Windows 10: Issue with 1511 clean installs: built-in Admin can't run apps

While this is for Vista, it pretty much remains true all the way up through Windows 10:
Enable and Disable the Built-in Administrator Account

Their intent is clear. Microsoft wants to limit the use of the built-in administrator account for emergency use only. It is a protective feature. If the built-in administrator account is used as the daily and only administrator account and something corrupts it there is nothing left to fall back on. Creating a local administrator account is not a workaround. It is using the operating system within the limitations that were programmed in as a protective measure.

 

I certainly did upgrade to 1511 and can't run any universal apps under built in administrator either on this upgraded version or on clean install.

I'm pretty sure I couldn't on 10240. I definitely couldn't in audit mode but can't be sure about signing on as administrator afterwards as I didn't do it . I'll restore a 10240 backup and check it later but it won't help with your issue I'm afraid

 

Just guessing but I suspect that the upgraded account started with a regular admin account which carried over in the upgrade. Your scratch install had no account and is using the built-in admin one. Just create a new admin, and move on.

 

No, in all cases I'm talking about the built-in Administrator account named "Administrator" and activated through

net user Administrator /active:yes

 

It is just the same in 10240 as in 10586 (upgraded or not) for me - Administrator blocks universal apps...

I don't know how you did it.

 

I'm wondering the same thing about you. Here's my beloved built-in Administrator (on an updated machine) running everything without any problems





It is quite possible that the moment at which the built-in Administrator was activated (and logged in) the very first time matters. My built-in Administrator was activated before the update, which is why it can run universal apps.

Your built-in Administrator, I suspect, was activated after the update (is this the case?), which is why it refuses to lauch universal apps.

 

Which update? Before Windows 10 update or before 1511 update?

The install I got the picture above from is still on 10240 (it was upgraded from an older activated preview build - never had 7 or 8). I never activated the Administrator account on it before today.

My usual install is on 1511. I clean installed 10240 on it and went into audit mode before sysprep (which is signing on as Administrator obviously). I then upgraded to 1511. I never activated the Administrator account before and so didn't (perhaps this is relevant) have Administrator in the Users directory.

 

Before 1511 update. Windows 10 itself is a clean install.

Hm... Sysprep could be the deciding factor here. My machines that can run universal apps are all sysprepped (to relocate 'Users' folder).

 

I'm guessing you actually have a normal user that was named Administrator. An easy way to tell is to check your user profile and look at the users folder. Windows does not create a profile for the built-in Administrator account until you enable it. Thus, if you created an account named Administrator when you installed Windows, it won't be the built-in admininstrator. It will be a regular user named Administrator.

 

No.

Name "Administrator" is reserved. Windows will not allow you to create "normal user" with such name. If you specify this name when installing Windows, the installer will immediately reject it and ask you to choose another name.

Even if there might be some "hacks" that would allow one to circumvent that restriction, I'm not aware of them and I never used any of them.