Loss of administrator status

Who or what is that?

don't think acts of god are covered under warranty...


If the lighting strike changed your administrator's account status, it also changed the administrators security group status so that it's now a standard user security group. What that means is there is no administrators security group. Without an administrators security group, there is no administrators account.

Nothing you can do will create an administrators security group, which will then allow you to create an administrators account.

Time to reload software.

Noah had this same problem with the computer system on the Ark.

This decidedly non-techie thanks you for your patience.

your non-condescending response.

You've just went ahead and violated the basic ethics and principals behind every IT professional on this site. How are we to know if this request is legitimate or someone looking to break into a machine other than their own? If you want to play "wannabe hacker", then take your business elsewhere, but if you've noticed already, we don't respond kindly to requests for password or BIOS cracking.

They were both neutral. Anyone legitimate would know this and have the proper tools as advised in the first link. Anyone non technical should not even attempt the advice in the second link.

Don't attack someone giving information in these kinds of threads. Simply mark them as spam and move on.

We also try to play nicely together here...

I was simply warning the previous poster of going a little too far with trying to be helpful and providing information that isn't publicly available. If you haven't noticed, I've been playing nicely with everyone, but I will give a stern warning when I see someone being a smartass and going against every other poster on a thread that chooses not to provide password cracking help, even if it is posted on some website. Nobody appreciates a black sheep among the crowd.

The first link basically says to reinstall Windows. The security hole itsn't a security hole. 5 more seconds and it lets you choose your new administrator password. I've kept mum about the different ways to get around the password but this one is funny. You would thibnk if someone could find this site they could find the several others that tell someone how to get around Windows security.

And the 2nd link is about fiel level ownership! What does that have to do with anything?

Lightning strikes don't change passwords or privledges without touching something else. They fry electronics.

are even touched.

or the Noah's Ark reference?

I really need to buy one of them there 1002 jokes books and brush up on the humor.

I just didn't want to post a reply helping to create yet another password hacking thread that shows up high in the search engines.

I got it, I thought it was great. Some magazine had an article yers ago, I think by Dvorak, who suggested we start telling non-techies that we needed to replace their Thurman Unit for all problems. This was an ode to Uma at the height of her popularity. I started doing it and it was great.

"Scott, my computer runs slow!"

"Hmmm, looks like the Thurman Unit is going out, I'll get you a new one"

"It runs so much faster now! How often do Thurman Units fail?"

"Not too often, but we have plenty on hand"

I wander away with an empty memory package...

The office is mine. It is where I practice law. Which has a name for your "Thurman Unit" game; it's called FRAUD. Maybe you're nippled up in a corporate environment where you can get away with that. In any event, you're lying to people from whom you are taking money.

I'm not a consultant and I would NEVER rip off a customer if I were. But in the corporate world users always want a 30 minute dissertation on why they had a problem. So you give it to them and they stare at you blankly because they didn't understand a word. So for fun you tell them it was something else. I have better things to do than explain things to users. They don't explain their job to me, and quite frankly, I don't want to know all the details about how my paycheck mysteriously arrives in my hands or how the decided to arrange the cubicles.

I have to remember that one!!

Bad Thurman unit.

Thoughts that I simply cannot put into words!

Ooooooh !!

and it was a bit funny.

I just had no reason to respond back, the user is gone now.

I like it though, he works in an office, lightning strikes and only alters the PW, and he has no clue as to what deskside support is.....
Hmmmm....

trying to crack mommy's computer?

... as if they think they're gonna pull the wool over our eyes and slip one through.

Ya gotta get up pretty early to fool some of the "seasoned veterans" around here!

Every time I think we've heard them all, up pops a new one!

first that the computer fried, the HDD couldnt boot or lost partitions/formatting, etc. I would never have thought that the admin account 'lost privileges'....lol

to be mysteriously reset...LOL

"I was decorating the tree for christmas, and I lost my admin PW somehow. Please help me!"

There was a power failure that was caused by a near strike of lightening. I run UPS on my computers, and all were off the next morning when I arrived at my office (I normally keep them on).

The loss of administrator status was coincident with the lightening event. Now, maybe that is totally unrelated, but a computer geek I called said it was not uncommon.

Like I say, pardon me for living.

some of these are actually helpful, even the more playful ones.
Try repairing the Win install with the cd, or backup to a previous system restore point.

