I’d like to try out the avast! Virus Cleaner, but don’t have an Admin password to use to log in with. Dell didn’t create one when they set up the computer & I’ve never set one up, either (I’m the only one who uses it). Is there any way to use the Virus Cleaner with its full functionality without a password, and if so, how? If not, how do I go about setting up a password for Admin?
Thanks very much for anyone who can help me with this!
Welcome to the forums.
first question, are you using xp home or pro?
Secondly, stay with the forums as there is a wealth of information and help here.
Wellcome to forums, Chicken Rancher 8)
I never heard that avast! Virus Cleaner has an ‘Admin password’.
avast! Virus Cleaner is a standalone application to ‘clean’ few types of infections.
Are you sure you are not talking about avast antivirus?
I need more information to help you… :-\
CR,
It appears that when you boot up, your Dell defaults to the Administrator user profile.
You should be able to select your own user setting, however, you can cancel the Administrator signon and it should then go to the next user profile.
As has been said, all you need to do is put the Avast Cleaner icon on you desktop and click on it to activate.
It does not require a password.
If yo have XP Home and your user account is a member of the admin group (has admin rights) you don’t have to worry and can safely install/use Avast without a problem.
If you have XP Pro, login as administrator (INFO) and install Avast. That way all users will be protected. Some suppliers of comps put no password at all on the administrator account. If that is so, just type as username ADMINISTRATOR and leave the password field empty.
Wow! So many kind folks willing to help You sure know how to make a gal feel welcome!
OK, here’s what’s going on:
I’m running XP Home SP1. I downloaded the avast! Virus Cleaner, which is indeed a stand-alone application that does not require an installation (just click on it to run).
When I do try to run it, a window pops up which says, “Warning: Insufficient Privileges”. It goes on to say that in order to work correctly (detect/disinfect all of the viruses in its database) , the program needs administrator privileges. There are 2 buttons - one to “Start with restricted privileges” & the other to Exit the program.
Beneath the above is a “form” with 3 boxes. One is “Domain” - I’ve no idea what that means. The next is “User name” and is already filled in with “Administrator”. The last is “Password” and is, of course, blank. There is also a button which gives me the option to start as a “different user”.
Even if I did have a password, come to think of it, there’s no button to hit once I filled in that (& the Domain??) field ??? Perhaps one of the “Start” buttons changes if the correct password is entered…?
Anyway, as Techie101 said, when I boot up, the computer does default to the Admin user profile. However, if I canceled that signon & went to the next user profile, I’d lose the Admin privileges & the full funtionality of this particular avast! program. AND I’d be in the same boat in that situation if it called for the password for the next user - there’s no password for that one, either .
Before I posted this, I scanned through 15 pages of the General posts to see if anyone else had asked this question and really was quite surprised not to find a post on it. Surely I can’t be the only one who has this problem!
Thanks to you all for your PROMPT attention to my question
Chicken Rancher, I don’t use the home edition but I think that you can manage user accounts this way.
To choose an account type in Windows XP Home click on User Accounts in the Control Panel. Once you select a user you can click on the “Change My Account Type” button.
You will be able to choose between Administrator and Limited and can see a brief description of the abilities of each account type. You are required to have at least one Administrator account, so be sure to leave or create one
Dell may have altered the permissions and this might not apply in your case. As bad as it might seem, you might need to call Dell support if you can’t find anything in the documentation to allow you to log in with full admin controls. Without the machine in front of me I can’t help you any further, but that’s not to say others in this forum won’t have a work-around for you.
Edit.
Did you get a notification something like this when you first used the machine?
If you did not order Dell-installed software for this computer,
or if you do not accept all the terms of the licenses, please call
the customer assistance telephone number listed in your system
documentation.
Press any key on the keyboard to indicate that you have
read all of the software licenses and agree to their terms.
Chicken rancher,
another question. Did this machine come pre-installed with an anti-virus programme?
If so, which one?
Rancher (I think it’s better than only ‘Chicken’ ;D), forget the need of domain. Let it blank. Change the word ‘Administrator’ by you account name with administrator rights (probably your user name for the Administrator when you installed windows) and the proper password.
Another way could be let the word ‘Administrator’ with your password or even a ‘blank’ password.
You can use the button which gives you the option to start as a “different user”.
But, why don’t you just loggin as an administrator and run Avast cleaner from there?
To inthewildteam:
I don’t remember whether or not I received that notification. It’s been almost 2 years since I bought the darn thing. And as far as anti-virus software, yes, it did have (? a trial version of) Norton on it when I bought it. I’ve since had to buy my own & now have NAV 2004 Pro.
A note here: Several weeks ago, I suffered a vicious spyware/malware/virus, etc attack. I’d just updated both my Norton & AdAware definitions earlier in the day. I was running Norton AutoProtect, but unfortunately didn’t have AdWatch on. When I realized that something really bad was happening, I got offline & ran a scan with NAV. It found 27 items, of which it could only eliminate 16. So much for Norton’s AutoProtect >:( That was the last straw! I’ve totally had it with them; I’ll never buy another one of their products.
