XP (and NT, 2000, 2003) ALWAYS has an Administrator account.
You can't disabled it.
Log out of your user account, log in as Administrator    <---exactly as that, Administrator
and fix your user account with it.
Most likely you never entered a password for the Admin account,
so just hit enter for the password input box after you type Administrator in the user input box.

If  you are using a graphical login (pretty picture you click on to login) the Administrator account may not be visible.  To access the Administrator account press ctrl+alt+del twice in a row.  This should take you to a standard logon where you have to type the actual username and password.  The previous poster is correct...the Admin account likely does not have a password.  If it does you can reset it using various tools located online.

If I can make a recommendation...do not logon as a privliged account all the time.  Stick w/ the Limited account and only change to the Admin account when needed.  Trust me this will save you alot of headaches w/ spyware, adware and viruses.  With a limited account these nasty little apps will not have the privledges needed to do system wide harm.  I know it seems like a pain but it is well worth it.

Hope this helps

Quoted: If  you are using a graphical login (pretty picture you click on to login) the Administrator account may not be visible.  To access the Administrator account press ctrl+alt+del twice in a row.  This should take you to a standard logon where you have to type the actual username and password.  The previous poster is correct...the Admin account likely does not have a password.  If it does you can reset it using various tools located online. If I can make a recommendation...do not logon as a privliged account all the time.  Stick w/ the Limited account and only change to the Admin account when needed.  Trust me this will save you alot of headaches w/ spyware, adware and viruses.  With a limited account these nasty little apps will not have the privledges needed to do system wide harm.  I know it seems like a pain but it is well worth it. Hope this helps

Great tip!

with xp home edition.  you can boot into safe mode click on the administrator (user)  and change the setting back to what it was before.  same thing as above just a different way

Start->Control Panel->User Accounts

Click "Change the way users log on or off"

Uncheck the mark on "Use the Welcome screen"

That will allow you to login the "classic" way.

Quoted: Right now, the only way I can even get to a Admin area is in SafeMode, a

You have home edition.

Just make some new admin accounts on your next visit to safe mode.  At least one is bound to hold, unless someone messed up settings way beyond the casual when they changed your account.

Quoted: Quoted: Right now, the only way I can even get to a Admin area is in SafeMode, a You have home edition. Just make some new admin accounts on your next visit to safe mode.  At least one is bound to hold, unless someone messed up settings way beyond the casual when they changed your account.

exactly.

if you can't get to it through the control panel.  Im pretty sure this works on HOME edition also but all my machines are PRO.  but try it if you like:


RIGHT CLICK on my computer    then click manage .  double click local users and groups,  double click users.  check the properties of all the users listed here.

to create a new user just right click and click new user.  

well all get this resolved one way or the other.  

BTW   whats the story about the avatar?   not all of us have been here since 2k

One thing that’s worked for me when internet settings didn't work right is to go into "local area connection properties" and uninstalling everything in there. By that I mean TCP/IP, File Sharing, Client for Microsoft Networks, etc. Uninstall them all.

Then reboot and re-install them individually. It gives it all a clean slate to work from with no pre-existing internet settings left over to mess anything up.

If you already know how to set up your IP address and gateway address manually, it’s easy to do.