How to Enable / Activate Hidden Administrator Account in Windows Vista and 7

Many people ask me why there is no built-in Administrator account available in Windows Vista and 7 like previous Windows versions? Why can't we use the default Administrator account? The answer is "Yes! The default Administrator account is created in Vista and 7 but its disabled by default for security purposes."

You might want to enable it for troubleshooting or to get rid of the annoying UAC prompts while tweaking your system. So here I'll describe a few methods to enable / activate the hidden Administrator account in Windows Vista and 7:

Method A:

1. Right-click on My Computer icon on Desktop and select "Manage", it'll open "Computer Management" window. ( You can also open it by giving "compmgmt.msc" command in RUN dialog box or Startmenu Search box).

2. Go to "Local Users and Groups -> Users". In right-side pane double-click on "Administrator" account. It'll open its Properties. Deselect "Account is disabled" option and Apply it.

Method B:

1. Type "secpol.msc" in RUN dialog box or Startmenu search box, it'll open "Local Security Policy" window.

2. Goto "Local Policies -> Security Options".

3. Double-click on first option "Accounts: Administrator account status" and select "Enabled" and apply it.

Method C:

1. Click on “Start button -> All Programs -> Accessories“. Right-click on “Command Prompt” and select “Run As Administrator“. If you are prompted to enter password, enter the password and continue. You can also open Command Prompt in Administrator mode by typing “cmd” in Startmenu Search box and press “Ctrl+Shift+Enter“.

2. Now provide following command:

net user administrator /active:yes

3. Thats it. The Administrator account will be enabled. If you want to disable it again, simply replace "yes" with "no" in above command.

NOTE: Never activate the hidden Administrator account until required. Its better to use other general accounts for better security. Also the Administrator account has no password, so if you enable it then don't forget to set a strong password for it.

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This article was posted by VG in following section: Troubleshooting, Windows 7, Windows Vista.

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