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How do I change the SYSTEM user account to Interactive?

H0R53

I'm not a Windows noob, don't tell my why I shouldn't do it.

 

I can access the SYSTEM user account by deleting sethc.exe and replacing it with a copy of CMD.exe, and at the firstboot login screen pressing SHIFT five times.

 

From there, I run "taskmgr.exe". After that, I start explorer as a new task.

 

However, I can't do anything once I'm into the SYSTEM user account. i can Run games and things like that using WIN+R, but Explorer won't open.

 

How do I change the SYSTEM user account to Interactive?

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So, as a non Windows noob, you would know that INTERACTIVE group, isn't a group that you can add a member too.

INTERACTIVE is your current account. It is the current active account(s) that can interact with the system.

 

And, as a non Windows noob, you know that you should not try and by-pass User Account Control. You have no reason to do so.

 

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1 hour ago, GoodBytes said:

So, as a non Windows noob, you would know that INTERACTIVE group, isn't a group that you can add a member too.

INTERACTIVE is your current account. It is the current active account(s) that can interact with the system.

 

And, as a non Windows noob, you know that you should not try and by-pass User Account Control. You have no reason to do so.

 

 

14 hours ago, H0R53 said:

don't tell my why I shouldn't do it.

Okay...The machine I'm doing this on is an isolated system, no Internet connection whatsoever.

 

I know that about interactive accounts, perhaps I phrased my question wrong.

 

the SYSTEM account cannot run Explorer even when logged in. There are parameters that are not configured or just not even present under the SYSTEM account.

 

I don't know which ones to add and which ones to change, or even how I'd go about that.

 

I know a fair bit about Windows, but I know considerably more about hardware than software, and I've forgotten most of it at this point because it's rarely relevant in my life.

 

I know I need to use Regedit and GPEdit to achieve my goal. I don't mess too much with the registry too much aside from tweaks here and there like changing the default install directory or adding Take Ownership to the right-click context menu.

 

This is an area of Windows I've never touched.

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2 minutes ago, H0R53 said:

Okay...The machine I'm doing this on is an isolated system, no Internet connection whatsoever.

Doesn't matter, and no excuse. If you are doing those for a work machine, then you should talking to the dev team, 'cause someone needs to be fired.

 

2 minutes ago, H0R53 said:

the SYSTEM account cannot run Explorer even when logged in. There are parameters that are not configured or just not even present under the SYSTEM account.

Correct. SYSTEM account doesn't have a registry hive for itself.

 

2 minutes ago, H0R53 said:

I don't know which ones to add and which ones to change, or even how I'd go about that.

You can't.

 

2 minutes ago, H0R53 said:

I know I need to use Regedit and GPEdit to achieve my goal. I don't mess too much with the registry too much aside from tweaks here and there like changing the default install directory or adding Take Ownership to the right-click context menu.

It has nothing to do with group policies.

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6 hours ago, GoodBytes said:

Correct. SYSTEM account doesn't have a registry hive for itself.

Is there a proper way to make one?

 

6 hours ago, GoodBytes said:

Doesn't matter, and no excuse. If you are doing those for a work machine, then you should talking to the dev team, 'cause someone needs to be fired.

 

No, this is on a shitty Dell laptop that belongs to me.

 

Has anyone ever asked you why you've done something and you've responded with 'because I can'?

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56 minutes ago, H0R53 said:

Is there a proper way to make one?

Nope. All I can think about would only result in an account named "SYSTEM" but not be the real SYSTEM account.

 

Quote

Has anyone ever asked you why you've done something and you've responded with 'because I can'?

Yes... but there is a reason behind it and it is done right (at least the best of my abilities at the time), which is the added challenge. This results in something more impressive.. at least to those who understand, and to myself. There is purpose... maybe niche, but there is one. Finding a way to run the system as true Admin is less interesting by the day. I don't think they are any software left that need Admin privileges that isn't something that needs system file access (like CCleaner or some system tweak utility, and those aren't think you run everyday. And in the case of CCleaner, it runs at startup to by-pass it via Task Scheduler entry added once you install the software)

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48 minutes ago, GoodBytes said:

Nope. All I can think about would only result in an account named "SYSTEM" but not be the real SYSTEM account.

 

Yes... but there is a reason behind it and it is done right (at least the best of my abilities at the time), which is the added challenge. This results in something more impressive.. at least to those who understand, and to myself. There is purpose... maybe niche, but there is one. Finding a way to run the system as true Admin is less interesting by the day. I don't think they are any software left that need Admin privileges that isn't something that needs system file access (like CCleaner or some system tweak utility, and those aren't think you run everyday. And in the case of CCleaner, it runs at startup to by-pass it via Task Scheduler entry added once you install the software)

I have CCleaner on my main rig, good software.

I've tried making a new user named SYSTEM but Windows doesn't allow that.

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1 hour ago, H0R53 said:

I have CCleaner on my main rig, good software.

I've tried making a new user named SYSTEM but Windows doesn't allow that.

