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Question

How to override computer administrator password

Apr 2, 2018 9:00PM PDT

In a home with two siblings, one has designated himself as the computer administrator so that the other cannot use it. How the heck do I override the vengeful child's administrator password, and make one parent the administrator instead without having to take the tower to a service provider and have to pay for them to do it? Can I also prevent anyone else from changing the administrator password once I make this change? This is a fairly new computer, bought in the last year, so I suppose it's Vista 64 bit, but am not sure. it's a windows OS.

Thank you very much.

Discussion is locked

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Answer
Re: password
Apr 3, 2018 12:40AM PDT

Change the current administrator password, so you can login. Once you're logged in, make a new administrator account for you, and using that, make the current one a non-administrator. And make an account for the other sibling also.

https://www.howtogeek.com/222262/how-to-reset-your-forgotten-password-in-windows-10/ tells how, with the utilman trick.
A new computer now uses Windows 10. Vista was last sold in 2010. If you don't have a Windows 10 install disc, make it from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10

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Override administrator password
Apr 3, 2018 1:49PM PDT

Thank you for your response, but how do I change the current administrator password if the child has it and I don't?

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Re: change administrator password
Apr 3, 2018 2:18PM PDT

If you're logged in in your own account, and you're administrator, you can make his account a non-administrator account. He keeps his password, but he can do a lot less than he can now.

It's not the computer that has an administrator password. Passwords belong to accounts, and accounts can be administrator or not.
A computer can have a BIOS password to lock everybody out that doesn't know it. But you didn't talk about BIOS passwords, so i didn't assume that is used.

Post was last edited on April 3, 2018 2:27 PM PDT

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Answer
As to disallow the change to the password.
Apr 3, 2018 6:02AM PDT

Given it's Windows, you can't stop it unless you control physical access to the PC.

Do we need to go over basic computer security here?