Please help me setup limited user accounts!

[ChrisBUK]

Hi all.

I would like to start using a Limited user account on my PC and on my parents PC.

I thought this would be pretty easy, but I am completely confused now and need help...

Basically, on my parents PC, they had one account which was the Administrator, and the guest account which was off.
There is no need for them to run as an administrator because they just do general browsing and emailing.

So, I went into User account settings and created a new administrator account called "Admin" which I planned to use as the main administrator account.

I then changed their old administrator account to a limited user account, so it saved all the wallpapers, settings, etc.

This was working great, until today I went into "control userpasswords2" to check the user accounts and saw that there were 2 admin accounts (one of them was the new Administrator account created yesterday called "Admin" and the other was called "Administrator", which is not showing on Windows login screen??? ) and 1 limited user -- they only need 1 admin and 1 limited user account.

So I removed the new account created yesterday named "Admin" and wanted to use the main "Administrator" account. However, now it will not let me login to the "Administrator" account - It says I do not have priveleges or something. Infact, when logging into Windows I now only see the limited user account -- the administrator accounts are not even showing.......

Does anyone know what on earth happened? and how do I get the Administrator account back?

[Rico]

Hello Chris,

The best way IMO, is to use DropMyRights, (I'm using it now) simple. Please see the following:

Here (http://www.invelos.com/Forums.aspx?task=viewtopic&topicID=228102)

Take Care & Merry Christmas
Rico

[gkweb]

Hello,

DropMyRights is nowhere as secure as running a limited user account.
Indeed if your browser is launched by another program (and not trough DropMyRights) it will run with admin privileges. As will be the case of all of your other programs. That is the main problem with DropMyRights.

Using a limited user account ensure that all of your programs, ran manually or automatically, will only have restricted rights.

DropMyRights is a good alternative for people who cannot afford running a restricted account, but is not as secure.

Regards,
gkweb.

[gkweb]

Hi Chris,

At your login screen, instead of clicking an image push CTRL+ALT+SUPPR, you should see a dialog box. Then enter as username "Administrator" and try with no password, or the password you set up while installing Windows.

This is the default Windows Administrator account.

Regards,
gkweb.

[ChrisBUK]

EDIT:

I have fixed it now and understand how XP user accounts work.
Thanks for the help.

[sukarof]

Here (http://www.mechbgon.com/build/LimitedSW.html) are some great tips on limited user account. Watch the video on this page, it gives some nice tips on how to make life easier with a LUA.

Here (http://www.mechbgon.com/srp/index.html)are some more tips from the site to enhance it even more with software restriction policy. Please dont shoot me, I´m no expert and more knowledgable people will surely correct me if I´m wrong but as I understand it, using LUA with software restriction policy is as running windows in "Linux mode" when it comes to security?

[Cerxes]

You are absolutely right sukarof, using SRP in addition with LUA and a firewall is the foundation for a tight Windows system, and should be applied for every system where security is in focus before adding a lot of other security software as AV, AS, HIPS etc.

/C.

[sukarof]

Thanks Cerxes, I´m on the right path then :)