External Storage (backups) - BEWARE

Wiz Feinberg · Post by **Wiz Feinberg** » 2 Feb 2008 2:38 pm

CHIP FOSSA wrote:Wiz,

I'm just thinking ahead here, - Is it still advisable and/or critical to do a DEFRAG in SAFETY MODE? I have been.

Chip

Yes, that's ok.

Chip Fossa · Post by **Chip Fossa** » 2 Feb 2008 6:29 pm

But Wiz,

Is Safety Mode the proper way to go?

And what am I supposed to next?

Chip

Chip Fossa · Post by **Chip Fossa** » 2 Feb 2008 6:36 pm

Acronis has caused all of my problems; it all started with Acronis. No denying.

This is NO help.

I'm sorry, friend, but what else would you want me to say?

Me, like many here, are not that PC savvy.

I'm bummed out!!!

I'm not blaming you at all. I'm simply, now, voicing my dismay.

I just want the damn thing to work.

Ask me, what am I supposed to say???

This ACCOUNT stuff is insane. Who gives a S$%T?
If it was that easy to figure out, and not such a ridiculous abomination, I would not object. Who would? Windows just goes overboard. Why don't they make it easier for idiots like me? HUH? What's the big deal, anyway? You and I are here to help me save stuff, which, idealogically, should never need some stupid account intervention.

It's too much. I'm sorry, but this episode, like many in my past, has taken all the fun out of owning and running a PC.

I know you are doing your best. I appreciate this.

I was listed as an ADMINISTRATOR, but not THE ADMINISTRATIOR?. HUH - what's that supposed to mean?

LOOK - If these MSN/WINDOWS smartypants want to increase and sell their rat-ass PC's, then they better start explaining, IN DETAIL, what all this crap's about! Period! Hocus-Pocus to the max. I'm starting to get it now.

Why should I have to go online to find ADDITIONAL XP help?

Why isn't that provided with the damn PC?

This just gauls me. It's a friggin' crime. And I think you're aware of this, too.

A stupid waste of time and PC resources. It's absolutely redundant; in my little mind.

Thanks anyway, Wiz $:\$

Wiz Feinberg · Post by **Wiz Feinberg** » 3 Feb 2008 8:42 am

Chip;
Let's resume this at noon today, EST.

Chip Fossa · Post by **Chip Fossa** » 3 Feb 2008 9:29 am

Wiz,

Here's an update. Yesterday afternnon I did a defrag.
When I got back home around 9:00PM everything seemed OK, and I used the PC and sent out a few emails,

This morning when I rebooted, all my color schemes, fonts, borders etc. (APPEARANCE) had been changed to Windows basic blue/grey default scheme.

So I went back to the 1/31 restore point again, and everything seems normal. Don't know how that happened.

Well, that's it. I apologize for the minor rant. I'm much calmer today.

Chip $:\$

Wiz Feinberg · Post by **Wiz Feinberg** » 3 Feb 2008 10:21 am

I'm here now. Let's get this figured out as best as we can.

From the troubles you have been describing it appears that something is seriously wrong with the OS. Additionally, you cannot log into your real "Administrator" account, because you don't know the password. That is alarming to me, as a security specialist. The problems you are having with creating the Acronis Rescue CD may be tied to the problem concerning your Administrator account.

Windows NT/2000/XP/Vista are all permissions based operating systems, with many common tasks requiring the proper write permissions before they can be carried out successfully. Normally, in a fresh install of XP Home Edition, the first account created (User or Owner) has full administrative level privileges, but that account is not the same one as the actual "Administrator" account.

In Windows 2000 Professional and XP Professional the actual Administrator account can be made available in the login box, before a desktop is loaded, because those OS's were made for business use, where a sys-admin often is called in to fix, install, or update programs for which the logged in user lacks sufficient privileges. Windows XP Home was not designed with business user in mind, thus a decision was made to conceal the master Administrator account, so that only technicians, or users who were being coached on the phone could find it. It is normally only accessed by booting into Safe Mode.

The standard account options on an XP Home Edition computer are to operate as either a Computer Administrator, or a Limited User. Both of these account types are allowed to operate without passwords, if that's how the owners want to do things. All installs, upgrades, uninstalls and maintenance procedures are normally available via the "Computer Administrator" level account. But, there are some functions of the the operating system that are owned by what is known as "System." Some of these processes may not yield to the requests from the "Computer Administrator," because he is not the true master Administrator. That one concealed account has total power over a Windows PC.

