solideliquid
Limp Gawd
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2005
- Messages
- 449
Is it wise/useful to create and use (as your main account) a User Account and leave the admin account alone?
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Vista: Wise to create a User account?
- Thread starter solideliquid
- Start date
Considering the fact that an Administrator account isn't really an option in Vista (I hate to point people right back to my threads each and every time but dammit, it's good info) and all users are "Standard" users by default (even if you log into the Administrator account that's all the access you get until credentials or an access level promotion is necessary), it's relatively "safe" to use whatever account you created when Vista was installed.
Vista, Admin rights, UAC, and You can help explain the who, what, when, where, and why - or at least get you on the right path.
Good luck...
Vista, Admin rights, UAC, and You can help explain the who, what, when, where, and why - or at least get you on the right path.
Good luck...
A quick and simple summary of the main considerations, in response to the actual question here:
If you are the only person using the PC then you DO NOT need to create a standard user account. You aren't actually using "the" Administrator account. That one is only accessible via Safe mode or after doing some tweaking which will see it in use. The 'administrator permission' user account created during installation, as bbz_ghost mentions, actually runs as a standard user account anyway. Under Vista and UAC, having adminstrator 'permission' for your user account really means that you can give permission for restricted tasks to run, on a case by case basis, whereas under a standard user account you can't.
If you are the only person using the PC then you DO NOT need to create a standard user account. You aren't actually using "the" Administrator account. That one is only accessible via Safe mode or after doing some tweaking which will see it in use. The 'administrator permission' user account created during installation, as bbz_ghost mentions, actually runs as a standard user account anyway. Under Vista and UAC, having adminstrator 'permission' for your user account really means that you can give permission for restricted tasks to run, on a case by case basis, whereas under a standard user account you can't.
Another way of kindof thinking about it- is Vista is your Administrator now. You just give it permission to do those certain tasks...
The only difference between the "standard" and "administrator" accounts in Vista: the Administrator account doesn't have you enter a password on UAC prompts.
Thats the only difference. You still get prompted for the same stuff.
The only difference between the "standard" and "administrator" accounts in Vista: the Administrator account doesn't have you enter a password on UAC prompts.
Thats the only difference. You still get prompted for the same stuff.
Yes, but there is a way to make that account have full admin privileges just like in XP so for those that hate UAC you could turn off UAC and still have good protection under a limited account and then log into the admin account only when you need to do things that need admin access. You would be making Vista behave like XP. It's not something I'm going to do but other's might prefer it that way.
Yes, but there is a way to make that account have full admin privileges just like in XP so for those that hate UAC you could turn off UAC and still have good protection under a limited account and then log into the admin account only when you need to do things that need admin access. You would be making Vista behave like XP. It's not something I'm going to do but other's might prefer it that way.
A better option is not to turn of UAC, but to set the Local Security Policy in such a way that UAC doesn't annoy you as much.
Example: For those of us using the admin account we create by default with the install.
Found in:
Control Panel > Administrative Tools > Local Security Policy > Local Policies > Security Options
User Account Control: Behavior of the elevation prompt for administrators in Admin Approval Mode
This security setting determines the behavior of the elevation prompt for administrators
The options are:
• Prompt for consent: An operation that requires elevation of privilege will prompt the Consent Admin to select either Permit or Deny. If the Consent Admin selects Permit the operation will continue with their highest available privilege. This option allows users to enter their name and password to perform a privileged task.
• Prompt for credentials: An operation that requires elevation of privilege will prompt the Consent Admin to enter their user name and password. If the user enters valid credentials the operation will continue with the applicable privilege.
• Elevate without prompting: This option allows the Consent Admin to perform an operation that requires elevation without consent or credentials. Note: this scenario should only be used in the most constrained environments.
Default: Prompt for consent
Change to elevate without prompting.
If you use "the" Administrator account built in to the system, the default security options are set for "Elevate without Prompting", if you use a User Admin account you get "Prompt for Consent", and if you use a Standard User you get "Prompt for Credentials" and all of these can be modified under security settings.
For the record I have UAC on and set at Prompt for Consent while running as a user admin.
solideliquid
Limp Gawd
- Joined
- Mar 27, 2005
- Messages
- 449
That is great! Finally something useful.
Here is something else I'm wondering. When UAC wants permission to run something (run in admin mode) it says "an unidentified program requests permission...". So how do you make your routine programs identified to vista as safe?
Here is something else I'm wondering. When UAC wants permission to run something (run in admin mode) it says "an unidentified program requests permission...". So how do you make your routine programs identified to vista as safe?
I've been running Vista for a month and will need to go through a reinstall today due to a drive issue. Where do you generally install applications from, the User, or the Admin Account? I've had problems getting Quicken to work even when using the suggestions in earlier post on Run as Admin the installer program.
Should you install from the Admin, and then do daily work from the User Account?
There are really only two users of this computer which is predominantly me, and then my wife. Generally I run in the User Account, but again some programs have been problematic.
Should you install from the Admin, and then do daily work from the User Account?
There are really only two users of this computer which is predominantly me, and then my wife. Generally I run in the User Account, but again some programs have been problematic.
For installing software, it comes back to the other article/thread which is like the companion to the first one I linked to:
The best Vista tip I can offer and one that is sorely needed
Hope this helps...
The best Vista tip I can offer and one that is sorely needed
Hope this helps...
Even the default account (which is an adminsitrator) doesnt have admin rights all the time. If you leave UAC on (which you should be) you still have to "grant" admin rights.
Its not as critical as in XP to create a completely non-admin account but it still is a good idea to do so if you can. If you have your main acct pw protected its best to give other users their own non-admin acct so they cant mess up the PC.
Its not as critical as in XP to create a completely non-admin account but it still is a good idea to do so if you can. If you have your main acct pw protected its best to give other users their own non-admin acct so they cant mess up the PC.
Hi, I've read your post on how to install which is very helpful. The one question I still don't know from you is does it matter whether I install software in the Admin or User Account. Ultimately I run currently the software in the User Account and leave that open all day. Does it matter which account I install in if I follow your procedure?
I think you are confused.
You are thinking the actual program runs as "Administrator" all the time, much like you can run it under "Bob".
It's just not that way in Vista anymore.
As long as you install it with Administrator (some programs, if not installed under the Program Files dir, don't even need this) rights, it's going to run just fine. You don't have to "Run As Administrator" every time- just the first time (so it gets all the config files written OK).
You are thinking the actual program runs as "Administrator" all the time, much like you can run it under "Bob".
It's just not that way in Vista anymore.
As long as you install it with Administrator (some programs, if not installed under the Program Files dir, don't even need this) rights, it's going to run just fine. You don't have to "Run As Administrator" every time- just the first time (so it gets all the config files written OK).
A better option is not to turn of UAC, but to set the Local Security Policy in such a way that UAC doesn't annoy you as much.
Yes, I saw this info posted to usenet too just yeasterday and plan to do this but I'm mostly in XP so haven't gotten around to doing it yet. For a multiuser system though it is still better to use limited accounts for each person.