[GUIDE] Unlocking Super Administrator Account in VISTA

[VISTA] Unlocking the Super Administrator Account​

Inside Vista, there is something called a Super Administrator Account. This account is not part of the admin group, as it is a super admin. Kinda like the root account in Unix, and it is turned off by Microsoft by default. That is done to avoid newbies to the computer destroying stuff .

In previous versions of Windows, the administrator account had the powers of a Super Admin, and many used that as their main/only account. That Admin had 100% control over the computer.

Obviously, in Vista, Microsoft changed it. The Super Administrator account is not subject to UAC (user account control), but a normal administrator is. In Vista, the Super Administrator account does not receive a prompt while making any changes to the system, which can be annoying.

WARNING: Not everybody can handle it, and you can do some things you wish you hadn't. There is a reason Microsoft hid this, and only more experienced users would attempt it, of course, for more advanced permissions.


Steps to Turning ON Super Administrator Powers

1. Open CMD (Command Prompt) in an elevated state.
Start menu -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Right-click CMD/Command Prompt, select Run as Administrator -- of course, you can just search "cmd" or "Command Prompt".

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2. Enter the prompt below:

Code (Text):

1. Net user administrator /active:yes

*Press Enter*

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Now, the Super Administrator account will appear on the Welcome screen along with any other accounts available to select. It will be labeled Administrator, like any other. Use it like any other account you would, except with some new powers.

3. There is no password after executing the prompt, so now's a good time to set one.

4. For convenience, on the Super Administrator account, you would probably want to create a shortcut for the Elevated Command Prompt. Here's how:

First, you find Command Prompt. Start menu -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Right-click CMD/Command Prompt -> Send to -> Desktop (create shortcut)


Find the icon on your desktop. You may want to rename it to Elevated Command Prompt. Right-click -> Properties -> Advanced... -> Run As Administrator. The icon will now run Command Prompt as administrator without the hassle. Enjoy!​

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Steps to Turning OFF Super Administrator Powers

1. Open CMD (Command Prompt) in an elevated state.
Start menu -> All Programs -> Accessories -> Right-click CMD/Command Prompt, select Run as Administrator -- of course, you can just search "cmd" or "Command Prompt".

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2. Enter the prompt below:

Code (Text):

1. Net user administrator /active:no

*Press Enter*

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Your account will now return to it's original state.

Final Notes

I hope you don't screw up your computer THAT much XD. Thanks for reading, guys, and I hope you guys like it!​

 

You can have permissions to do a lot more editing within the system, especially without having popups of security every 2 seconds.

You can control other Admin accounts, full control of the computer, a lot more stuff.

 

The main point of this is not just to disable the messages, it gives you a lot of permissions that you don't really see people mentioning in Vista :O

 

On a Mac, I'm not as good, and I am not 100% sure. What I was able to find out about our school computers (Windows) though, is that you can go into the motherboard and all these settings and turn off all kinds of things. I could've been able to turn off an admin password (meaning, no password), cut it off from the server, speed it up by overclocking, etc.

I'm not very familiar with a Mac though XD