Completely reset hidden Administrator account?

Hi, not sure if anyone can help - this is more of an OCD type request.

I recently needed to activate the hidden Administrator account and on first run it asked me to set a password and then ran the OOBE.

I found a page on EightForums where Brink explained how to reset the OOBE but this doesn't completely reset everything and the account retains its password. I know that the password can be deleted and the account can be set to ask for a new password when next logged in, but I am looking for a way (if possible) to completely reset it so that the next time I use it it will follow the same steps as the first time, as though I had never used it.

Reset Windows 10 Administrator Account to default

FreeBooter said:

Reset Windows 10 Administrator Account to default

Many thanks for the reply, Unfortunately the link there is the one I had already tried and it only resets the oobe/profile, not the whole account.

Hi Denis, many thanks for your reply.

Try3 said:

It should not do that.
1 What else has been done to that account in the past?

It was the first time I used the account since initial Windows 10 install, it hadn't ever been activated so I activated it using "net user administrator /active:yes". I assumed that because it had never been used and had no initial password that that was why it was asking me to set one (the dialog said something similar but I didn't think to take a screenshot at the time).

2 Is its username still "Administrator" as listed in the response to the command net user

Yes

3 If its username is still "Administrator", please post the response to the command net user Administrator

Code:

User name                    Administrator
Full Name
Comment                      Built-in account for administering the computer/domain
User's comment
Country/region code          000 (System Default)
Account active               No
Account expires              Never

Password last set            15/03/2021 03:54:16
Password expires             26/04/2021 03:54:16
Password changeable          15/03/2021 03:54:16
Password required            Yes
User may change password     Yes

Workstations allowed         All
Logon script
User profile
Home directory
Last logon                   13/03/2021 12:58:43

Logon hours allowed          All

Local Group Memberships      *Administrators       *Ssh Users
Global Group memberships     *None

Note - if "Password expires" is unusual, it's because I was adjusting that to see if it brought up the same initial experience. It didn't.

OOBE refers to the first boot of a newly-installed Windows 10.

I saw the user setup referred to as OOBE once before, probably incorrectly and out of context so have probably been using it wrongly myself ever since lol.

4 Did you just mean that it went through setting up the account as though it had never been logged into before [or as though its C:\Users\Administrator folder had been deleted after its last login]?

Yes, that's what I meant.

babyblue said:

this is more of an OCD type request

I suggest you have that looked at
From my experience, the results achieved by following @Brink or @FreeBooter lead are the closet to remedying OCD as one can expect ! Trust me, as I've aged, my OCD woes have receded !

BubbaW said:

I suggest you have that looked at
From my experience, the results achieved by following @Brink or @FreeBooter lead are the closet to remedying OCD as one can expect ! Trust me, as I've aged, my OCD woes have receded !

Lol, you're probably right.

Try3 said:

Have you used any utilities or procedures to force use of passwords?
Example only - Force Local Account to Change Password at Next Sign-in - TenForumsTutorials

Yes I had tried Brink's tutorial to see if it brought up the same initial experience. Unfortunately it didn't.

I know nothing about ssh so I cannot advise you.

I installed ssh a while back to be able to ssh from linux machine on the same network. I disabled it when done, the "ssh users" group must have remained. This was still long before activating the Administrator account though.

close as possible to a state of never having altered the Built-In Admin

Close as possible is actually fairly easy to achieve, I was just looking for a way to undo the changes that took place when I first activated the Administrator account. I tried a system restore - but that didn't work, probably as it doesn't touch user data.

Try3 said:

What changes do you want to undo?

It's a pity I didn't make a note or screenshot the first dialog after logging into the Administrator account, but it was something about being a first-time login and wanting me to set a password.

If it isn't possible to reset it back to that, then I guess an alternative would be for the account to be secure and still accessible (even if it needs to be enabled first), but not have a password (that I will almost certainly forget). The administrator account is currently disabled and I have removed the Administrator folder + edited the registry according to Brink's tutorial linked above.