Now that the Guest account has been made more secure, we can go to work on the Administrator account. Those readers that followed the steps on the first page may have already protected their computer's Administrator account with a password using the command prompt. The "net user" command may actually be easier than the method about to be described but not as easy as using Administrative tools in the control panel if you have the Windows XP Professional Edition.
Password Protecting the Administrator Account-Method 1
As mentioned at the beginning of this article, the Administrator account is only visible when Windows is running in "Safe Mode". In safe mode only the most important modules of Windows XP are loaded. The drivers for devices such as sound cards, modems, and printers are not loaded. While in safe mode, therefore, these devices will not function.
To get into "safe mode" you have to restart your computer. After Windows shuts down it isn't long until the computer begins to restart. When you see that BIOS (Basic Input Output System) has detected your hard drives and DVD or CD drives and just before Windows starts to load hit the "F8" key on the top row of your keyboard. If you don't catch it at the right time you'll have to try again. You'll know from the black DOS like screen with lines scrolling faster than you can read that you have actually gotten your computer to boot into safe mode. When the "Welcome" screen appears, usually only two accounts are shown, the Administrator account and the account of a regular user. Click on the Administrator account to log in.
You should end up with a screen similar to this after answering yes to a warning dialog. The words Safe Mode are in each of the four corners of the black screen. Notice, also, the user icon is not present on the "Start Menu" so we won't be able to use that shortcut. From the "Start Menu" click on "control panel".
When the control panel screen opens you will want to find the "User Accounts" icon and double click it. Single click preferences aren't functional in safe mode.
When the "Pick a task...." screen opens click on the Administrator account icon. From here its the same as setting the password on a regular account
Once you have the password set and have been returned to the "pick a task...." screen, close the window and reboot. There is one more step you can take to secure this default account.
Password Protecting the Administrator Account-Method 2
This method can be a bit dangerous because it uses features that aren't fully supported in the Home version of Windows XP. Before using this method, it would be prudent to set a restore point. Then if things go bad you can use system restore and everything will be as it was before you made changes.
Ordinarily System Restore runs in a manner that is transparent to most users. In fact, most users aren't even aware of System Restore but it is there and default system configurations have this utility turned on. Normally, it runs only when the computer has been idle. There have been reports of game freezes due to Windows deciding to set a restore point. Because of this some people turn this service off. Since we are already being careful, lets check the status of System Restore.
Click the "Start" button, then right click "My Computer", then click "Properties" and when the "System Properties" window opens click the "System Restore" tab at the top. If the check box next to "Turn off System Restore on all drives" has a check mark in it click the check box to clear it and turn on System Restore. Don't forget to click the "Apply" button before clicking the "OK" button to close the window. This may require a system restart before changes will take affect.
Now that we are sure System Restore is running we can set our restore point. Just click your "Start" button, then click "All Programs", then click "Accessories", then click "System Tools" and finally click "System Restore". Although this graphic is not exactly legible, it does provide the general idea behind the instructions.
When you have the "Welcome To System Restore" window open, you will see, on the right side under "To begin, select.....", the options listed. Click in the circle (radio button) next to "Create a restore point". A dot appears in the radio button indicating that this option has been selected. With the "Create..." option selected click the "next" button at the bottom of the window.
The "Create a Restore Point" window opens. This window asks for a restore point description. Type in anything you want then click the "Create" button located toward the bottom of this window. Your drives will become very busy for a few moments.
In a very short time, the "Restore Point Created" window appears and we are ready to continue with tightening system security. Click the "Close" button at the bottom or the "X" button in the top right corner.
This procedure requires typing a command into the "Run" box. Click the "Start" button then click "Run" on the "Start Menu". In the box labeled "Open :", type
control userpasswords2
then click the "OK" button. Hint : You could copy the command from this page then paste it into the "Run" box to avoid typos.
The window titled "User Accounts" opens listing all but two of the accounts the "net user" command reported and lists them alphabetically. In this window toward the bottom and in the outlined area with the "Reset Password" button, it should say "To change the password for Administrator, click Reset Password". If it doesn't click on Administrator in the list above to highlight it. This changes the account that will be worked on by the "Reset Password" button. Now click the "reset Password" button.
The "Reset Password" window now opens. Just like the first method, type your password in each box then click "OK". If you haven't used the other procedure to set the Guest account password this appears to be a viable alternative.
For a extra measure of security, the Administrator account can be renamed. I have read articles that not only suggested renaming the Administrator account but also suggested to set up a restricted account named Administrator and giving it a password with the maximum number of random characters possible. I am not sure how much more secure this would make a system but I can see where one might derive a certain amount of pleasure from thinking about some cracker spending all that time hacking the password to wind up with nothing.
Back to the "User Accounts" window, once again, with the Administrator account selected (highlighted) click the "properties" button.
The Administrator properties window opens with the present username already selected. Type a new name in this box, making sure to make NO OTHER changes. From what I've read, entering something into the space labeled "Full name:" can be disastrous. Remember, this "User Accounts" window isn't fully functional. You can look around all you like checking out all the tabs and buttons but if you make any changes other than those recommended you could easily find yourself back on the System Restore window. With the new name for the Administrator account carefully entered click the "OK" button.
With these new security measures in place, anyone that manages to get past your firewall will still have a tough time accessing your data. That is the reason layered defenses are so highly recommended. In closing, XP Pro users might find this Knowledge Base article of interest How To Disable the Administrator Account
If you have been wondering "What do I do after password protecting all the accounts on my computer then forget the passwords", then you might want to have a peek at this article Forgotten Password Wizard
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