Windows 11: can't open anything as admin, I'm stumped


ArkLeksis

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5:12 AM
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2
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window 11
Hey everyone, I'm stuck on something weird and could use a second pair of eyes.


I'm definitely an admin on my PC, but the moment I try to open anything as admin (Task Manager, cmd, PowerShell, Event Viewer...) I get "An administrator has blocked you from running this app." No UAC prompt (Yes/No), it just closes immediately. Non-admin, everything opens just fine.

I've already checked a bunch of stuff (group policy, registry, AppLocker, IFEO via Autoruns, the AppInfo service, leftover Avast bits): nothing unusual anywhere. An sfc /scannow found 462 corrupted files but none related to the blocked tools. ESET caught a suspicious .exe and quarantined it, but it had never been executed, and nothing changed after removing it + rebooting.

The weirdest part: I can't even read the event logs from the command line (wevtutil), "Access denied" on Application and System, which shouldn't happen to anyone normally.

If this rings a bell for anyone, I'm all ears!
(text modified by ChatGPT for better clarity)
 
Windows Build/Version
version 25h02 build 26200.9445

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

window 11Ryzen 5 360016 Go DDR4 Corsair VengeanceAMD Rx 580 Pulse
OS
window 11
Computer type
PC/Desktop
CPU
Ryzen 5 3600
Motherboard
Asus
Memory
16 Go DDR4 Corsair Vengeance
Graphics Card(s)
AMD Rx 580 Pulse
We need you to enable Admin account to work on troubleshooting the problem.

This video guide provides a detailed walk-through on enabling the built-in Administrator account using Hiren's BootCD.

 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11AMD Ryzen 7 5700GMicron Technology DDR4-3200 16GBNVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
OS
Windows 11
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
HP Pavilion
CPU
AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
Motherboard
Erica6
Memory
Micron Technology DDR4-3200 16GB
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
Sound Card
Realtek ALC671
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung SyncMaster U28E590
Screen Resolution
3840 x 2160
Hard Drives
SAMSUNG MZVLQ1T0HALB-000H1
We need you to enable Admin account to work on troubleshooting the problem.

This video guide provides a detailed walk-through on enabling the built-in Administrator account using Hiren's BootCD.

should i not just install "lazesoft recovery" and using it in "Safe Mode" rather than booting on an unknown iso i don't really trust ?
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

window 11Ryzen 5 360016 Go DDR4 Corsair VengeanceAMD Rx 580 Pulse
OS
window 11
Computer type
PC/Desktop
CPU
Ryzen 5 3600
Motherboard
Asus
Memory
16 Go DDR4 Corsair Vengeance
Graphics Card(s)
AMD Rx 580 Pulse

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    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦26300.9445 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦26H2AMD Ryzen 7 3700XG.Skill (F4-3200C14D-16GTZKW)EVGA RTX 2070 (08G-P4-2171-KR)
    OS
    Win 11 Home ♦♦♦26300.9445 ♦♦♦♦♦♦♦26H2
    Computer type
    PC/Desktop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Built by Ghot® [May 2020]
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    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)TWIN2X2048-6400C4DHX (2 x 1GB, DDR2 800)EVGA 256-P2-N758-TR GeForce 8600GT SSC
    Operating System
    Windows XP Pro 32bit w/SP3
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    Built by Ghot® (not in use)
    CPU
    AMD Athlon 64 X2 5000+ (OC'd @ 3.2Ghz)
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    ASUS M2N32-SLI Deluxe Wireless Edition
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should i not just install "lazesoft recovery" and using it in "Safe Mode" rather than booting on an unknown iso i don't really trust ?
How are you going to install the program and use it with administrative privileges if you don't have that option?

This guide will show you how to enable the hidden built-in Administrator account from Windows Recovery Environment.

 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11AMD Ryzen 7 5700GMicron Technology DDR4-3200 16GBNVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
OS
Windows 11
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
HP Pavilion
CPU
AMD Ryzen 7 5700G
Motherboard
Erica6
Memory
Micron Technology DDR4-3200 16GB
Graphics Card(s)
NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3060
Sound Card
Realtek ALC671
Monitor(s) Displays
Samsung SyncMaster U28E590
Screen Resolution
3840 x 2160
Hard Drives
SAMSUNG MZVLQ1T0HALB-000H1
sfc /scannow found 462 corrupted files
That's quite a few...

I would keep running it until it finds none.

Failing that, you might have a corrupt user profile.

Create a new admin account, and see if that works.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Pro 25H2
OS
Windows 11 Pro 25H2
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
Toshiba
Hiren's BootCD is well known and trusted.
So is the Media Creation Tool ISO...


In-Place Upgrade -

Download, mount the ISO, open an elevated Command prompt, and cd to the drive letter of the mounted ISO.

On supported hardware -

Run setup.exe

On unsupported hardware (bypasses checks) -

Run setup.exe /product server

Done.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Pro 25H2
OS
Windows 11 Pro 25H2
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
Toshiba
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