XP help: Administrator and power user

[86plymouthcolt]

XP Pro warns not to run in admin mode but to run as a power user.

When I go into control panel to create a power user account, there is no choice for power user.

I have two choices: create admin or create limited user.

How do I setup this power user?

With Linux it's so simple--login to admin...do your stuff...logout.

 

[prosaic]

Right-click on My Computer. Select Manage from the context menu. Check out Local Users and Groups.

Another way to get to the controls you want is to enter the "control userpasswords2" command in the Start | Run dialog.

- prosaic

BTW, where did you see a warning from Windows XP to not use an admin account for ordinary use? I don't recall seeing such a warning from the OS, though it's a reasonable precaution to take for many (most?) users in most situations.

 

[86plymouthcolt]

Prosaic...thanks for the help...even the XP help site does not have the info you gave me. Thank you, thank you.

This is from the help and support within XP.

"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.

Related Topics"

 

[prosaic]

That's very interesting. I haven't read the help except on those rare occasions where something was fairly self-explanatory or available to me through a little snooping around in the GUI, the registry and the file system. But the help system is actually pretty good in this OS, isn't it.

What's odd is that the help file warns you about running as an admin user all the time, but the OS' most simple method of creating a user gives you only the choice of Limited User and Administrator, and it DEFAULTS to Administrator!

Oh well! I'm glad to have been of some help, and I appreciate your getting back to me with that information about the warning. That's an interesting tidbit to have at one's disposal!

- prosaic