Activate the hidden administrator account in Windows Vista

Most people do not know that there is a hidden Administrator account in Windows Vista. This account is meant for times when you have to troubleshoot problems in your Windows Vista based computer. But before you can use it, you will have to activate it. Here is how :

1. If you already have an admin level account

If your present account has admin level privileges, then activating the hidden Administrator account is a breeze. Follow these instructions to activate it :

  1. Open an elevated command prompt.
  2. In the command prompt window, type the following :
    net user Administrator /active:yes

  3. That’s it, now its active. Now if you log off, you can log on to the Administrator account.

2. If you only have a standard user account

If you only have a standard account, then you cannot open an elevated command prompt. In that case, you will have to do little hacking in the Windows Registry. Follow these instructions :

  1. Download EnableAdmin.exe from http://www.jimmah.com/vista/downloads/enableadmin.exe. Save the EnableAdmin.exe to any easily accesible location like the root C: folder.
  2. Reboot your computer using the Windows Vista DVD or the Windows Vista Recovery CD.
  3. In the Recovery Environment, choose the Command Prompt
  4. In the command prompt, type C:EnableAdmin.exe and press Enter. (type the command according to the location where you saved the EnableAdmin.exe file.)

  5. That’s it, now its active. Now you can restart your computer and you would find the activated Administrator account.