Windows Vista: Can’t Create New User Account (Fixed)

I ran across this problem the first time ever tonight, so I thought I’d post the fix here in case it can help anyone else.

Problem:

I just got a new laptop and don’t want that “Owner” account. I’d rather create an account for myself, wife, children, whomever. When I click Create New Account, nothing happens.

Why:

There seems to be a glitch with your administrator permissions on your new account. You ARE an administrator but the system isn’t granting you the priveleges you need to perform certain tasks, such as adding new users.

Fix:

Add the new user account manually. RELAX. It’s EASY! It will take you less than 30 seconds.

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 How:

Step 1:

Click the Start button. You see that little blank box you can type in? Type this command:

netplwiz

Press Enter

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Step 2:

On the following screen, press “Add” to start creating a new user.

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Step 3:

Enter the basic user information you want for this user. The only important field is the Username. If you want your user’s folder to be called John’s Documents, then just type John.
Hint: to make it easier if you ever do any advanced network sharing, stick to a one-word username. Something like “The really cool computer dude” is just going to annoy you later down the road.

When you’re done, press Next.

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Step 4:

Enter the password you want for your new user.

You can choose not to enter a password by just leaving it blank. This means you won’t be prompted to enter your password every time you come back to the computer.

Press Next when done.

 

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Step 5:

Choose your level of access.

If you’re creating this account because you can’t access the Create New Account feature in the first place, then be SURE to choose “Administrator.” This basically means the new account your making has the permission to do whatever it wants to do. Standard User accounts can’t do certain things because of permissions. If you’re creating this account for your younger child or a guest, then you might want to keep it as Standard User. This means advanced computing features will still need your permission.

Press Finish when done.

 

Now you can log off your computer and log back on as the new user, with all your proper administrative rights restored.

HINT: If, as this article is intended for, you had to do this because you couldn’t perform these actions with your regular admin account, I suggest logging back into the control panel using your new account and DELETE the old owner account you had. You’re never going to use it and it’s broken anyway, so save your computer some headache and get rid of it now.

 

Hope this guide helps someone. Leave a comment if you found this information useful!

 

Technorati Tags: Microsoft,Windows Vista,UAC,User Account Control,Create New User,Create Account,Add User,Can't,Cannot