Sometimes a less privileged user can escalate his privileges by using the right-click option to "Run as" the actual Administrator, but only if that account has been assigned an actual password (XP Pro and possibly Home also). If the account named Administrator does not appear in the Run as options box, it is either because no password was assigned to it, or your OS has become corrupted, or .... a Rootkit is hiding it from you.

Have you installed, updated and scanned for threats with a current anti-virus and anti-spyware program?

Chip Fossa · Post by **Chip Fossa** » 3 Feb 2008 10:34 am

I have AVG, Adaware, Spybot, Registry Mechanic and Zone Alarm. I had Windows Defender, but haven't reinstalled it, yet.

I'll run the programs now.

I don't recall ever using a password, even when I had a user account and an Administrator account, months back.

Chip

John Roche · Post by **John Roche** » 3 Feb 2008 11:03 am

Chip you can change the password.
http://www.ncsu.edu/resnet/windows/pass ... _admin.php

Wiz Feinberg · Post by **Wiz Feinberg** » 3 Feb 2008 11:14 am

CHIP FOSSA wrote: I don't recall ever using a password, even when I had a user account and an Administrator account, months back.

Chip

That is what's worrying me. Have you tried pressing Enter at the Administrator login screen, in Safe Mode? It is possible that the account has a "null" password. Otherwise, if you did assign a password try to remember what it is and keep trying to log in to that account. However, if you didn't assign a password, yet it has one, I can only surmise that you no longer own your PC.

DId you say that you tried running the command line "control userpasswords2" - from your Owner account, without success?

Chip Fossa · Post by **Chip Fossa** » 3 Feb 2008 12:17 pm

Yeah,

I just now had to retype my UN and PW here on the forum.

Maybe the password is Foghorn (the last admin account) and Foghorn1 was the user account.

I was able to access userpasswords2, but I still was refused creating an Admin account.

I'll try as you suggested above.

Here are the Scan Reports:
ADAWARE (Smart Scan) - Privacy Objects - Tracking Cookie [125 detected].
Error Occurred = Cleaning-Unable to remove file
Suggested Action-Will be removed after PC restart.

SPYBOT - Congratulations! No Immediate threats were found.

REGISTRY MECHANIC - 33 Problems found: add/remove (1); file extensions (3); tempfiles/shortcuts (21);
deep scan (8).

AVG - Scanned Objects: 50231 Threats 0 Errors 0

Chip Fossa · Post by **Chip Fossa** » 3 Feb 2008 12:34 pm

Whadda ya know?

I typed in a password I use constantly and Administrator (in Safety Mode) opened up. But I swear, I typed the same password the other day, and nothing happened.

A curious thing happened just now and I don't know if it has any relevance, BUT, while checking out differnent passwords to try, I accidentally hit OWNER. So I let the screen come up, and then clicked LOGOFF, and that brought back the 2 accounts, and they were like offset from center screen, whereas in the beginning they were more in the center.

But, it worked.

I'll be leaving shortly for the rest of the afternoon and part of the night. I've gotta go and do some cooking for my KofC SuperBowl party.

I'll probably be leaving in a 1/2 hour. I guess we can pick this back up, later tonight or start in tommorrow.

I feel we may have crossed the major hurdle. I hope so.

Thanks Wiz, and you too, John.

Chip

Wiz Feinberg · Post by **Wiz Feinberg** » 3 Feb 2008 1:52 pm

I'm off to be The Wizard, at my gig. I'll catch you tomorrow, Chip.

Chip Fossa · Post by **Chip Fossa** » 3 Feb 2008 8:27 pm

Wiz,

11:10PM

Just getting in from the SuperBowl, and I am glad to report, that when I booted up the PC, the old familiar blue screen with OWNER on it appeared - just like before - like it should be.

I had to click on it to take me to the desktop.

Hope that your gig went well tonite, and that you had some 'moments'.

See you tommorrow.

Best regards,

Chipper

Chip Fossa · Post by **Chip Fossa** » 4 Feb 2008 9:19 am

Hi Wiz,

Well I went to Safety Mode and made a password for ADMINISTRATOR. I did the logoff-logon deal and it worked OK.

But in User Accounts, Administrator is listed as 'Computer administrator/password protected'. Just like the OWNER account, except Owner doesn't have a password. This is all in Safety mode.

When I rebooted in normal mode, OWNER was now missing from the 'welcome' screen. No accounts are listed on the 'welcome' screen.

Administrator is not listed in 'Run As..' either.

I checked User Accounts, also, and only OWNER and GUEST are listed.

That's the latest.

Chip

Wiz Feinberg · Post by **Wiz Feinberg** » 4 Feb 2008 10:23 am

Chip; I just sent you a PM.