Windows 10: Built-in administrator account reset its password

Hello!

I have an unusual problem, which has caused me to not have admin access on my own computer. Recently, I noticed that my personal account did not have full privileges on my computer despite it being the only account on it. I activated the built-in admin account with elevated privileges in the hopes of fixing this problem, and also gave this account its own password just to be safe. I also fiddled around with the account, seeing if I could disable it just as easily (I couldn't, but that's the least of my worries at the moment).

I changed my personal account into one with no admin rights, confident that I could change it back at any time with the built-in admin account. Then, when I tried to login with the admin account I noticed the password I set didn't work. I even tried a couple of variations of it, but I'm pretty sure that I used the correct one. Essentially, I'm locked out of my computer as my personal account only has standard rights at the moment. I know the password probably reset itself when I tried to disable the account, is it possible these admin accounts have a default password they reset to in these cases?

Any help is appreciated, this is the first time I'm locked out of my own computer like this.

:)

 

I only have one user(which I am using now)but accidentally change my account type to user.

As explained above, open Command Prompt, run this command
(replace abc with a new password for the built-in Administrator Account):

net user Administrator abc

That should reset the password of the built-in Administrator Account . . .

 

Windows 10 Administrator Password not working+ more

So, opening some files require an administrator password. I just recently upgraded to Windows 10, and already there is a few problems, but lets just start with the main one



As I said, some files require an administrator's password, right? Well, when I try to open a file, the administrator password I used to use for Windows 8.1, is not working. It is the built in administrator. In fact, it's not even showing up. Instead, it
shows up the administrator I had to create a password reset disk for in Windows 8.1, and it is a microsoft account. I tried resetting the password, but it still doesn't work. And I cant create a reset disk for it, because (1) its a microsoft account, built
in administrator. and (2)

I use a PIN and the option for that doesn't show up.



The second problem, is whenever I try to enable my microphone (Sound, Recording Devices) it just crashes there, and says, "Windows Common Shell.dll not responding"

Please Help

 

Moi Espe, tervetuloa Kymppi Foorumille.

(That's Finnish for Hi Espe, welcome to Ten Forums.)

By default built-in admin account has no password. Have you tried to sign in to it without a password?

 

Thanks!

I tried leaving the password field blank, but it didn't work.

 

I would make a bootable USB flash drive or DVD of Kyhi's recovery tools:
Windows 10 Recovery Tools - Bootable Rescue Disk

Boot the computer from it. I believe it has a password reset utility that you can try. If not you have two choices. You can use the AEOMI Partition Assistant program to shrink the existing Windows 10 partition, create a new NTFS partition in the empty space and install a new Windows 10 to it. Then when you have an account set up with proper administrator privileges on the new install you should be able to retrieve your data files from your old user folder on the old Windows 10 partition. Once you get what you need to save copied over, you can delete the old Windows 10 partition and expand the new Windows 10 to fill the empty space.

or

You can run Macrium Reflect and make an image of the existing Windows 10 partition. Do a clean install of Windows 10 to the hard drive. Then use the Macrium Reflect explore image function to retrieve the files you need from the users folder in the backup image.

 

Is it possible to switch the built-in Administrator account to a Microsoft account? If so, it could have been done by accident. Tried your MS password?

 

That is not supposed to be possible, but people seem to manage to do the weirdest things with Windows 10.

 

Thanks for the suggestions, Navy. A friend of mine also suggested using recovery tools, I'm going to try that with his help. A little too technical for me to try on my own.

I don't have a Microsoft account myself, both accounts on this computer are local. It feels unlikely to me that the admin account would change itself, but I'm not sure.

 

I've found one scenario allowing it:

Windows 7 user has enabled the built-in admin account, removed all other user accounts using the built-in admin as only user account. When in-place upgrade to Windows 10 is now launched, the upgrade process treats the Windows 7 built-in admin account as any normal user account, asking when arriving to OOBE if user wants to switch to Microsoft account.

When done there's no way ever again make that built-in admin account a local account.

See this post: How to remove Microsoft Account from the Hidden Administrator

 

Thanks for that. Seems we can rule that scenario out as @Espe says in the OP that "...I activated the built-in admin account..." implying that it was disable up to now.

 

Yes, I didn't mean that Espe's issue is due this. I just wanted to share that scenario with you guys, remembering how I first refused to believe another OP (see the link in my previous post) and then after testing it myself noticed that there's this huge security loophole in upgrade scenarios which allows something that should never happen actually happen, built-in admin account becoming a Microsoft account without no chance to switch it back to local account.

 

Yes I wasn't entirely clear either, I was thanking you for confirming that it should not normally be possible.

 

All right, a little update. I showed my PC to a professional and he managed to unlock it and give my back my rights with some IT magic. He also disabled the built-in admin account, which I previously wasn't able to do. So all is well for the time being. It's still a huge mystery to me how the admin account reset its password, and what the password was. I guess human error on my part can't be completely ruled out.

Thank you for all your suggestions, and for taking the time to help me out!

 

Good to know you got it resolved *Smile