And, if your 'computer geek' friend says it is common, why did they not provide a solution? I think if you are trusting this person to be your 'support', maybe you should reconsider!

"System restore"...as I think I mentioned...won't allow me to run it, since it does not see me as having authority to do that.

I don't have a geek friend. It was a guy I called who said he thought he could fix it, but told me it might take him up to six hours of noodling around. That was a non-starter. Hence, my resort to this forum, with its decidedly hostile response. Playful?

I hate doing anything fundamental to these computers (like reloading the OS), since I depend on them so completely for even calendering (essential for a trial lawyer), and HATE being crippled. I do not have a IT person I deal with regularly.

The original problem with my account status was discovered when I began having trouble printing documents, and found that the default printer was off-line. I couldn't re-install the stinking printer, because I was not seen by the computer as its administrator.

What may have happened is with a power spike that it damaged the HDD or corrupted files. Try booting to a boot disk and run chkdsk on the HDD. It may have damaged the drive.

Aside from that, reloading is the best answer.

And yes, playful would be the proper term. Since we are all here voluntarily, we need to have some fun! If you look at some of the posts, they are actually humorous, while even being useful info in some cases.
But yes, some were not so playful. We get a lot of PW crack posts, and it strikes a nerve sometimes.

Typically, high school kids come on here trying to learn the PW crack to break into the schools computer system. Others are FNG or noob hackers trying to figure out how to break into computers to cause havoc and mayhem and stealing credit card #s, identities, bank information and the lot.

Because many of us are on the other side of those who try to break in, we don't give out tips and tricks of breaking into computers because ultimately we have to fix the problems created by the hackers and crackers. Why help the very people we are hired to protect against?

Consumers, such as yourself, can go to any reputable computer repair shop and they can fix the problem. If you don't want to pay the prices these firms charge, that's your choice.

The other issue that you mention is losing documents. If you backed them up, then reloading software wouldn't be a big deal. Go buy a 1,2,4 GB USB Travel drive [Thumb Drive] and backup you important documents as well as your browser favorites, and anything else you deem important. Then when the next lightning strike hits your computer, you can get yourself up and running in an hour or so by reinstalling the operating system, then restoring your important stuff from your travel drive.

If you don't want to spend the time backing stuff up, because invariably, problems with your computer will happen again, then that's your choice. however, backing up data on a computer is like changing oil in your car. If you don't do it, at some point, you'll regret you didn't do it.

Charles, more than likely what happened is that you were hacked. You said you normally leave the computer on and came in after a power outage to find it turned off. If you leave it on all the time AND connected to the internet, you're a target. ESPECIALLY being in the legal profession and especially if you're protection is inadequate.

It's entirely possible that you were hacked long before the power outage. Due to loss of power, the UPS would have shut your computer down when the battery got low. The subsequent reboot of the system would have activated whatever hacker/cracker tool had been installed previously, so that's the first time you would have noticed strange things going on. It's even possible you had a time activated hack implanted.

Many of us have suggested that you seek professional help. Being a professional yourself, you know all too well what happens when someone attempts to "do it themselves". They find themselves in worse trouble than they would have, had they sought professional help to begin with.

Take our advice and take it to a PRO. They're the only ones equipped with the knowlege that it takes to recognize when something isn't quite right and know what to do when they encounter it.

Just DO NOT take it to the guy who said that password/permission problems are common after lightning strikes. He has been smoking something for far too long. And, DO NOT take it to the guy who said he would "noodle around" for about 6 hours. He doesn't have a clue and he'll bill you for the time it takes for him to learn. Take it to a REPUTABLE place that performs PC service/repair. If you have data on that hard drive that you don't want to loose or, worse yet, fall into the wrong hands, a PRO is your only hope.

I appreciate that constructive advice, and all the other similar responses that I've gotten. I guess the challenge is to find someone adequately good...a daunting task, as I've made the attempt many times.

I know really good IT types...who I can't begin to attract, because they are really good and can command WAY more than I can afford to pay them.

Then I know the other end of the spectrum.

Its the guy in the middle range that I have had trouble finding. Hence, the self-help efforts.

Yes, finding a qualified PRO who isn't too expensive IS a challenge.

Perhaps you can find a PRO willing to exchange services with you. Maybe even one willing to take a few bucks up front plus an IOU for the services that you can provide in return. I noticed that you're in the legal/medical field ... so perhaps there might be an IT guy connected with one of the hospitals/medical centers nearby willing to deal with you?