I’ve been working with a fellow at Ask Dr Tech to try to get that computer back in order (I can’t begin to tell you all the things that are wrong with it & all of the things that I’ve done to try to fix it). Norton’s completely fouled up; I don’t even have it on the computer any more. AdAware’s been corrupted, & it’s gone, too. I’ve recently added Spy Sweeper & System Mechanic 4 to the fun. I found the avast! Virus Cleaner & thought that it couldn’t hurt to try someone else’s definitions. However, I think that it’s gotten to the point now that I’m just going to have to format the hard drive & start anew.
And you’re right about “as bad as it might seem” to call Dell - that’s not a pleasant prospect at all. (I have 2 Dell computers. That’s another company that will never get my business again.) If I don’t go the format route, I may just end up having to do that.
To Technical:
I will admit that I’ve not yet tried the button to start as a “different user”. The reason is that I didn’t want to use only part of the program - only by logging in as the Administrator will I get all of the definitions available.
And if there were a button there that just said “Start”, or something similar, I would try logging in as the Administrator with leaving the password field blank. Unfortunately, there is no such button; the only options I have are those that I wrote about in my 2nd post.
You suggested that I use my “user name for the Administrator when you installed windows”. I would if I could, but I didn’t install Windows; Dell did, and they did so without creating a password for the Admin user profile.
As to your last question, well, that’s what brought me to the forum in the first place - THAT’S my problem.
To either or both of you:
I wonder if it would make more sense if you tried using this program yourself/selves. If you downloaded it and then tried to run it - logged on to your computer as the Administrator - maybe you would see what I mean.
On second thought, though, if YOU have a password for your Admin user profile, then perhaps the avast! cleaner will recognize that you’ve logged on with it & skip the login window that’s stopping me from running it fully & completely.
Perhaps the solution is just to go into User Accounts & create a password for the existing Administrator user profile? I do have 2 account info notebooks that I never go anywhere without (when I’m traveling with my computer), so I do have a relatively secure place to record it. I’d still probably be so scared about losing it, though, that I’d end up getting it tattooed on my hip :
Run As will give you ‘full’ use of the program.
I tried it right now. Problem: My ‘Admin’ account has a blank password and Virus Cleaner does not allow it 
It works when I’m logged as an user with administrator rights and run it…
You should ‘tweak’ your Windows Explorer context menu to add the Run As command, right click the cleaner and use it. But, if you browse the Windows Help you will find how to use the ‘RUNAS’ by a command-line.
But, like I said, blank passwords was not allowed by avast! Cleaner…
Can you change the Admin account password through Control Panel?
Dell and Hell ;D
I hate pre installed systems because of this
Of course, if you can loggin in such account :
What are you waiting to test it? ;D
Hi again C.R.
With regards to NAV, did you use their downloadable utility to get rid of it, or just Windows add/remove programmes? It’s possible some of it is still there. (Technical has some great links at the bottom of his posts for this and loads of other stuff)
I use avast on xp pro without any problem with 2 users plus admin account, but I’m thinking Dell might be the problem with your admin permissions.
I fully understand how frustrated you must be with all this, but if you are thinking of a format/re-install I hope you have a retail xp disk and not just the restore disk from Dell to do it with! Before taking such drastic action, try this first.
If you haven’t as yet done so go here
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/nav.nsf/docid/2001092114452606
about halfway down the page for your version.
After you are sure all NAV is removed, remove avast and reinstall preferably with a new downloaded version after checking (in control panel/user accounts that you are admin with full priviledges)
Schedule a boot-time scan with avast and run it.
If you are successful with this, then post back with a Hijack this log file
and there will be further suggestions from there.
OK, I’m back… so, a little explanation.
When avast! Virus Cleaner is started, it checks for necessary privileges it needs to fully do its work. If any of the privileges is not granted, the mentioned window would appear. You have two choices:
So, you are saying the you are logged on as the Administrator, and still get this warning? That’s rather strange… avast! Virus Cleaner doesn’t check if you are logged as Administrator actually - it checks for the necessary privileges. I find it rather unlikely that the Administrator wouldn’t have the necessary privileges granted… ???
Technical, I just checked and I don’t see any problem with a black password. What exactly do you mean by “My ‘Admin’ account has a blank password and Virus Cleaner does not allow it.” ?
With XP home you can only login as true administrator in safe mode.
There are malwares that change the priviliges. Seen it quiet a lot lately. Solution for XP Pro is to login as administrator and use gpedit.msc to correct it. In XP Home you can login as administrator in safe mode and then check/change the user priviliges.
Hope this little info helps.
I’ve installed the Windows console as a boot option.
When I installed XP I give the Administrator account my own name and a password and
tweaked it to ‘automatically logon as an administrator when booted as Windows console’. When there I leave the password empty I can log the windows installation.
When I’m running windows I can’t see the ‘Administrator’ account, only my ‘renamed’ account.
When I use the command ‘Run As’ into any .exe file I have the ‘Administrator’ account listed there. Here, I can’t use ‘blank’ password. It does not work.
OK, so it doesn’t have anything to do with Cleaner, actually - it’s Microsoft feature.
I was referring to the “Insufficient Privileges” dialog of avast! Virus Cleaner - you can leave the password box empty there.
Thanks.
Indeed, nothing related to Cleaner. When I run it I have not problems with privileges as I’m the Administrator…