Local Accounts Forgotten Passwords

Tony,

I corrected the pdf again [the second correction was just to correct an embarrassing spelling mistake in section 10]. Attachment 315310

If you have already started printing the pdf then don't worry about it.

Denis

Tony,

How did you create the new accounts?

Denis

Junker said:

I set up the accounts just following the on line instructions

You mean Add Local Account or Microsoft Account - TenForumsTutorials?

Please would you explain which Option you used.
Please would you confirm that you created them as local user accounts not MSAccount-linked user accounts.

Denis

Tony,

Give me a minute and I'll suggest which Options of the tutorials you can choose from.

BUT

I was just sitting down at the computer as your post's notification arrived. I might have realised what

Junker said:

The method outlined in the tutorial is not available in my version of windows ...

might signify.

In the tutorial Add Local Account or Microsoft Account - TenForumsTutorials Option 1 Step 2 You did not see the Family & other users entry?
You do not see
[This is what an Admin sees]
but only
[This is what a Standard user account sees]
???

If so, the account you were using [Tony, your "user 2"] has lost its Admin capability at least in part.

Is my diagnosis correct? If so, don't bother trying anything else yet.

If you are not sure, just ignore the tutorial for the time being. Right-click on the Start button, select Settings, Accounts. Which version of the diagram do you see?

You will be able to log in to "Administrator" to do the job but I really do want to nail down the cause of the problem first.

Denis

Tony,

I'll stay online to await your answer to my last post.

Denis

---

Ignore all this for now. It's just me getting it all written while my mind is fresh. I'll copy it into a new post when the time is right.


When we restart -
- I will suggest logging in to "Administrator" [the Built-In Admin account].
- Then I'll suggest Add Local Account or Microsoft Account - TenForumsTutorials Option 1 {*** and nagging you about writing down the password must now extend to nagging you about writing down the security questions & their answers}- then Change to Admin account type- TenForumsTutorials

Once you have created two accounts this way I will suggest
- logging in to each one in turn then right-clicking on the Start button, selecting Settings, Accounts to check which version of the diagram you see.
- In fact, I'm so concerned about this that I'll also suggest a second check that the new accounts' Admin capability works correctly.
- - Right-click on the Start button then select the entry Windows PowerShell (Admin)
- - You can then check that you have selected the right thing by looking in its titlebar.
- - - A normal PowerShell session just has the titlebar entry Windows PowerShell, but
- - - if you have selected the right one it will say Administrator: Windows PowerShell.
- - Then enter this command - just copy & paste it in then press the Enter key

Code:

reg query "HKU\S-1-5-19"

- - - If the Admin status of the account is working correctly, you'll get a boring list of things in the pattern HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-19\…
- - - If the Admin status of the account is not working correctly, you'll get an error response ERROR: Access is denied.

OK, log on as Administrator then.

Add Local Account or Microsoft Account - TenForumsTutorials Option 1
{*** and nagging you about writing down the password must now extend to nagging you about writing down the security questions & their answers}
then Change to Admin account type- TenForumsTutorials

Create both the new Admin accounts this way then log in to each in turn then right-click on the Start button, select Settings, Accounts to check which version of the diagram you see.
[This is what an Admin sees]
but only
[This is what a Standard user account sees]

If both new accounts are OK then you can move on to the next stage.

But remember that you must regard the account Tony ["user 2"] as defective. So you actually need to create a third new password-protected local account for day-to-day use [which you might as well make Admin like most of us do even though MS says it is better to use a standard user account.
- Make this third one a local account as well. You can always convert it to an MSAccount-linked one later on if you want to.
- All my references to copying files across to Tony must now be taken as copying files across to the new third account.
- You can call the third new account whatever you want as long as you don't get it mixed up with Tony or Tony_2. Perhaps TonyP will do.

Denis