If that doesn't work, look for one of the Mom/Pop computer stores nearby. If they build systems, there's usually someone knowledgable enough to get you through your troubles. But, be prepared to sit right there while they work on it so that (1) you can provide answers to their questions and (2) so you can make sure your confidential files aren't compromised while your back is turned. All you need them to do is get back into your account with privledges, period. You can take it from there.

I guess the most direct solution is to just reload my XP.

The second link didn't seem either wise or anything I'd feel confident doing. I appreciate your advice.

To anyone who responded civilly...thanks.

I guess the rest of you know what you can do with yourselves. Maybe one day you'll need help in an area in which you are not an expert.

and get all the information we need before asking to do things which border on illegal activity. You're in the legal/medical profession I see, yet you are asking for advice that you probably know is not so legal or ethical to provide? I wonder how many malpractice cases there are against you that you're hiding in your closet? Perhaps a quick audit of the software in your office by the BSA is in order if you want to be a wise ass?

I'm the biggest boy scout I know regarding copyright. Where do you get off?

There is absolutely NOTHING illegal, immoral, or fattening about asking for the information I have, or someone providing it. Who died and made you the keeper of the sacred knowledge of how to make MY freaking computer work properly?

AMAZING!

AND ENOUGH...I know what needs to be done.

You're here to waste our time then, or to prove a point about how intelligent you are?

I NOW know that the best course is to reload MY OS, which I was reluctant to do.

I got it clear that you are your own waste of time...and mine.

But I did resolve the issue of how to address this problem.

And I did learn that this forum is inhabited by the usual mix of helpful people and aspholes. Nothing new...

..if we came of sounding like jerks. But since you seem to be in the legal business I'm sure you've dealt with similar situations where you hear a million excuses and you just don't have time to sort out the honest from the dishonest. We've seen every imagineable excuse for needing to hack Windows and people asking for advice on how to do it.

We had someone not long ago say a lightning strike reset the admin password on their server. Sometimes it's tought to swallow.

If you need anymore help on recovery data let me know, I'll do what I can short of explaining how to circumvent Windows security.

on How to crack credit card PINs...

If its not Windows PWDs, is Yahoo, Gmail, hotmail cracks, or website cracks, or MySpace cracks, etc., etc., etc....

About 3 weeks ago we got hit hard here, there were 8 different ones that I saw in a week. this week we had someone wanting Win product keys because he had a sob story to tell.

ahhhh, so, so many of these...

respond the way we do based on the frequency of postings about password, BIOS, email, and even credit card hacking and cracking. We tend to respond with caution and outright scolding behavior when we have reason to believe something sounds illegitimate or fishy to us. If you stick around long enough on TR, you'll see the kinds of stupidity we are referring to.

Please let me know that you have been able to resolve your situation.

And let me take a moment to apologise for some of the tone you have encountered. As many of my peers have suggested, we get a whole lot of idiocy here. Unfortunately, much of it comes from "seagull posters". These are people who join up and their first question is about a password hack. The difference between you and a seagull is that you kept checking the thread to see if there was any help. The frequent flyers here should have seen that distinction but didn't. We are ALL volunteers here.

In over 25 years with computers, I have seen some very strange things happen. While I have never seen an account lose privilege, I refuse to say that it can't happen. That said, if I were your support, I would be backing up your stuff and reloading the system from scratch. There is simply no way to know what else has changed on the box and a clean load is the best way to recover.

Scott.Heath is a really good mind in terms of data recovery. So is Thumbs, CG, and Techman. Any one of us will do what we can to help.

Some years ago, IT and IT management was referred to as "cat herding". Now you know why. I have known these guys for a long time. None of them meant any harm whatsoever.

among my many foibles, I can't speel wofth a dam.

My poison of choice is chicory laced, with goutes of cream and sugar to saturation. My wife calls it my "coffee-like beverage". It provides the three essential food groups, however; sugar, fat, and caffine.

Which, you being 'Charles', would've flopped like an old pancake.

You can take reassurance from the fact that I know a good number of lawyers and solicitors - and they are all CR@P at spelling too.

Being that you are in the Medical line, perhaps you should make an effort to improve your spelling of Lightning, since your particular variation could be interpreted to your disadvantage!

You said you didn't read all of the posts, so I guess you missed the part where he said he couldn't even install a printer, that he had NO privleges.