Re: Advice sought on Running XP Home SP2 as Admin or Limited User

GSD

From the sound of things you describe, it would seem that not all the
concepts of Windows multiple users has become clear to you yet.

First, don't give up!!!

Just to be clear, each user has their own desktop. So, any time you have
a multiple user machine, each user would set up their desktops to suit
themselves. You might find it easier to become accustom to XP if you
switch your desktop to "Windows Classic", (right-click the background
portion of your desktop and choose the "Desktop" tab.... you'll see what
I mean there.).

Accounts (that's what users are called) with administrator authority and
those without have equal access to programs and data. However, there
are programs that require administrator authority to be executed. For
example, Windows Installer requires administrator authority. You should
not have any trouble running application programs, such as Word,
Outlook Express or Internet Explorer. If you're having difficulties there,
it's not due to the authority level of the user account.

Your administrator account should have a password, but there's no
reason the general user, being yourself, would require one. You must
remember that any tasks that you run as "Scheduled Tasks" would
necessarily run under the authority of the administrator account, as such
tasks MUST include the authoritative password, for example: Tasks like
automatic LiveUpdate for Norton Antivirus, backup jobs and the like.

I'll stop at this point and await a reply, lest I go on and on when what
I've already offered gave rise to more questions than I already might
have answered.

Bill
California - USA




"GSD" <nospam@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:ug4wK8oDHHA.992@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
I am a late convert to XP after using Win 98 for the last 7 years and am
trying to come to terms with the User Account side of things particularly
from the security aspect .My new PC was set up by my supplier with myself
as the one Admin User .
However, as I have read more I have seen advice to the effect that even as
a stand alone ,single user I should use a Limited User Account for
everyday use , particularly Internet which I do use a lot.
To try this out I have now set up a new Limited User Account but I find it
very impractical for a retired person like myself who spends quite a bit
of time using the computer for a variety of things .
As I should have expected I guess ,there are a number of programs that do
not seem to work or even do not appear on the Desktop when I switch to the
Limited User . The Microsoft Works Suite and Word keep ask me Register the
Software which I already have when installed , the Quicken finance program
tells me I have a corrupted Licence so I have to switch back to use that .
I now realize too that My CA Antivirus cannot Update from the Limited
User Account .
If I were to operate from this account most of the time I also need to set
up OE again for mail and newsgroups .

To stop rambling further my Question is mainly -what is the difference
between me just using the Admin account which allows me to do everything
at the same time and the way I successfully operated as a single user on
Win 98 for 7 years appears . Is XP more insecure , I would have thought
the reverse . I may have been fortunate but during my use of Win 98 I
never had any Virus Infections nor have I encountered Spyware for which I
regularly check using a number of the well know Tools . Not to say that it
cannot happen I realize that but I try to be pretty careful .

I am tempted to go back to using just the Admin account but perhaps there
is something I have missed in all this that could help make the Limited
User Account more usable .
I would appreciate any advice from experienced XP users .

GSD



.

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