Local Administrator vs Local Power User

Can someone help me determine what is a better option for our local accounts? What are the pros and cons of each. How do you get Windows updates if you are not an Administrator? Thanks.

 

The rights and permissions that are granted to the Power Users group include those rights and permissions that are required to allow members of the Power Users group to
- modify computer-wide settings
- install drivers, and to run (or install) non-certified programs
- change COM object registrations
- change file associations
- change Start menu shortcuts
- install drivers for hardware devices

So they can do most of the routine administrative tasks (including updates).

About the only system tweakings a Power User can't do are pretty drastic and very rarely need doing. Unlike administrators, they are somewhat limited in making changes to other user accounts though.

I'd say that running under an administrator account (or one that is a member of the Administrators group) is rarely necessary and to use it routinely isn't a good idea.

Did you have something specific in mind?

 

Though we know that the admin user account shouldn't be the default log on account, I'll bet Newt does the same as I do, and logs on one step below the REAL admin account, in a user admin account (which is the default account on a new XP set up). Why? Uh...convenience? Yep.

I am a single user on this system, which is not networked, and have full control of the machine physically. Plus, I can usually fix whatever I break. The reason you heard "not to run in admin mode" is that, once in your account, a malicious program would have authority to make system changes not available on a limited account. If you are in full control of the system, have appropriate security in place and use sensible surfing habits, routinely using XP on a limited account may be an exercise in frustration. I would go nuts logging back and forth, and feel like the danger present isn't worth the extra effort. I would guess Newt would say the same.

Johanna

 

Hi Johanna,

LOL, I do the same thing.

This past w/e I put my Brother on a limited account - he was getting into too much trouble and I got tired of cleaning his system.

Regards - Charles

 

Johanna - I do exactly what you said I probably did and routinely run with an account that has admin rights. However, I fully understand the risks and am ready to rebuild a totally trashed system.

So far GoBack has done the job nicely when I needed it with the exception of once when a beta version of SP2 trashed some stuff and I didn't notice until some days later when I no longer had a good restore point available - my fault on that one.

Do I recommend this for most folks? Absolutely not. One quick example of the risks runing as an admin that doesn't exist if you run as a Power User