Logging in to Vista as the Administrator has a good side and a bad side. The good side is that it allows you to run programs and make changes that can not otherwise be made. The bad side is that Administrator accounts lower many of the security settings in order to do so, which means giving your computer a greater susceptibility to invasion by malicious software.

If you need to log in as an Administrator to complete an installation or make a change, ignore the temptation to stay there - it's safest to restart and log back in as a user, thus re-enabling important security settings. If you really want to remain the Administrator, it is advised that you put a password on your computer. Basic steps follow which outline how to log in as an Administrator, and then how to log back in as a user, just to be safe.

To enable and disable the Administrator account, version A:

1) Press the Windows-Key + R (The Windows Key is the key with a window on it between ctrl and alt). In the small window that comes up, type the following command, with no spaces:

compmgmt.msc

2) Then press enter. In the window that comes up, find "System Tools," and navigate to "Local Users and Groups," then "Users."

3) Right-click the Administrator account, then left-click on "Properties."

4) Uncheck the checkmark in the box next to "account is disabled."

5) Click OK. Then log off or restart, and log in as an Administrator.

6) When you've finished making your necessary changes, restart or log out, log in as a user again, and navigate back to the same place. Re-check the box next to "account is disabled." You're all done.

To enable the Administrator account, version B:

1) Click "Start," hover over "Accessories," and look for "Command Prompt." Right-click it and select "Run as Administrator." This will bring up a black window with white text. Type the following command:

net user administrator /active:yes

Note that there is a space between "net" and "user", between "user" and "administrator" and between "administrator" and "/active:yes".

2) Once you have typed the command, press enter. You should receive a message that your command was completed successfully. If this doesn't happen, try typing the command again, and pressing enter again - you may have overlooked a typo.

3) Log out of your current account or restart your computer, then when logging back in, choose the "Administrator" option instead of "user."

4) Once you've made your changes, log out, and log back in as a "user" again. Open up "Command Prompt" as an administrator like you did before. This time, type the following:

net user administrator /active:no

Press enter. When you receive the message that the command has completed successfully, you may close the window, because you're now all finished!

Learn more about this author, Currie Jean.
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