Creating User Accounts in Windows Vista

 The first user account:

• The default account that you create in Vista is an administrator account.
• During the Windows Vista installation, you don’t get an opportunity to create multiple accounts. You can only create extra accounts after the installation is complete.
• Name the first account and indicate that it is an administrator account.
• More importantly, make sure you give it a strong password.
• For home users, make sure the password is both strong and easy to remember.

Before you set up extra user accounts:

1. Make sure that all the drivers and Microsoft updates are installed.
2. Make sure that you have installed the applications that all the users will want to use.

To create an account:

1. Type ‘user’ in the Windows Vista Start Menu search box and click User Accounts when it appears.
2. Click the Manage another account link. The UAC will ask for your approval before it lets you continue.
3. Click Create a new Account and type in the name for the new account in the text box. You will need to choose between a standard user account or an administrator account. Click Create Account.
4. To create other accounts, repeat these steps.

The most important thing to do after you create a new account is to assign a password to the account. To create a password for an account:

1. Type ‘user’ in the Start menu search box and click User Accounts when it appears on the programs list.
2. Click Manage an Account and provide UAC confirmation.
3. Click the user name and then click the Create a Password link. Read the instructions that appear on the screen and follow them.
4. Type in the password twice to confirm it and create a password hint that will help you remember the password if you ever forget it.
5. Finish by clicking the Create a Password button.

When you create a password, you need to keep in mind the following:

1. While it is important to create a password that is easy to remember, you do not want to create a week password that is easy to hack.
2. A password should ideally be 8 to 12 digits and be made up of both letters and numbers.

Assign a Picture

At this point you might also want to assign a picture for the user or change the picture that is provided by default. To do so:

1. Click User Accounts in the program list after typing in ‘user’ in the Start menu search box.
2. Click the Change the picture link.
3. Then, click the picture you want to display from the ones that are shown or you could choose any picture from your hard drive by clicking Browse for more pictures.
4. Finish by clicking the Change Picture button.