On a New PC I Have Not Loaded the Operating System Once, but Recovery Options Ask for an Admin Password

administratorpasswordsuser-accountswindows 10

I have a new computer, and I have not loaded the operating system once (Windows 10). Therefore, I have not created any accounts. However, when I select the System Recovery option from the boot menu, most of the Advanced Options require I enter the password of an administrator account.

When I click the reset password link, I get the message

This list only shows administrator accounts that have previously signed in to this PC, and does not include standard user or domain accounts. You need to be signed in as an administrator to use some repair and restore tools. If you don't have a password for any of these accounts, you can restart to try signing in to Windows to manage your user accounts.

Why are these options asking for a password if I have not created any accounts?

This video illustrates what I am experiencing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEfmZGIepU4

Best Answer

Windows comes preloaded with an Administrator account. In a new computer, when we have not loaded the operating system et all, the Administrator account is active because the manufacturer expects we'll go through loading the OS, which requires an administrator account to install all of the components. When we create the first account, the Administrator account becomes inactive.

Since I loaded the System Recovery environment (WinRE) before loading the OS et all, I was presented the Administrator account.

I was able to access this account and the various utilities of the Recovery environment, by leaving the password blank.

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After MacOS Ventura 13.1 update, the only admin account became “standard” user. How to (re)authorize the admin account

I finally resolved this SNAFU.

It may not have been necessary, but with Terminal, I was able to decrypt the FileVault protection See this online article using these commands:

diskutil apfs list # get <devID> with FileVault YES, e.g "disk3s2"
diskutil apfs unlockVolume /dev/<devID>
diskutil apfs listcryptousers /dev/<devID> # capture the <UUID> (very long)
diskutil apfs decryptVolume /dev/<devID> -user <UUID>
diskutil apfs list # See FileVault is now NO

Then I could use the Recovery Security utility - turning off protections. Also, this may not have been necessary.
The actual fix was to remove the .AppleSetUpdone file from the correct location. Lots of previous posts show /var/db/.AppleSetUpdone. But it was moved when the system and data were placed on separate volumes! It's now on the "Macintosh HD - Data" volume. Here's the command that worked:
```
rm -i "/Volumes/Macintosh HD - Data/private/var/db/.AppleSetupDone"
```

Here is an Apple discussion page showing correct location.

Then I was able to reboot, and be prompted to create a new Admin user. Whew.

Best Answer

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After MacOS Ventura 13.1 update, the only admin account became “standard” user. How to (re)authorize the admin account

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