Resolved Switching to a non-administrator logon

I've read several times that it is safer to run your computer as a non-administrator. I've always run XP Pro as an administrator.

I tried to find an easy way to set up another user in a non-administrator role, but when I did this, none of my shortcuts, desktop icons, and other settings were available.

Is there an easy way to copy the characteristics of one particular user to another, and then set that other one as the non-administrator?

 

Could I convert user?

Is there a way to convert a user that was set up as an administrator to a non-administrator. Then I would not lose any of my settings. I'd then create a non-populated administrator user that I would use to hopefully make modications to the non-administrative user.

Does this all sound possible?

Terry

 

Hello Terry,

Go into user accounts > change > bring up the account that you want to change > change to Limited.

Before doing that, you have to establish another Admin account, otherwise XP won't allow the change.

Regards - Charles

 

Changing account

Charles,

Thanks for the info. That sounds almost too easy.

Now am I correct when I assume that after I've created the new admin account, I can log onto that, but then make changes within the now limited account (which had previously been my old admin account, that you just showed me how to change)?

My goal is still to have only one account to maintain settings, but have it protected by making it non-admin. But then I'd use the new admin account to do all the maintenance on it. That sounds like it should be possible, otherwise why have admin accounts. Is there anything tricky I need to know about how to do that?

Terry

 

Hi Terry,

Have to smile at "anything tricky" - Computers/Widows are/is always tricky

Seriously, if there is nothing wrong otherwise, it should be that straightforward.

Regards - Charles

 

Charles,

Once I have the admin account set up, and I've logged into it, how do I then switch over to make the changes to the non-admin account? My expectation is that anytime I wanted to add application software, I'd do it on the non-admin account, so "switching" the user while still maintaining the admin privileges seems to be what I need to do. Is that easy?

Terry

 

Hi Terry,

Once I have the admin account set up, and I've logged into it, how do I then switch over to make the changes to the non-admin account?
There will be an option on restart to logout, then login on whaterever account you want to make changes in.

My expectation is that anytime I wanted to add application software, I'd do it on the non-admin account
No, you would add software or change the system in any way in the admin account, AFAIK, can't do that in the Limited account, that is the major difference between Admin and Limited, which is the reason you're safer running Limited on the Net - any malicious attempts are limited by the user privilages.

Regards - Charles

EDIT: When I wrote or change the system in any way , didn't mean changes which are considered "harmless" by the System - things like changing the background for example.

 

Charles, thanks for hanging in with me. I'm doing a poor job of communicating.

My goal is to only use the admin account for making major system changes like adding software to the computer. But normally, I would have everyone in the family and myself using the non-admin account, to provide the extra security against intrusion, that you discussed.

But I still want the non-admin account to have full access to all the software and applications that I'll be adding. And preferably, I'd only have that one environment to manage. My assumption (perhaps incorrect) was that once I logged in as an administrator, I could switch, without logging off, to the non-administrator account to add new software there. I assumed that this is how businesses would provide new applications to users without the users themselves getting in to mess things up. The I/T staff would log in as and administrator and then switch over to the user account to make the changes without logging out.

But if that doesn't work, is there another way to accomplish my goal?

Terry

 

Hi Terry,

But I still want the non-admin account to have full access to all the software and applications that I'll be adding.
By and large they will with some exceptions - MS's net framework comes to mind.

And preferably, I'd only have that one environment to manage. My assumption (perhaps incorrect) was that once I logged in as an administrator, I could switch, without logging off, to the non-administrator account to add new software there.
No, you would have two environments to manage. Switching logon is not that onerous, don't have to completely restart (reboot) to switch.

There are some things you may want to change once multiple logons exist, for example, coming out from standby, there is an option to switch logon again - you might not want to do that and there is an option to turn that off.

XP's Fast User Switching should be enabled, go to XP's services thru the Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Services and scroll down to Fast User Switching, by default startup type should be either manual or automatic now.

Before you do this, create a manual System Restore point, just in case you don't like the results. And of course, restoring to this restore point has to be done by the Admin account.

Regards - Charles

 

But I still want the non-admin account to have full access to all the software and applications that I'll be adding.

By and large they will with some exceptions - MS's net framework comes to mind.

So then I could add the software under the admin account, then switch to the non-admin account to organize shortcuts to that software, etc?

Terry

 

Hi Terry,

Yes.

Keep us posted on how all this works out for you.

EDIT: Keep forgetting to add that if you go into the Help and Support applet on the start menu and type logon into the search box, you'll get a lot of info on the details of what you're asking, such as user switching. You'll see it's not a big deal.

Regards - Charles

 

Hi Terry,

More info from MS Web blog on user accounts: http://blogs.msdn.com/aaron_margosis/

Regards - Charles

 

Start / run and type
control userpasswords2
hit enter
select the account, choose properties/ group membership
It shows each level (they list standard poweruser, user, and administrator but are more on drop down) and explains what they can and cannot do.

 

Thanks for the RUN suggestion. I'm curious, in addition to my own name, listed as one of the Administrators (currently), there is another one just called Administrator. But I don't ever remember setting it up, and have no idea what the password for it was. Should I delete it?

Terry

 

Administrator
- set up by default at install time
- password will be blank unless you specified one. Bad idea so change it to something hard to crack but easy for you to remember.
- change the name of the administrator account if you wish so it will be harder to attack.
- don't try to delete it unless you enjoy reinstalling an OS as a hobby. I'm not even sure you can delete it but I am sure you do not want to.

 

Hi Terry,

in addition to my own name, listed as one of the Administrators (currently), there is another one just called Administrator. But I don't ever remember setting it up, and have no idea what the password for it was. Should I delete it?
That's a default admin set up by the system and has no password - don't delete it. I'm not even sure you can, I've never tried.

Regards - Charles

 

Nothing every comes easy with Windows. With your help, I changed my previous account to a standard user, renamed the Administrators account, and gave it a different, tougher password. Then I logged on to the now renamed administrator account, and when it came up, I got a pop-up saying it didn't recognize the monitor, and when I hit OKAY on the pop-up, it rebooted.

Temporarily I've made my original account back into an administrator, and I'll probably be able to work through the hardware problem. But it just goes to show that even XP isn't really ready for normal people. God help someone who didn't have some computer savvy if they followed Microsoft's suggestions. I still believe that personal computers are about where cars were in the 1910s . . . fine to own, but only if you were a mechanic.

Terry

 

Hi Terry,

Then I logged on to the now renamed administrator account, and when it came up, I got a pop-up saying it didn't recognize the monitor, and when I hit OKAY on the pop-up, it rebooted.
Try creating a new Admin account and try it that way instead of changing a current account.

Regards - Charles

 

Normally you can only access the system administrator account in safe mode . I suspect that trying to make it run in normal windows by renaming it has caused the problem.
I would leave it as Adminstrator and only access it through safe mode and create a new account with admin access.
Note that when you create a new account you will have to configure it , unless you go to control panel/ system /advanced/ users and copy the profile from one which is already configured.