Completely reset hidden Administrator account?

babyblue said:

... it was something about being a first-time login and wanting me to set a password.

That's the bit that I still do not understand.

babyblue said:

… not have a password (that I will almost certainly forget).

Change account password - TenForumsTutorials - change it to a blank password

I always write passwords down somewhere secure yet readily available. Writing down passwords is as effective as & is a lot cheaper than making 'Password reset disks' [which are only for local accounts anyway]. I always write user account passwords down on a piece of paper that I keep inside one of those dog nametag cylinder things attached to my main keyring -

Here's a [UK] link for some example ID tags https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pet-Barrel-.../dp/B00DEB1JVQ There are lots of available choices but I bought ones that, like these, have a slot in the bottom for me to swing off so I can be confident they won't come apart accidentally while I'm out & about.

Denis

babyblue said:

If the Administrator account is disabled with a blank password does that make it secure?

Yes.

Only an Admin account can issue the instruction to enable it so it is secure once it is disabled.

Denis

I have just used a computer on which I know that I had never enabled the Built-In Admin.
- I enabled it using net user Administrator /active:yes
- I logged into it.
- There was no demand for a password to be set up.

[I then disabled it using net user Administrator /active:no and deleted its C:\Users\Administrator folder]

Denis

Hello, I don't know the answer to your problem but following quotes and links may help to troubleshoot your issue, I marked relevant parts in bold:

Note

It is not necessary to explicitly enable the built-in Administrator account or specify an autologon of the account using an answer file in order to run commands in the auditSystem and auditUser passes. Doing so can prevent the image or device from entering the Out-Of-Box Experience (OOBE) successfully. When booting into Audit Mode, the built-in Administrator account is automatically enabled, is used to run scripts during auditUser pass by default, and is used to sign in automatically.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/win...etup-autologon

When you run the sysprep /generalize command, the next time that the computer starts, the built-in Administrator account will be disabled.

When you run the sysprep /generalize command on Windows Server 2012 and Windows Server 2008 R2, the Sysprep tool resets the built-in Administrator account password. The Sysprep tool only clears the built-in Administrator account’s password for server editions, not for client editions. The next time that the computer starts, Setup displays a prompt for a password.

For new installations, after the end user creates a user account in OOBE, the built-in Administrator account is disabled.

For upgrade installations, the built-in Administrator account remains enabled when there is no other active local administrator on the computer, and when the computer is not joined to a domain.

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/pre...5104(v=win.10)

In any case Administrator account is treated differently than regular local accounts during OOBE and auditSystem stage, at least following link seems to imply so:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/win...p-useraccounts

If you find no solution to your problem, last resort could be creating an answer file:
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/win...an-answer-file

babyblue said:

Many thanks for the password storage ideas, they look interesting :)

And do note that I was not recommending that particular one.
- I used that link because its photos showed the slot on its bottom that I wanted to add a comment about.
- I would have thought there'd be one going for 50p or less somewhere or other.

Denis

babyblue said:

Did it just let you in without a password (in other words the default is no password and it is happy to stay that way)?

Yes. It let me in without a password and is happy to stay that way.

Denis