Well you technically can, as accounts are actually identified by a SID (see it as a randomly generated number). But then you'll have 2x "SYSTEM", and that would be quiet confusing. Regardless, it won't give you more permissions than a normal "Administrator" account.

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4 hours ago, GoodBytes said:

Well you technically can, as accounts are actually identified by a SID (see it as a randomly generated number). But then you'll have 2x "SYSTEM", and that would be quiet confusing. Regardless, it won't give you more permissions than a normal "Administrator" account.

I understand that, but the ability to fully use the computer without even logging in with 'secret' key presses is amusing.

 

The SYSTEM account actually includes 'special permissions' in the file properties tab.

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On 5/28/2017 at 9:23 AM, H0R53 said:

I'm not a Windows noob, don't tell my why I shouldn't do it.

 

I can access the SYSTEM user account by deleting sethc.exe and replacing it with a copy of CMD.exe, and at the firstboot login screen pressing SHIFT five times.

 

From there, I run "taskmgr.exe". After that, I start explorer as a new task.

 

However, I can't do anything once I'm into the SYSTEM user account. i can Run games and things like that using WIN+R, but Explorer won't open.

 

How do I change the SYSTEM user account to Interactive?

Well,im not a Windows Pro,but try this command in cmd.exe with administrator rights

Spoiler

net user SYSTEM /active:yes

(I might have typed it wrong,idk)

 

This works with Administrator Accounts,idk if it will work with the SYSTEM account and see if it appears on the logon screen

 

If explorer doesnt start Press Start+R and type regedit.exe,It should open the Windows Registry Editor

 

 and go through this list of directory HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

 and when you reach the directory where it is named "winlogon" click on it and change it to explorer.exe from whatever it is (or if anything at all)

 

 

   

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I found a tutorial, but it's for Windows XP: https://alieneyes.wordpress.com/2006/10/23/how-to-gain-access-to-system-account-the-most-powerful-account-in-windows/ Maybe it'll work for NT versions from 6.0 on. However, according to https://security.stackexchange.com/questions/66743/system-account-in-windows SYSTEM is something that exists only to setup the services, including security. Or as the person says:

Quote

It is recognised by the security subsystem, but it doesn't strictly exist as a user. It's a principle rather than a user. This concept is a little confusing, but think of it this way: the computer itself isn't a user, so if you were to give the computer itself a user account, is it still really a user?

 

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On 5/29/2017 at 6:34 AM, Gaurav S Rao said:

Well,im not a Windows Pro,but try this command in cmd.exe with administrator rights

  Hide contents

net user SYSTEM /active:yes

(I might have typed it wrong,idk)

 

This works with Administrator Accounts,idk if it will work with the SYSTEM account and see if it appears on the logon screen

 

If explorer doesnt start Press Start+R and type regedit.exe,It should open the Windows Registry Editor

 

 and go through this list of directory HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

 and when you reach the directory where it is named "winlogon" click on it and change it to explorer.exe from whatever it is (or if anything at all)

 

 

"The user name could not be found."

On 5/29/2017 at 0:12 PM, M.Yurizaki said:

I found a tutorial, but it's for Windows XP: https://alieneyes.wordpress.com/2006/10/23/how-to-gain-access-to-system-account-the-most-powerful-account-in-windows/ Maybe it'll work for NT versions from 6.0 on. However, according to https://security.stackexchange.com/questions/66743/system-account-in-windows SYSTEM is something that exists only to setup the services, including security. Or as the person says:

 

Okay.

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32 minutes ago, H0R53 said:

Okay.

Well, in hindsight, it's good that you need to really go out of your way to use SYSTEM, if you can even use it at all. Since SYSTEM has a little more privileges than any Administrator, you don't want something to easily take it and do things. As a comparison on POSIX, an administrator can be thought of someone with sudo privileges, but root has even more privileges. And to elevate to root it's as easy as just typing in "su" and inputting the password.

 

However, since you can do a lot of things anyway as an Administrator, it probably doesn't really matter if you can be SYSTEM. For example, there are some files and folders that are owned by SYSTEM which Administrators can't access, but you can modify them indirectly anyway as an Administrator.

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i think the real question here is why?

there is absolutely no practical reason whatsoever for doing so.

the only thing you would need system for, you cant do while logged into windows anyways.

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On 27/05/2017 at 11:53 PM, H0R53 said:

I'm not a Windows noob, don't tell my why I shouldn't do it.

 

I can access the SYSTEM user account by deleting sethc.exe and replacing it with a copy of CMD.exe, and at the firstboot login screen pressing SHIFT five times.

 

From there, I run "taskmgr.exe". After that, I start explorer as a new task.

 

However, I can't do anything once I'm into the SYSTEM user account. i can Run games and things like that using WIN+R, but Explorer won't open.

 

How do I change the SYSTEM user account to Interactive?

You don't.

 

You can enable administrator, but you cannot, nor should you, use SYSTEM.

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