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how could a user delete admin account
I had latitude E7270 set up with Microsoft admin account and a user account. this was done a while ago for a client who was logged in the user account. I recently discovered that that accounts disappeared and the user installed a new Microsoft account as the single administrator.
I am curious how this was done. I know if the user managed to do a clean Win 10 install, it would be one possible explanation. but suppose that was not the case. how can a non-admin user without knowing the admin account password manage to delete both accounts and establish a new admin account? I want to know if MS account in Win 10 has such loop holes.
I recently had another desktop pc that has two admin accounts, mine being one of the two. I was able to use computer management and registry editor to change my admin account name and delete the other admin account. but if I were only logged in a user account that is not admin, would that be possible?
how to change admin account name:
in the search box on the taskbar, type Computer Management and select it from the list.
Select the arrow next to Local Users and Groups to expand it.
Select Users.
Right-click Administrator and select Rename.
Type a new name. Note that you'll need to be the administrator to change this name.
redxps630
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April 29th, 2024 15:26
to delete admin account:
You will need to use the Windows Registry to delete the built-in Administrator account.
Press and hold the Windows key on the keyboard and type the R key to open the run window. Type regedit in the Open text box and click OK. You may have to click Yes to verify your command.
On the left side of the window, click HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, followed by clicking SAM. This opens a subfolder also called SAM. Right-click on SAM (the subfolder) and left-click on Permissions.
In the Permissions window, click on Administrators in the top section of the window. In the lower section of the window, click on the Allow column checkbox in the Full Control row. Then click OK.
When you return to the Registry Editor window, press the F5 key on the keyboard to refresh the screen. Then click on the following folders in the Registry Editor window in order: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, SAM, SAM, Domains, Account, Users, and Names.
Right-click on Administrator and left-click on Delete to delete this built-in Administrator account. After restarting the computer, Windows 10 will show the Administrator account deletion.
petermuss
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May 3rd, 2024 06:31
@redxps630
and remember to have another user with local admin privilegs before deleting!
(edited)