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Create a local user account

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

To create a local user account

  1. Open Computer Management.

  2. In the console tree, click Users.

    Where?

    • Computer Management/System Tools/Local Users and Groups/Users
  3. On the Action menu, click New User.

  4. Type the appropriate information in the dialog box.

  5. Select or clear the check boxes for:

    • User must change password at next logon

    • User cannot change password

    • Password never expires

    • Account is disabled

  6. Click Create, and then click Close.

Notes

  • To perform this procedure, you must be a member of the Power Users group, or the Administrators group on the local computer, or you must have been delegated the appropriate authority. If the computer is joined to a domain, members of the Domain Admins group might be able to perform this procedure. As a security best practice, consider using Run as to perform this procedure. For more information, see Default local groups, Default groups, and Using Run as.

  • To open Computer Management, click Start, click Control Panel, double-click Administrative Tools, and then double-click Computer Management.

  • A user name cannot be identical to any other user or group name on the computer being administered. It can contain up to 20 uppercase or lowercase characters, except for the following:

    " / \ [ ] : ; | = , + * ? < >

    A user name cannot consist solely of periods (.) or spaces.

  • In Password and Confirm password, you can type a password containing up to 127 characters. However, if the network consists of computers running Windows 95 or Windows 98, consider using passwords no longer than 14 characters. If your password is longer, you may not be able to log on to the network from those computers.

  • The use of strong passwords and appropriate password policies can help protect your computer from attack. For more information, see Related Topics.

Information about functional differences

  • Your server might function differently based on the version and edition of the operating system that is installed, your account permissions, and your menu settings. For more information, see Viewing Help on the Web.

See Also

Concepts

Local user accounts
Why you should not run your computer as an administrator
Assign a logon script to a local user account
Assign a home folder to a local user account
Strong passwords