Creating and Modifying User Accounts

Windows XP allows for you to have multiple users on your computer. If you are sharing the computer with other people then this will make it so that each person can have a profile on the computer. Creating and modifying profiles is a simple process that doesn't take very much time to do.

First, we need to go to the Control Panel and from there choose the option that says User Accounts.

Control Panel

This will bring up a page that looks like the one below. From this screen you will have a couple of different choices. To access all the thing you can do you want to click on the bottom right hand icon to access the User Accounts menu.

Pick a Task

From this screen you have access to your computer's accounts. There are 3 main tasks: Change an account, Create a new account or change the way users log on or off. Below that you can access any of the accounts on your computer. Right now there is one account called My Account. It's the administrator account and is password protected. Also you can see that guest accounts have been turned off so anyone who gets on this computer must to have a profile. If you want to create an account for another user click the Create a new account option with the green arrow by it.

 Create New Account

This is the first step in creating a new account. The name is what people will see when they try to log onto windows. It can be anything from a username to a nickname to the person's real name. Once you fill in the box click the next button.

Name of New Account

This display is the next option. This allows us to choose what type of an account you want the new account to be. As an administrator the account would be able to make, change, and delete other accounts, install files and make changes that affect the whole system. A limited account is a basic user account where the person can't change or create accounts but can use the computer without any problems.

Computer Admin

Once you have decided on the account type the account will be created. You will be taken back to the third screen and from there if you select the account you will be taken to the page below where you can change any of the settings for that account.  These settings include the name, password, picture, account type and the .NET passport.

Change Account

Return to Windows XP Support Center

Last Updated: 04/24/2008

Copyright © 2008, The University of Iowa, all rights reserved.