What's the Administrator Logon Password?

[bgm1961]

Hello,

I was a bonehead when using nLite for the first time yesterday by not entering a password in the Administrator settings under the User Accounts tab (for Automated Installation). I focused soley on establihing the account settings for a single user account and totally ignored the settings for Administrator. Thusly XP was installed with the "Must use password" setting, but no password entered in the settings field. Imagine my surprise when I tried to set-up my network and discovered I can't lobon as the administrator!

Is there a defasult? I already tried, "DefaultPassword".

My only other option as far as I ca tell is re-install.

Thanks,

Barry Miller

[Sp0iLedBrAt]

Open the CD and look at Last Session_u.ini

If there is an Administrator password, it will be inside.

Cheers and welcome to MSFN

[Ponch]

There is no "nLite" administrator password. If you didn't change the settings, your XP is behaving as the XP you started with.

-either there is no password (blank)

-or the password is kept from a previous modification (but I can only guess that you start with an original disk as you don't provide much info and I can only guess you overwrite the "unattended" settings as you don't provide your Last Session.ini as requested in bold red up your screen)

-either you have XP Home which only allows logging as Administrator in Safe Mode (again, this is MS, not nLite's fault) but again you didn't say which flavor you're installing.

In that case, you can still set up your network with your other account which should have admin rights.

[bgm1961]

Thanks, SpoiledBrat for the reply. I looked at the file per your reccomendation and there was no mention of an Administrator password. I appreciate your time.

bgm1961

Open the CD and look at Last Session_u.ini

If there is an Administrator password, it will be inside.

Cheers and welcome to MSFN

Edited October 6, 2010 by bgm1961

[bgm1961]

Ponch,

Thank you very much for your reply and your time. I was hasty in posting my original question and overlooked attaching the lastsession.ini... I really thought my question would be easy to answer, if an answer exists. But nothing is as easy as it seems. I've posted my ini this time.

- I'm using XP Home Edition.

- My install is a totally clean install. During an earlier and unsuccesful installation attempt (using an OEM disc) I selected a complete reformat (not the "quick" option) of the HD, so there should be nothing lingering.

- For this slipstream installation, the source installation files came off an OEM SP1 disc. I pointed nLite to my SP3 download to make a SP3 slipstream, which worked great. XP SP3 is now running on my target computer. This is after spending two frustrating evenings trying a clean install with the "OEM disc & the F6 key w/ floppy" method, and always coming to a roadblock when it came time to copy my SATA drivers halfway through the installation. Three nights ago the slipstream method seemed like too much of a hassle for a not-so-savvy guy like me, but now I definitely wished I started the process with nLite!

- Worked like a champ till I tried to log on as an Administrator. A blank password is not accepted. Upon reading your reply, I didn't know that you have to be in safe mode to log on as an Administrator. I immediately tried that and I lerned something new! It worked... But, I'm still unable to do tasks I think I should be able to do, for instance, deleting the user account I originally set up and now realize I don't need. Although I start in the other user account in safe mode, once I switch to administrator, I don't even see the other user account anymore.

- Anyway, using safe mode I was able to change my administrator password and that works... but agian only when in safe mode. When I try to log on in normal mode, I get a "Unable to log you on becasue of an account restriction" message. As you said, this is a MS thing and I get its not a nLite problem. I need to get myself smart on Adminstrator management under XP HE. Don't know how I've gotten by so far for the past 5 years.

- And finally, the other user account only has limited rights and I can't change that, even when logged-on as Administrator in safe mode. So for instance, when I tried setting-up my network under the other user account, a message returned, "Network set-up is limited to computer administrator".

Again, I appreciate your help. Though I think most of what I need to know at this point falls outside the lanes of the great nLite community and into basic Windows knowledge. Looks like its time to pour through MS' KB articles!

bgm1961

There is no "nLite" administrator password. If you didn't change the settings, your XP is behaving as the XP you started with.

-either there is no password (blank)

-or the password is kept from a previous modification (but I can only guess that you start with an original disk as you don't provide much info and I can only guess you overwrite the "unattended" settings as you don't provide your Last Session.ini as requested in bold red up your screen)

-either you have XP Home which only allows logging as Administrator in Safe Mode (again, this is MS, not nLite's fault) but again you didn't say which flavor you're installing.

In that case, you can still set up your network with your other account which should have admin rights.

LAST SESSION.INI

[johnhc]

bgm1961, you are welcome to ask your questions here. There are many people with good and varied knowledge here. Thanks for the Last Session.ini. You should always start with a fresh copy of your CD files/folders and run nLite only once doing all your work. This trips up many a new user and causes untold grief. I have never used XP Home, but I suggest you create a new account in Unattended, giving it administrative privileges and auto log it. Then you will not need to fool around with the Administrator account and Safe Mode. Enjoy, John.