# How to log in as the system account



## breadcrab (Nov 21, 2007)

Step 1.Go to Start<Run cmd.exe
Step 2.Type At TIME /interactive "cmd.exe"
Replace TIME with the current time in 24 hour time format. For example At 19:37 /interactive "cmd.exe" At that time you put in, You will get another cmd box called SCVHOST.EXE
Step 3.Use task manager and terminate explorer.exe
This will make your desktop icons and startbar vanish.
Step 4.Type in the second cmd box, CD C:\WINDOWS
Then type in explorer.exe
Now you are logged in as the system account.
Be careful because it is the system`s account. You can do anything on that account.
You can even delete windows =,(.


----------



## breadcrab (Nov 21, 2007)

If you want to log out do not use the log out button!!! Restart your computer instead


----------



## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

What in the world would you want to do this for? What can't you do with administrative rights with a normal account?

Sorry, but this "tip" makes no sense.


----------



## breadcrab (Nov 21, 2007)

Its just a little something that my friend showed me how to do.


----------



## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

I'm guessing your friend didn't actually check that this worked, right?

When using this "tip" from a limited account (the only way it could possibly have any utility), you get the following.

C:\Documents and Settings\Limited>at 8:33 /interactive "cmd.exe"
_Access is denied._

Game over. It would probably run using an administrative account, but then you have all the rights you need with that account anyway.

I'd also note that even if this worked, this is clearly against the TSG Rules against hacking help, so I suggest you review your posts here more carefully before you let them go in the future.


----------



## SCAdvanced (Feb 21, 2008)

This tip may not work on a limited account, but it does work on an administrator account. 

It was helpful for me to be able to change the time on a laptop at work today. It hadn't been powered on in a couple months, and lost the time. It was on the domain, and for some reason, whoever setup the group policy forgot to put the Administrators group in for user rights. So only a domain account could change the time. And since the time was wrong, there wasn't a way to login with a domain account.
I know you would normally just change the time in the BIOS and be done with it, but this crappy HP laptop didn't have that option in the BIOS.


----------



## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

For an admin account, you don't need this tip! What can't you do with administrative rights?


----------



## SCAdvanced (Feb 21, 2008)

I just said what it could be used for. I couldn't change the time on the computer due to someone's poor group policy settings. System was listed as a user that could, and all the rest were domain users. Since the time was wrong and it had been too long since I had logged in with my domain account which does have admin rights, I didn't remember what the password was. And rather than repairing the operating system, I chose to log in as the system account to be able to change the time and then I was again able to login with a domain account. 

There are probably a couple others, but I think that was a life saver.


----------



## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

In other words, it's used for getting around admin restrictions. Not something we normally recommend here at TSG.


----------



## monkeys5620 (Mar 25, 2008)

This trick could be used even on a limited account. When you boot your computer(must be windows), boot from safe mode with command prompt. Type the stuff in and you should be able to log in on the system account. Ideally at least. I haven't tried it myself, but it should work.


----------



## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

monkeys5620 said:


> This trick could be used even on a limited account. When you boot your computer(must be windows), boot from safe mode with command prompt. Type the stuff in and you should be able to log in on the system account. Ideally at least. I haven't tried it myself, but it should work.


Nope, see post #5.


----------



## monkeys5620 (Mar 25, 2008)

Thanks. I tried it after I posted the comment and your right it didn't work. I feel foolish. 

If you read about the system account though, you will find that it actually has more control than admins do. On the task list you can see that some applications have "SYSTEM" next to them. Thats cause the system account is above the admin level. Admins don't actually have full power of the computer. To get acess to a system file is the only reason I can think of that you would use the system account though...


----------



## JohnWill (Oct 19, 2002)

In all the years of using NT based systems, I've never needed to be the "SYSTEM" account to do anything necessary, so I don't see much utility in this.


----------

