# Windows XP help: ARGGGGH! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 23, 2010, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-help-arggggh/558103 "2010-10-23T16:02:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2010, 4:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-help-arggggh/558103/1 "2010-10-23T16:02:13Z")
Is there any way I can get a list of account names on my XP computer with a limited account? Fast user switching is turned off and I do not have the Boot up splash screen, all I have on reboot is a window that allows you to type in your name and password. This happened because of a secure citrix client that my wife installed; whatever, nothing I can do about that now. Anyway, I thought it would be nice if my kids could log in to this computer so I went in this morning and created an administrator account and changed all the other accounts to limited. Then when I tried to log in to the admin account it says I have the wrong name or pass word. I know the password, I had to type it twice when I created the account, the only thing I can think is that I mis-typed the account name when I created it. Well, now that this account is limited, I can no longer see the other accounts on the machine so I cannot see what the actual admin account name is. Help!!! I am locked out of having any administrator control over my own computer, what can I do? ---
**Author:** ![JSexton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/96bed5/32.png) [@JSexton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JSexton)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2010, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-help-arggggh/558103/2 "2010-10-23T16:17:24Z")
Go to c:\documents and settings. You’ll be able to see the folder structure with usernames there. ---
**Author:** ![Electronic\_Chaos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Electronic\_Chaos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Electronic_Chaos)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2010, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-help-arggggh/558103/3 "2010-10-23T16:17:59Z")
You could try booting into safe mode (press F8 when your computer is booting). I don’t have an XP computer handy, but I think safe mode boots you automatically into admin mode, or at least to a mode where you can view user accounts. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2010, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-help-arggggh/558103/4 "2010-10-23T16:21:25Z")
> [@JSexton](#): > > Go to c:\documents and settings. You’ll be able to see the folder structure with usernames there. Nope, does not work. I can’t see any of the accounts, only mine. I did not set up any shared folders. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_fun_ball/32/17664_2.png) [@Happy\_Fun\_Ball](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Fun_Ball)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2010, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-help-arggggh/558103/5 "2010-10-23T16:24:56Z")
Whew, I got it. I created an account called Adminstrator (missing I). I used the dos command _ **net user** _ to get the list of accounts. Now I have the question on how I can turn on fast user switching and have it go to the welcome screen. I have chosen these options, but the behavior of the computer has not changed, I have to log out of an account before I can log into another and I never get the welcome screen, only a small window where I can type my name and password. What’s up with this? Is there some registry setting that is messed up? Anybody give me help with this? ---
**Author:** ![Suburban\_Plankton](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suburban_plankton/32/219_2.png) [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2010, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/windows-xp-help-arggggh/558103/6 "2010-10-23T16:51:36Z")
You should still be able to use the built-in Administrator account to log on. It doesn’t show up in the list of accounts on the logon screen, as you noted, but if you press Ctrl-Alt-Del (you might need to do it twice), you should get the 'traditional logon screen, and you can use it from there. Of course, this approach requires that you know the password for the Administrator account, if any.