes its layout for a few seconds(as if it was opening it) 4) Mouse goes back to it's regular form and nothing happens – leAsome Aug 19 '15 at 09:25
  • @WernerCD My administrator account doesn't have a password on it. And because I don't have any administrator privileges, I can't access the elevated cmd. – leAsome Aug 19 '15 at 09:29
  • @DavidPostill Actually I didn't forget my Windows password, because my administrator account doesn't have one – leAsome Aug 19 '15 at 09:31
  • @leAsome Understood, but the link provides ways to create a new admin account that may fix your problem. See this particular answer superuser.com/a/333063 for example. – DavidPostill Aug 19 '15 at 09:33
  • @DavidPostill I see. Unfortunately I don't have a repair disc – leAsome Aug 19 '15 at 09:41
  • @Twisty When I was at the User Accounts, I noticed it says there that the administrator account is password protected. It's weird, because, as I earlier said, I don't have a password on it – leAsome Aug 19 '15 at 10:25
  • I found a Windows 7 disc, but my pc won't recognize it. It works on all the other computers, though – leAsome Aug 19 '15 at 11:09

2 Answers2

0

Do you have access to a system repair disc or the recovery options via Windows?

If so, you could try the following command in the recovery command prompt:

net localgroup Administrators [username] /add
Dog Lover
  • 352
  • 1
  • 4
  • 15
  • No, I don't have a repair disc and I cannot access any of the recovery options, because my UAC is on maximum safety. And I cannot access UAC. – leAsome Aug 19 '15 at 09:27
  • Hmm... Any recovery partition? A friend's/family member's disc you can borrow? – Dog Lover Aug 19 '15 at 11:55
0

I mentioned this in the comments and figured I'd explode this into a full answer: use the Sticky Keys "exploit" to get an elevated command prompt.

Reset password with Sticky Keys -PCWorld

Reset Your Windows Password Using the Command Prompt

  1. Boot your computer using your Windows installation disc.

  2. Wait for the setup files to load, and select your language. Click Next.

  3. Click the Repair your computer link on the Install Windows screen.

  4. Select the operating system to repair, and note the drive letter on which the OS is installed (it is probably C: or D:). Click Next.

  5. Click Command Prompt at the bottom of the list of recovery tools.

  6. Backup sethc.exe. In the Command Prompt window, type
    copy c:\windows\system32\sethc.exe c:\windows\system32\sethc.old
    and press Enter.

  7. Replace sethc.exe with cmd.exe. Type
    copy /y c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe c:\windows\system32\sethc.exe
    and press Enter.

  8. Exit the Command Prompt and reboot the computer.

At this point, you should be either at the logon screen, or on your desktop. Press shift five times. BAM! you should now have an ELEVATED console

enter image description here

Notice: sethc.exe in the image.

Now... you should have the control to do what you need. Add/change a password?

net user administrator Thup3rTh3cr3tP@sswordZOMGWTFBBQ!!!

Disable UAC from the console?

C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe /k %windir%\System32\reg.exe ADD HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System /v EnableLUA /t REG_DWORD /d 0 /f

With elevated command prompt, you should be able to do what you need - if not via CMD.EXE then you can most likely switch to Powershell and do it. With UAC disabled, you should be able to do whatever you need.

WernerCD
  • 4,313
  • 6
  • 32
  • 43