How to Set Up a Computer With Administrator Privileges
Unlike standard users and guests, administrators in Windows 7 can control most aspects of the operating system, such as installing and removing programs and drivers, and making changes to the registry. Businesses should limit administrative access to trusted employees to prevent other workers from making unauthorized changes to their workstations. If your computer has an existing administrator account, you can create additional accounts with administrative privileges through the Control Panel. If you've accidentally disabled your account, however, you can enable the hidden administrator account in Windows 7 to regain control over your system.
Enable Hidden Administrator Account
Click "Start." Type "cmd.exe" into the search box and press "Ctrl-Shift-Enter" to launch Command Prompt as an administrator.
Type the following command into the Command Prompt:
net user administrator /active:yes
Press "Enter" to enable the built-in administrator account. Log out to access the account.
Create a New Administrator Account
Click "Start | Control Panel | User Accounts and Family Safety | User Accounts."
Click "Manage Another Account" and then click "Create a New Account." Create a handle for the account and select "Administrator."
Click "Create Account." Choose the new account from the list of users and then click "Create a Password."
Enter a new passphrase for the administrator and create a password hint. Click "Create Password" to finish setting up the administrator account.
- If you are unable to open Command Prompt as an administrator, press "Windows-R" and type the command "runas /user:administrator cmd" (without the quotes) into the Run box. Press "Enter" to invoke the Command Prompt with administrator privileges.
- You should disable the hidden administrator after creating a new admin account. Open Command Prompt and execute the following command to rehide the account:
- net user administrator /active:no
Ruri Ranbe has been working as a writer since 2008. She received an A.A. in English literature from Valencia College and is completing a B.S. in computer science at the University of Central Florida. Ranbe also has more than six years of professional information-technology experience, specializing in computer architecture, operating systems, networking, server administration, virtualization and Web design.