Admin account

[Chrej]

Is there a difference between the admin account you can log onto via safe-mode, and a user account with admin privileges (WinXP Home)?

A support guy from Adobe told me that you have to log on via safe-mode, in order to install Photoshop correctly!

I didn't know this, so I installed Photoshop and Illustrator using my default account. None of the programs worked and I couldn't uninstall them afterwards, what does one do then.... other than reinstalling WinXP??

[Archer]

Rather odd
If you installing an app you had better install it under the adminisrator install in XP to then give acccess via permisions to the accounts,but installing it in safe mode seems rather strange to say the least.

[Vakas]

Hi! it is somewhat true that you have to install some software from an administrator account via safe mode. I had a Microtek scanner and couldn't get it to work properly under XP so I was told by technical support to install it from safe mode.

Anyway give it a shot you should be alright.

Good luck

[Quiet Thunder]

What version of Photoshop and Illustrator are you installing, and on what version of XP? I've had no problems installing both Photoshop 5.5 and 6.0 on several Windows XP Professional installations. Same thing with the last two versions of Illustrator, I believe they're up to versions 6.5 and 7.0.

[Chrej]

....The latest versions of both programs, think it is 7.0 and 9.0!? On WinXP home edition! (Im not near the computer right now)

The guy at Adobes support told me that it was absolutely necessary to do it via the safe-mode admin account!??

I think its kind of strange that a regular admin account can't be used!?

I forgot to check the account status before reinstalling, but it had to be an admin account, because there was only one account and as you probably know, there has to be at least one admin account present!

(....It would also be kind of weird if Dell delivered the 'virgin' system with a none-admin account installed!)

[knight123]

I installed photoshop 5.5 , 6 and 7 on the same machine using Windows XP Pro and it work great (not in safe mode).
Check that the user you using has an Administration rights.
anyway when you install the program in normal mode what kind of problem u have ??

[Chrej]

...It was for a friend of mine, so I didn't install the progs myself! She had installed both Photoshop and Illustrator by herself as she used to in WinME, but neither of the programs worked, so I tried to uninstall them (this is in WinXP HOME) for her, but couldn't! It was like they where mixed up in the install/uninstall programs menu! When I tried uninstalling Illustrator, the computer asked if I really wanted to remove Photoshop !??.... I tried it anyway, but it couldn't remove more than a small part of the installation! (Both programs are old stand alone versions with a lot of updates!)
...Anyway I then contacted Adobes support and they said that the installation had to be done through the safe-mode admin to work correctly! Whether that goes for both programs or just one of them I don't know, but it solved the problem!

...As this was a brand new computer with only one account, it had to be an admin account, so thats not the problem!

I just think its kind of weird that there are different admin accounts, and was wondering how to know, when to use the one and when to use the other!?? ...And why so!?
..And that the comp allows the install, but then screws it up so you can't uninstall afterwards!

A friend of mine told me that he had a support-guy fix his comp, and this supporter had afterwards told him that he had fixed it, so that he didn't have to log on in safe-mode anymore, but could just use his own admin account in the future!?
This sounded pretty interresting, so I asked my own support, but they didn't know anything about such a trick, they just confirmed that there is a difference between the safe-mode admin and a regular admin! Adobes support didn't know the trick either and once more confirmed that some programs just has to be installed using safe-mode!!?

...So if anybody knows this trick or knows more about the differences between the two types of admin account, I'd really appreciate an explanation.

[craigmodius]

A friend of mine told me that he had a support-guy fix his comp, and this supporter had afterwards told him that he had fixed it, so that he didn't have to log on in safe-mode anymore, but could just use his own admin account in the future!?
This sounded pretty interresting, so I asked my own support, but they didn't know anything about such a trick, they just confirmed that there is a difference between the safe-mode admin and a regular admin! Adobes support didn't know the trick either and once more confirmed that some programs just has to be installed using safe-mode!!?

...So if anybody knows this trick or knows more about the differences between the two types of admin account, I'd really appreciate an explanation.

With Tweak UI for XP you can tell it to display the admin account on the regular logon page not just safe mode. I'm not at my XP box right now so I can't say exactly where.

[Chrej]

COOL...Thanks alot, I will try it out immediately!!

[Chrej]

Originally posted by craigmodius


With Tweak UI for XP you can tell it to display the admin account on the regular logon page not just safe mode. I'm not at my XP box right now so I can't say exactly where.

I've tried and tried with TweakUI, but I can't find the option in here! There is an auto-logon option, but it doesn't work, when I give it the "Administrator" account and code!

Btw, in the Winkey+break>advanced>userprofiles I can se two profiles, one is Administrator and the other is my regular profile! I can't delete my regular profile, but what would happen if I deleted the Administrator profile???...Would the system crash or would the remaining user profile prevail and take over the Admin profile??

[confus-ed]

Originally posted by Chrej
Is there a difference between the admin account you can log onto via safe-mode, and a user account with admin privileges (WinXP Home)?

A support guy from Adobe told me that you have to log on via safe-mode, in order to install Photoshop correctly!

I didn't know this, so I installed Photoshop and Illustrator using my default account. None of the programs worked and I couldn't uninstall them afterwards, what does one do then.... other than reinstalling WinXP??

If you have admin privalages then theroretically it shouldn't make any difference whether you are logged on as 'admin' or merely an administrator....

However XP seems to display an alarming inability to get profiling right especially on upgraded rather than 'clean' installs, this is particularly well messed up when there were multiple user accounts before install, this results in the exact symptoms you describe, hence the advice to log on as admin in safe mode, xp needs to be in this state so that it assigns 'ownership' (so access rights) correctly, if it is confus-ed!(ha!) then it assigns the permissions incorrectly and so use/installation gets screwed up...

Once this is happening you either need to be a 'smart' techie and manually re-assign all the permissions & profiles or start with a clean not upgraded version of xp, or roll forward a 9x install with only one user. This is not very good at all.

HOW TO: Upgrade Windows 98 or Windows Millennium Edition Profiles to Windows XP Domain User Profiles

Now this is just plain pants, but how it is , so be aware when you have multiple 9x profiles if you upgrade to xp there is stuff you need to do first......

Edit: But you think this is a clean install & only one account....

In which case the 'default' admin account may be corrupted so try HOW TO: Perform Advanced Clean-Boot Troubleshooting in Windows XP

This confirms the 'start in safe mode' theory and supposedly tells you how to fix it.....

If the default Administrator profile becomes corrupted, reinstall Windows XP to correct this issue.

Like I didn't know

[Chrej]

Originally posted by confus-ed


HOW TO: Upgrade Windows 98 or Windows Millennium Edition Profiles to Windows XP Domain User Profiles

As far as I can tell this only applies to WinXP Pro and not the home edition, as I'm using! They are talking alot about domain stuff in this article, but there are no domain features in the home edition at all!

As this was a brand new computer, there was only the default user account with admin rights installed on it, so the account shouldn't be corrupted already, unless the install itself did it, but there was no reports of errors or anything indicating problems!
...Anyway the Adobe guy said that this was just how to install their product under all circumstances...corrupt account or not, and thats what has me baffled! Why and what difference exactly is there between the safe-mode admin and the user-admin!??

...Also I asked the support company that is supporting my puter and they confirmed that there is a difference between the two accounts, but they didn't know of any tricks to bypass it yet!

This hole thing ended up with what I wanted to avoid in the first place anyway:

If the default Administrator profile becomes corrupted, reinstall Windows XP to correct this issue.

But thanx anyway, I really appreciate you taking the time to answer!