ARCHIVED: About your computer's administrator account

At IU, many tasks, including the following, require that you log in as an administrator:

• Creating, modifying, or deleting accounts on the computer

  If you share your computer with others, you will need an administrative account to manage the individual accounts. You'll use it to create account passwords for others on the computer, and to change account names, pictures, passwords, and types.

• Installing and/or uninstalling certain programs

  Sometimes you must log into the local account to install or uninstall programs. Make sure you are logged in with administrator privileges when you install or uninstall any programs so everyone who logs into the computer will have a working copy of the software.

• Removing a virus or logging into Safe Mode to remove a virus

  Some virus removal tools and manual removal instructions require you to log in as an administrator to properly remove the virus. Also, if the manual removal instructions require you to go to Safe Mode, you will need full access so the virus protection can completely scan the computer.

• Unlocking the computer regardless of who is logged in

  If someone else is logged into the computer or forgets the password, knowing the local administrator password will allow you to log in with that account and reset or unlock the computer.

• Connecting to IU's Active Directory Services (ADS) domain

  For more, see:

  • Configure your Windows computer to connect to IU's ADS domain
  • Disable Windows ADS network settings after you leave the IU network

If you have forgotten your administrator password, follow the directions in Set or reset a Windows administrator password.