How to Activate Your Hidden Vista Admin Account so you can give your crappy Microsoft computer to somebody else!!

So...of course, as these things go...my laptop that blew up on me a few weeks ago? Turns out it only appeared to blow up. My Dad, being slightly blind and very absent minded went and turned on my old laptop today- and of course it started up just fine. Granted, 2 minutes later it turned itself off for fear of overheating...but the point was it works. Just fine.

But I refuse to go back to my old crappy Windows computer (as about 10 minutes of trying to get it ready for my Dad convinced me if I was otherwise wavering!)...so I decided to delete all my files, my account, and let my Dad have a nice computer with nothing but all my apps on it (ha!)

Of course, nothing is easy in Windows. I tried creating a new admin account and delete my personal account...but alas, Windows refused to let the new admin account modify an OLD admin account. I tried changing my account to a standard account- once again, no dice.

I knew there was a hidden Admin account in Vista but I had no idea how to activate it. So I used my trusty new Mac to find out how! (Yes, I know it's not the fact that it's a Mac that I found the solution to my Windows problem, but when I did the same search on my Windows computer it was going so slow I wanted to kill myself!)

SO: STEPS to GET YOUR OLD COMP READY FOR A NEW OWNER WITHOUT DELETING THE APPLICATIONS!

1) Make sure you have any files you want off your account. Put em on an external drive.

2)Follow these instructions that I got from here: http://www.computerperformance.co.uk/vista/vista_administrator_activate.htm

How to Activate the Hidden Vista Administrator

Key decision - decide if you need a password for the administrator's account that you are going to activate. My point is that the local policy may insist on a complex password, thus you will not be able to activate the administrator with a blank password. This technique also works on Windows Server 2008, however on that operating system it is more likely you will set /active:no.

Overview

1. Logon to Vista using your usual account.
2. Launch the cmd prompt - Make sure you select, 'Run as administrator'
3. Net user administrator password
4. Net user administrator /active:yes
5. Switch User, or logoff
6. Logon as Administrator Password p£ssw0rD
   (Your password may be different!)

Detailed Instructions to activate the Administrator

1. Logon to Vista using your normal username and password.
2. Click on the Start button
3. Click on Start Search.
4. Type, cmd.
5. Right-click cmd, select 'Run as administrator' from the shortcut menu.
6. In the black 'DOS box', type the following at the command line:
   Net help user
7. The idea of the last command is just to observe the options for Net User. In particular, examine the syntax to set the password.
8. The next instruction is the crucial command. I have chosen password = password, you may want to choose different characters.
9. Net user administrator p£ssw0rd
10. Net user administrator /active:yes
11. Check the message : The command completed successfully
12. Switch User, or logoff
13. Logon as Administrator Password p£ssw0rD (Your password may be different!)

Trap1: There should be no space between the word 'active' and the colon.

/active :yes is wrong.
/active:yes is correct.

Trap2: You need a forward slash before /active

Net user administrator active:yes is wrong
Net user administrator /active:yes is correct

Thanks to Rob Hilton for pointing out this trap.

Trapx: Pay close attention to the command, it should be active, not activate.

I thank Ben O'Sullivan for correcting this activate --> active error.

3) LOG OFF the account you want to delete.

4) LOG INTO the new account Administrator account that is now waiting for you on the log in screen. The password is the one you set, if you followed the above instructions to a T it's password.

5) Go into the control pannel and choose User Accounts.

6) Pick the option that's labelled "modify other accounts" or something like that.

7) A box will show up with all the accounts on that computer, including a guest account I bet you never knew was there. Click on the account you wanted to Delete.

8) Pick "Delete Account."

9) Choose to Delete all the files (so nobody else can have them). Confirm this choice.

10) WAIT. If you have a ton of files, it'll take well over an hour. Go have a cup of coffee.

Then log off you Admin account, never to touch it again unless the other accounts won't let you do something basic you want to do. AND/OR create a new main account for your computer.

VOILA! Hand it over to it's new owner knowing all your files are long gone.

Now my dad just needs to get a new fan and he'll have a good as old computer!