reason not to log on as administrator?

wortgames · 2002/04/19

Hi all, I'm new to Win2K.

After a few minor problems I have reloaded it and decided to stick with using 'administrator' as my main identity - is there a good reason why this is bad?

It seems to me to be an unnecessary pain to have to log off and log back on every time I want to add a program or change a setting, and I am pretty much the only user anyway - I have created a 'guest' ID for any visitors who want to use the computer.

I have read in a number of places that you should use a separate identity, but none give reasons.

Cheers,

WG

dimanise · 2002/04/19

I've seen it a couple of times, people saying that it isn't safe to use administrator. As for me, I don't think it matters since Windows is pretty safe OS, especially Win 2000.

With Linux I agree that people shouldn't use root (unix' administrator) because it is easier to execute a command on a linux machine, especially if it isn't correctly configured than on any Windows machine.

In general people say not to use administrator because it's the main user and has write permissions for every file on the system, even the ones that are really important for the functioning of the OS. But as I say again, in my opinion, windows is pretty safe from the (so called) hackers by itself and doesn't require any additional security configuration.

That's just an opinion, and if any one thinks different would be glad to hear it myself

Newt · 2002/04/19

Taken from the Help section on my PC, the Best Practices subsection:

Why you should not run your computer as an administrator

Running Windows 2000 or Windows XP as an administrator makes the system vulnerable to Trojan horses and other security risks. The simple act of visiting an Internet site can be extremely damaging to the system. An unfamiliar Internet site may have Trojan horse code that can be downloaded to the system and executed. If you are logged on with administrator privileges, a Trojan horse could do things like reformat your hard drive, delete all your files, create a new user account with administrative access, and so on.

You should add yourself to the Users or Power Users group. When you log on as a member of the Users group, you can perform routine tasks, including running programs and visiting Internet sites, without exposing your computer to unnecessary risk. As a member of the Power Users group, you can perform routine tasks and you can also install programs, add printers, and use most Control Panel items. If you need to perform administrative tasks, such as upgrading the operating system or configuring system parameters, then log off and log back on as an administrator.

If you frequently need to log on as an administrator, you can use the runas command to start programs as an administrator. For more information, see To start programs as an administrator.
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