# Can stopping some Windows services really kill your computer?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-stopping-some-windows-services-really-kill-your-computer/751126>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 3, 2016, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-stopping-some-windows-services-really-kill-your-computer/751126 "2016-04-03T20:58:11Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![Carryon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9fc29f/32.png) [@Carryon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Carryon)\
**Post date:** [April 6, 2016, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/can-stopping-some-windows-services-really-kill-your-computer/751126/21 "2016-04-06T21:23:19Z")

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> [@psychonaut](#):
>
> And I think you’re underestimating it. I’ve personally observed several people with little or no prior experience using computers whatsoever pop in an OS installation disc (whether it’s Windows or some flavour of GNU/Linux) and successfully complete the installation process unaided. All such processes have sensible installation defaults so there is literally _nothing_ specialized that needs to be done other than clicking on a “Next” button a few times, waiting for several minutes, and then possibly entering a username and password. That is sufficient to recover a system from the kind of soft “bricking” the OP is talking about. Whether or not the user now has a system they are _comfortable_ using is a different question; the only point I was trying to make is that it’s not bricked.

I think you are on to something. I am not the best at computers, and I did something incredibly stupid three weeks ago, I deleted my admin account on my computer, leaving me with just a regular user account. Apparently it is possible.

Bottom line was I couldn’t create another admin account because my regular user account would always ask for a password, which didn’t exist. I learned there was a “secret” admin account for Windows, but I couldn’t access this either as you had to get to it from your powershell or cmd line, which of course, needed admin privledges.

After a quick google, I found a site telling me how to go in through Linux. I downloaded a Ubuntu disc and ran that O/S off the DVD and easily got in and fixed the problem by creating a new admin account.

Total time about 15 minutes. So I think it’s possible for less than experienced computer people to use another O/S for recovery.

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