# Administrator privliges **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 4, 2003, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/administrator-privliges/205591 "2003-10-04T20:34:02Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/administrator-privliges/205591/21 "2003-10-09T13:46:08Z")
Well, the school is having a meeting for all parents of freshmen tonight. I have heard that there have been an astronomical number of complaints concerning the laptops, which are new and only affect Freshman this year. I, fortunately, have two more years foolishly hope the school will realize it’s error and no longer require laptops. This school is enamored by technology with no good infrastructure to use it. I remember a couple years ago going in for parent day and watching the science class learn about 30 seconds of science and spend the next 391/2 minutes making a power point presentation (with sound!!!) to demonstrate the point. This year one assignment was to draw a detailed map of India using the paint program and print it out in color (the actual assignment that started me on this thread). Draw in Paint without a mouse. I guess the kids are way more co:ordinated than I. ---
**Author:** ![missbunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/76d3ee/32.png) [@missbunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/missbunny)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2003, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/administrator-privliges/205591/22 "2003-10-09T14:37:13Z")
You could always try “password” or “admin” for the password too. Lots of idiotic people use those. If I were you though I’d make a great big noisy fuss about the whole matter. Protecting their network is one thing. Preventing you from using equipment YOU paid for is another. I wouldn’t put up with that for one minute. ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/administrator-privliges/205591/23 "2003-10-10T03:45:32Z")
I’d recommend that you _not_ try _resetting_ the password, as it could cause problems using said laptop at school. Also, I agree that someone didn’t think about this before they did it. “Oh! Technology! It’s the wave of the future! Laptops for everyone!”. Imagine Homer Simpson after he [set his house on fire](http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/GuidePageServlet/showid-146/epid-1347/), looking around to see his little song put the fire out. Betcha whoever did this doesn’t understand why the kids aren’t doing three variable derivation and speaking Swahili yet. It’s 'cause you need a good teacher with good texts, and if you think I forgot to mention the computer, I didn’t. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/administrator-privliges/205591/24 "2003-10-10T15:50:28Z")
Plus, although there are perfectly good emulators available, the kids also need to purchase and use a TI-83 calculator for math. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/administrator-privliges/205591/25 "2003-10-10T17:24:24Z")
I suggest doing a parallel install of Windows XP, to another directory. When she’s at school… boot their copy of XP. When she’s at home, boot _HER_ copy of XP. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/administrator-privliges/205591/26 "2003-10-10T17:29:37Z")
I suggest doing a parallel install of Windows XP, to another directory. When she’s at school… boot their copy of XP. When she’s at home, boot _HER_ copy of XP. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/administrator-privliges/205591/27 "2003-10-10T17:47:09Z")
dauerbach: The emulators all require a ROM of the TI-83. Even though you could use a pirated ROM in a legit emulator, in order to LEGALLY use the TI-83 code, you must purchase the TI-83. ---
**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/administrator-privliges/205591/28 "2003-10-10T18:25:16Z")
My mistake, I thought there were programs that would produce an image of the TI-83 on the computer screen, and you would then use the mouse to push the buttons and it would graph and things just like the TI-83. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2003, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/administrator-privliges/205591/29 "2003-10-10T20:42:52Z")
Yeah. I was sad when I found that out too, 'cuz honestly… the TI-83 was $$$$$$ for me when I was a student. ---
**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 9:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/administrator-privliges/205591/30 "2003-10-13T09:23:23Z")
Ok, so I emailed the school. They tell me that the lack of the control panel is due to a general school policy related to computers with access to their domain, and the guy in charge is trying to get it changed so the laptops will regain the control panel. In the meantime, they have no problem with a local administrator on the computer having full access and gave me instructions on how to do it. The told me to log in as the student, on the schools domain, and that I would have full administrative privleges. I could then change the local admin password, and become a local administrator. Problem is, without access to the control panel I have no idea how to do that. I can’t find any way to change anything on the local, or any level. Any advice on how to do that without a control panel to access the user profiles? Also, fyi, and F8 safe mode start does indeed give me administrator privleges on my home computer but not hers. Ctrl-Alt-Del-Del does nothing, and as best I can determine, Super Administrators are a linux thing, not a windows thing. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 9:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/administrator-privliges/205591/31 "2003-10-13T09:36:56Z")
I do it on Windows XP all the time. In fact, I am right now an SA on this machine. Did you hold down Ctrl and Alt, and press Del twice in succession? (Not slowly, but not too rapidly.) ---
**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 9:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/administrator-privliges/205591/32 "2003-10-13T09:41:29Z")
Hmmm, I’ll have to try it some more. I originally tried all kinds of speeds of tapping the del key, but none worked. I only tried it at the sign in prompt, does it work anywhere in windows? Also, this is XP Professional, which may or may not be different. I know that when I reboot her computer I encounter a log on that is exactly like the one on windows 2000, rather than the cute little icons with names next to them that I encounter on XP, home edition. ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/administrator-privliges/205591/33 "2003-10-13T13:58:16Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dauerbach \* > **The told me to log in as the student, on the schools domain, and that I would have full administrative privleges. I could then change the local admin password, and become a local administrator. Problem is, without access to the control panel I have no idea how to do that. I can’t find any way to change anything on the local, or any level. Any advice on how to do that without a control panel to access the user profiles?** Right-click **My Computer** and hit **Manage**. Expand **Local Users and Groups** then select **Users**. Right-click **Administrator** and hit **Set Password**. If they’ve somehow taken **Manage** out of the context menu you’ll have to go to **Start|Run** , type in **mmc** , and hit **File|Add/Remove Snap-in|Add|Computer Management|Local Computer**. Then follow the steps above. ---
**Author:** ![dauerbach](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c2a13f/32.png) [@dauerbach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dauerbach)\ **Post date:** [October 13, 2003, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/administrator-privliges/205591/34 "2003-10-13T20:16:21Z")
Thanks, I will try that. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/administrator-privliges/205591.md?page=1)