Tip #3467 - Administrator Rights
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Q:
I went to install a new program on my computer the other day, but it wouldn't
let me because of something to do with Administrator rights. How can I
log into my Administrator account so I can get this program installed?
Please help me!
A:
Well, luckily, you have come to the right place! We've actually had several
phone calls about this problem recently and just about everyone else who
works here told me to write a tip about it, so that's what I'm going to
do for you all today. Listen up, because here we go!
When you're installing
a new program on to your computer, certain ones may give you an error
message that you've probably never seen before. It will say something
like "You must have Administrator rights to install (insert program
name) on this computer. Please log in to an account with Administrator
rights and run this installation again." So, what exactly does that
mean? Well, let me begin with a brief definition of Administrator rights.
The Administrator,
when talking about computers, is like the sole leader of the whole PC.
It's the one person who can go in and have unrestricted access to everything
on the computer. They can create, delete and modify any of the files or
folders on the computer, as well as, change any settings. Usually a computer
has an Administrator and then other accounts that have a more limited
access allowance. For example, in your household, you may be the Administrator,
but you may also have other accounts created for your children or grandchildren.
So, when you're trying
to install certain programs, your computer requires the Administrator
rights to be intact. This usually only comes up if the program is of a
more "detailed" or "advanced" nature. If you happen
to come across this on your own computer, there are a couple of things
you can do, so don't think all is lost. Now, when you boot up your computer
normally, you probably won't see the Administrator account listed, but
just because you don't see it, that doesn't mean it's not there. Those
accounts are usually hidden, so you have to do things a little differently
to get there.
In Windows XP, the
best thing to do is boot your computer up in safe
mode. To do this, restart your computer, but once Windows starts to
boot up, hit the F8 key on your keyboard. You'll then
be given a list of boot options and you can just select Safe Mode.
Hit the Enter key and you will then see the Administrator
account come up on the log in screen. Just enter in your password for
the Administrator account and you'll be all set. Now, let's see how you
can give your regular account (the one you normally use on your computer)
Administrator rights.
Okay, once you're
booted up in the Administrator account, right click on the My
Computer icon on your desktop and choose Manage.
From there, expand the Local Users and Groups folder.
Click on Groups and then double click on Administrators.
Choose Add and then enter the name of your regular account
that you want to give administrator rights to. This is usually just your
name, but if you named it something else (for example, The Miller Family),
just make sure it's entered in correctly. Once you do that, just click
OK to back yourself out of that.
Next, restart your
computer normally and choose your regular account. It will then have the
Administrator rights that you need to install the program. So, just run
the install again and you should be all set!
Now, you may be wondering
what you can do if you've forgotten the password to your Administrator
account. This seems to happen quite a bit, so don't worry, you're not
the only one. It's forgotten because you don't usually use that account
and even if you have it written down, you probably don't know where it's
at. Well, if this happens to be your case, here's what you can do.
You'll want to again
reboot your computer in safe mode. (If, after reading this tip, you know
you forget your password, make sure you do this part first!) Once you're
in safe mode, go to Start, Run and type
in "control userpasswords2." A new window will
then come up with all of your passwords, etc. listed. Click to highlight
the Administrator account and hit the Reset Password
button. Type in a new password in both the New Password and
Confirm New Password boxes. Click OK
and your passwords will be changed.
After you do that,
restart your computer normally and then you can get started on giving
your other account Administrator rights, as we discussed above. I know
this seems like a lot of work, but the bright side is that once it's all
done, you'll be able to install any program that may give you the Administrator
error. You can't beat that!
~ Erin
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