2 "Users" for one user

[Two|Bit]

I heard that with Windows XP you weren't suposed to use the admin account for every day use, so you would have to have two login users even if you were the only one using that computer. Is this true? Why do i have to do this?

[Dark Nova]

yes it is, but you dont create another user. just make one, and it will automaticly start up in it when you open your pc. the only way getting in to the admin is in safe mode.

[Statica]

The best way to do it is to downgrade the security privileges for your "every day account" to a power user. I am assuming that you have a different login name other than "Administrator" as your default, every day account. Also remember to create a password for your "Administrator" account (account with username: Administrator - this is created by default and has admininstrator privileges and should not be on a daily basis).
Unfortunately, by design, a lot of software may not install properly or may not work properly without admin privileges, but it's a worthwhile try to see if a normal everyday account with power user rights will work fine for you.

[Two|Bit]

Why is it best not to use the admin account on a daily basis?

[Statica]

Why is it not advisable to use the Administrator account?
(NB: I am talking about the "root" account here .. the username: Administrator) not just an account with administrative priveleges.
Well for one, the administrator account is your "bail out" account. It is a practice that is carried over from pretty much any well good OS out there (like a *NIX for example) .. it is important not to use the admin account because if you screw up the account, you could be locked out of the computer, or may be unable to take auditing or force permissions over any other folder or resource you may have locked yourself out of.
So the next best thing, if you need 100% admin rights is to create another username with admin rights and use it on a regular basis.

However, it is a better idea to not to use admin priviliges on a daily basis because:
Most of what you do doesnt require you to be an admin user for most of the time. You pretty much only need admin rights under rare circumstances during the lifetime of your XP installation. However, a lot of rogue scripts actually may not work even if you ran them as a non-admin user, because they dont have sufficient rights to executing what they were programmed to do so.

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Addendum: Check out: http://forum.pcmech.com/showthread.p...=administrator .. its a good thread where the pros and cons of running a system as admin on XP was discussed.

[Two|Bit]

Sorry but I don't have XP and I am getting it soon, do i may no nessessarily know what you are talking about. Let me get this straight. There is a difference between the administrative (root) account and having an account set to administrator? Would I still be about to install programs without being on the admin account? What are all of the levels of accounts and what are there differences and accessibilities?

[Statica]

All accounts with administrative privileges will behave exactly the same way .. the only difference is in the username.
There are a lot of different types of account types, each with their own specific restrictions and abilities. For example, Administrator accounts, Power Users, Users etc. While XP usually only "advertises" Administrator and Limited user account types - the types of groups built in are the same as Windows 2000 .. read this: http://www.wellesley.edu/Computing/Win2k/w2kgroups.html

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If you havent used a NIX or an NT based OS before, its important to note that there are account groups that are more important to understand than just simple user account and account names. When I say administrators, it means all the users that belong to the administrator user group - the user account "Administrator" is just a member of that group, as with anyone else you may have on it (which happens by default in XP) .. all of the accounts in the same group share the same privileges.

[Two|Bit]

OK here is a link to Microsoft . See in the first column: [If you are a(n): Administrator]. Is it ok to use this account for everyday use or should I use the second column ([Standard] limited user) for every day activity?

I read before that you can only access the administrator account in safe mode. Is this the same as described in the link? Do I have to access the administrator that is decribed in the link in safe mode?

[ffreeloader]

I think you're getting some confusing information. There is basically no difference between an account with Administrator privileges and the Administrator account, other than that the Administrator account is pre-existing and cannot be deleted. An account with administrator privileges can do anything that the adminstrator account can do.

It is also a very bad idea to do your daily work on your computer using an account with administrator priveleges. It's a major security risk because if the account you're using to to surf the net, do email, etc, is compromised by malware, a trojan, etc... that means your entire computer has just been compromised. However, if you are using a regular user account to do your daily computer stuff the damage many, but not all, malware programs, trojans, etc... can do to your computer is limited and much easier to repair. It also keeps you from accidently changing your system in ways that can be damaging with without thinking about it because a regular user account has very few privileges on the system.

[Statica]

Originally Posted by Two|Bit OK here is a link to Microsoft . See in the first column: [If you are a(n): Administrator]. Is it ok to use this account for everyday use or should I use the second column ([Standard] limited user) for every day activity? I read before that you can only access the administrator account in safe mode. Is this the same as described in the link? Do I have to access the administrator that is decribed in the link in safe mode?

Ideally, you should use the Standard user account for everyday use. Perhaps it's all very abstract if you haven't used XP before. I would suggest getting your system running the way it is and then post back and we could provide you more information on configuring user accounts and privileges with optimal security in mind.

[Two|Bit]

Thank you very much guys, that information is helpful. I'll post back if i have any problems.

Wait one more quick question... could you have two admin accounts on one machine: one that could be accessed in safemode and one accessed in regular mode?

[Statica]

That's what I've been trying to tell you You can have AS MANY USERS as you want with Administrative rights. For example, you could have the following:
Administrator : This is the default admin user that XP creates for you.
Tom, Dick, Harry - all of them can belong to the Administrator group which means that they can all be used in safemode or in regular mode. They will all behave like administrators, with all the rights and powers.
Then you can have as many users as you'd like in a standard user group; they all have the same rights and restrictions as any standard user.

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A good security practice (which is what is recommended) is to do the following
Leave the user - Administrator alone (the user, not the group!), don't tamper, dont use it with it - its your "in case of emergency, break glass" user!
Use another user account, say "Cambridge" with admin for rightsup your computer, installing the software etc. - meaning that "Cambridge" will belong to the administrator user group
For day to day use, have an account called "Kitchener" as a limited user - meaning Ontario belongs to the a limited user group. Remember, you can give add as many users as you want to the limited user group... if you have a family members using, you may give them accounts - say "London", "Waterloo" etc etc... all belong to a limited user group. On any given day, for regular work, just use your Kitchener account to use your computer .. you should find that it all works fine. If you need to install software, you may find that you need to log out and re-log in using your "Cambridge" user account, and install the software.

Hope this is clearer.

[ffreeloader]

Wait one more quick question... could you have two admin accounts on one machine: one that could be accessed in safemode and one accessed in regular mode?

You're making a mistake in semantics here. There is only ONE administrator account. It's a pre-existing account through which you'll access safe mode.

An account with administrator privileges can do what THE administrator account can do in normal usage, but it is not THE adminstrator account. It only has the access privileges and powers of THE administrator account. An account with administrator privileges is an account created by using THE administrator account and then given the special system privileges.

Is that about as clear as mud now?

[Two|Bit]

Thank you very much!! That clears up all of my wonders... and sorry for my ignorance . BTW are you from around Cambridge or the Waterloo area? Most people from Toronto or other places don't even know where Cambridge is situated!

OK ffreeloader, you wrote that as I was typing this response, that makes things clear as an unmudded lake- as Alex Delarge would say. That gives more technicality, which is great. Thanks both of you guys for posting and working with me. I now fully understand how users work in Windows XP!! Thank you guys very much

[Statica]

You're welcome .. as I said, you should get a better idea of how XP works when you actually setup the user accounts etc. Right now, it's just a vague description without visual aids. If you require more assistance once you get your XP setup, we can walk you through any doubts.

Yes, I'm in Toronto (went to school in London ON) .. sorry I was running low on creativity when coming up with usernames