How do you know, when you click on your "User" icon to go into Windows, whether you are also logged on as Administrator? For that matter, how would you purposely log on as Administrator?

Yep, I've looked in the HELP stuff but it is the usual vague runaround, so far as I'm concerned.

The reason I ask is that in HELP there is a dire warning NOT to run programs as Administrator.

Hi Billy Bob:

Sorry to go against what Billy Gates feels we should do with our programs which are so dear to us............BUT I only "log in" as the admin on my XP Home System.... And I dare say that I've gotten a few games to run ...heeheee

(I just couldn't resist!)


Now, seriously... Go to -->Start-->Control Panel-->User Accounts and Double Click. You should see exactly what you have.

To learn more about XP and how it works I suggest you have a look at Black Viper


Inferno

Great, now I find I am always logging on as Administrator. So now I have to figure how to stop doing that but still be a "User". Untill I looked at that I only saw that I was a User but I got to wondering, since I installed XP myself and made the user account WHY wasn't I seeing that there was an Administrator. You solved that one for me. As I said, now I have to figure how to make my self a User and, separately, the Administrator. I had searched all through HELP without finding what you so quickly and clearly told me.

I just followed those instructions, and it shows two Icons, one says 'Owner/Administrator, the other says Guest User and is grayed out.
I have never had the question come up to choose either one, evidently when I started it up when new, whatever I put in the owners questionair made me Admin.

I run anything I need/want to, and have never had a problem saying I was not allowed to do anything.

There are three little blue icons at the upper left corner, 1 & 2 describe what each choice is, #3 is to change your choice.

The warning about signing in all the time as the Administrator was that you are opening yourself up to all kinds of vulnerabilities. Having just re-installed Windows and all my junk and having lost all my data and programs from the HDD a second time within two weeks I don't want to take any more chances.

Haven't gotten into it yet but I think I can simply leave what I have and add myself under another name (or nickname or initials) and make that "User" without it also being the "Administrator".

I think what they are getting at is the Profile for the administrator, which is a global one for all xp computers. Create a new user account (profile) with whatever name you require and give yourself admin rights. This is not the same thing as logging in as administrator.

Tig

All you have to do is just change the name from Administrator to something else other than


Admin
Administrator
My Computer
Computer
or things that are obvious like the names above.
You can find out how to do it by going here:
Black Viper\'s Supertweaks Page

This is one site, if you do nothing else, you should have in your favorites or bookmark.

Inferno

Well, I now have one name with "Administrator" and one without. The one without cannot get online unless it is changed back to Administrator. Unless that is done only the icon and the password can be changed. Seems to me that cancels Microsoft's warning not to sign in all the time as the Administrator. No matter how simple it should be, Gates always manages to muck it up!

The permissions a User has precludes them from installing stuff too, so having admin rights is sensible. I think that what BG was getting at is that you have to password everything to keep it secure, not that you shouldn't have admin rights. Oh and of course, don't give out your passy anywhere or your system may be vulnerable. Use a combination of numbers and letters if you can, something totally weird!!!

The following is what I found from Microsoft about the subject. Does this change anyone's advice??

Why you should not run your computer as an administrator
Running Windows 2000 or 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........(there are link(s) on the Help page)

Following the advice above (which came from the "Help and Support" part of XP) I now have one login name which is the "Administrator"; one login name as "User".

As "User" I can go online and do certain things. Not sure yet what I can't do but when that happens I can log off, switch login (without losing my settings as User) and do what has to be done as Administrator and log off that and pick up where I was as the User. NOT as complicated as it sounds and, judging by the previous post, much safer.

Only posting this with the intention of possibly being some help to those who might be interested.

Inferno: Black Vipor's page of Supertweaks is WONDERFUL! Just typed out the whole things and will be studying it vociferously!!!!

These posts here have confused me re terminology of \:
Administrator
Owner
Guest
User

and what to do about each. It may all really be clear if I study it a bit more but am having an 'off' day and so remained confused:)

I have only two icons in user accounts window:
Administrator and Guest which is turned off.

Help help. I decided to join the group and try to make a user account. First difference I noted is the terminology. Mine PC calls it a limited account but guess that is the same thing. I made an account so that now I have Admin. Guest (which is turned off) and Limited account.

However, when I went to use the limited account it threw me into startup format which I do not use. So chose the classic menu on my limited account and there are so many things missing - no icons on desktop at all, many files I had are missing (especially in my documents), there are no email addresses, in fact so much is missing that it would be a monumental job to manually try to get everything back again. I do not understand what happened. I supposed just making the limited account and then using classic menu would mean I would just continue on - what have I missed here?