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Admin rights totally missing.

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10 replies

by gaynorh

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Have a windows 2000 pro machine that I installed sp4 on. Afterwards it would blue screen with an ntoskrnl.exe error. I reinstalled 2000 over the top of it and was able to bring the machine up. The problem is when I try to load drivers with the admin account I get do not have sufficent rights to install the drivers. Even if I go and create a new account and put in the admin group I still get insufficent rights. Doesn't anyone have any ideas or have came acrossed this? Thank for any input that you provide.

10 replies

by montelski

Check the permissions/rights for the admin account. I've seen WK2 haved some strange permissions for Admin.

by jeaster

This is going to sound like a weird solution, but read it, and it should work...

You will have to repropogate adimn rights to all the directories. To do this, you will need to run as a service. There is a nifty trick to reset the local administrator account involving copying command.com to the logon.scr file, and when the screen saver comes up, you actually have a command window. You can then repropogate admin rights to all locations. If a directory does not have them, this will be the only way to create them, assuming the "system" still has admin rights.

by jeaster

I forgot this one part...Are you the local Machine Admin or the Domain Admin. If you are the domain admin, try to login as the local admin. If this works, then delete the machine account, and then readd it to the domain. This should make the Domain Admins security group a member of the local Admins group again.

by gaynorh

Thanks for the input. I tried both ways and still never got the rights back. I finally ghost the pc from another and had the drivers that were missing. I think your answers were legit and I really have no clue what happen to the computer. Thanks once again.

by tictag

Try:
1. Take a look in the WINLOGON.LOG file within WINNT\SECURITY\LOGS for any anomalies.
2. Ensure the Administrators group has the security right to ?Load and unload device drivers?
3. Use the Security and Configuration snap-in to compare the default security templates (in WINNT\SECURITY\TEMPLATES and WINNT\INF) to your computer security.
4. The only group that has any real power is the Administrators local group. Ensure that any domain accounts you log on to are a member of this group i.e. Domain Admins is a member of the local Administrators group.

Regards,
Tictag.

by gaynorh

Couldn't find anything wrong with the template and rights seemed to be there. I finally just clone it from another computer with ghost and loaded the drivers that way. Thanks for you input and insight.

by voldar

I am going to give you an odd answer. You said you don't have the rights to install a driver. I presume that you don't have the right to write on the c:\winnt folder. That's why I suggest you to take the ownership of the WINNT folder as the new administrator you are now (you said you reinstalled W2K and I suppose the SID of the ex administrator doesn't match with the new one). Let me know if you solved your problem by doing this.

by gaynorh

The new admin had no rights either. I finally just clone it from another computer with ghost and loaded the drivers that way. Thanks for you input and insight.

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