Access the hidden Administrator Account in Windows Vista

If you are used to the built-in Administrator Account in Windows previous versions, you can be surprised to find it missing in your Control Panel under the User Accounts section in Windows Vista. This option does exist, but has been hidden by default.

Why has the Administrator account been disabled in Vista?

As the Administrator account gives total access to your computer system, this security measure has been planned by Microsoft to prevent any incident from jeopardizing the stability and security of your system. Consequently, enabling this account is highly discouraged for your computer's security. I would strongly suggest you to avoid this, except if you are undergoing a troubleshooting process that requires the Administrator account's assistance.

Also, note that Vista Beta 2 users should NOT attempt this procedure particularly if you want to password protect the Administrator account. A bug residing in the operating system could seriously disrupt your computer's stability.

How to activate the Administrator Account

Solution 1: Through User Account Control

1. Go to your Start menu and right-click on the My Computer icon.
2. Choosing Manage� from the list will prompt a User Account Control (UAC).
3. When you are done, the Computer Management console� will appear. Expand the Local Users and Groups option with the use of the arrow next to it and choose Users folder.
4. You can now select the Administrator Account and go to the Actions panel to open More Actions.
5. Choose Properties� to open the Administrator Properties dialog box and uncheck the option labeled Account is Disabled.
6. When done, click OK� to confirm changes.
7. The Administrator account should now be present on your log in screen.

Solution 2: With Command Prompt

1. Go to your Start menu and in Accessories list, open Command Prompt by right-clicking on its icon and choosing Run as Administrator
2. When the Command Prompt window appears, enter the command net user administrator /active:yes
3. When done, log out from your current account.
4. The Administrator account should now be present on your log in screen.

Solution 3: With Safe Mode

1. You must restart your computer system to be able to boot in Safe Mode�.
2. When the Windows� screen appears, press the F8 key.
3. From the list, go to the option Microsoft Windows� by using your keyboard arrows.
4. Instead of pressing the Enter key, press the F8 key again to display the Safe Mode boot screen.
5. Choose Safe Mode from the list and press the Enter key.
6. You will hence be taken to the log in screen that will display the Administrator account icon among your other current account/s.

How to disable the Administrator Account

Once you have done the necessary changes with the Administrator account, it would be wise to deactivate this option again. To do so,
1. Log out from the Administrator Account and log in on another user account.
2. Go to the Start menu and in Accessories list, select Command Prompt
3. When the window appears, enter the command net user administrator /active:no
4. Your log in screen should now display only your common user accounts.

For the Pro versions (or integrals) the easiest is to use Local Users and Groups

• In the search bar in the Start menu, type lusrmgr.msc and validate.
• Click Users.
• In the window that is right, then to Administrator Properties and uncheck the box "Account is disabled"

For "HOME" versions we must proceed in two steps

Creating the Administrator key in the registry.
Enable the Administrator account.