[aklug] Re: Windows question: this account is locked

On 10/11/2010 09:41 AM, Kevin Miller wrote:
> Christopher Howard wrote:
>> Hate to ask Windows questions on a LUG, but it's kind of an emergency
>> and all the Windows techies are out on vacation. I need to change the
>> password on a Windows XP box. (It's part of a larger system that must
>> have sync'd passwords on all boxes.)
>>
>> The account I need to change is the only Administrator account on the
>> system. I tried to change it last Friday: Windows let me go through the
>> entire password change procedure, even up to entering the new password
>> twice. But then it tells me "Windows cannot change this password because
>> the account is locked." (Or something fairly close to that.)
>>
>> I thought maybe the wrong password had been entered too many times, and
>> that the account was on some kind of timed lock-out. However, I left it
>> alone the entire week-end and today I still cannot change the password.
>> (Same error.)
>>
>> I have been looking through the registry (the system automatically logs
>> into this account on startup) but I am not sure how to edit the reg. to
>> allow me to change the password on the account.
>
> Server or workstation? Or more precisely, can you reboot it? If nobody
> else is on it, I'd do a reboot which should close any open sessions if
> that's what has the lock.
>

Workstation. Already been rebooted several times.

> It sounds like you can log in as administrator - just not change the
> password. Is that right? And you're trying to change the local
> administrator (not the domain administrator)?
>

Yes and yes. Although, I should say I've never logged in /per se/
because the OS logs itself in automatically to the admin account and
launches some custom software.

> If you can get in as an admin, I'd create a 2nd admin account, log in as
> that and then try to manipulate the account.
>
> ...Kevin

There's an idea. I'll take a look at that...

-- 
Christopher Howard
http://frigidcode.com
http://theologia.indicium.us
---------
To unsubscribe, send email to <aklug-request@aklug.org>
with 'unsubscribe' in the message body.