For daily use, do you prefer to run as Administrator or Standard user?

It is very conveninent to use. I do not understand complains.

 

I use standard user account too.

It could be that some software, does not work so well under SUA. I certainly don't install anything very often and standard user account is no bother also to me at all. I don't have any such software at my computer currently and would try to stay away.

Last time I had problems was with CyberGhost VPN, it coming to have some "firewall" component. And the producers were too busy to bring it out, with the standard user account being not their most urgent interest. I was annoyed as the previous version I liked worked fine and then the new release sucked. I am sure they have since fixed that thing.

If you are not a gamer etc. heavy installer, SUA I would use.

 

At least in 7 and 8 LUA is indeed convenient, but some apps require elevation just to run them, or they can't write to the UAC-protected folders because they are not elevated.

 

This may be a good place to ask a question. I would like to delete a Chrome folder from c:\$ISR\user\appdata\local\google chrome in the hidden folders. When I try it it says to run as an administrator to get permission to do it. I have forgotten how to proceed to be able to run as administrator. Can someone refresh my memory? Thanks in advance.

 

@twl845
It should prompt you that you'll need an administrator right to access the folder, and it gives you the option to permanently give you the permission in the prompt. Otherwise, there are unlocker software to enforce the access. I don't know if they will be guaranteed to work though, as I have never used any of them.

 

Depends on the box and use case.
Mrk

 

Standard user account for daily use with file permissions more locked down than Windows does by default. I've been doing so since I've been using the Internet and have done this on Windows NT4, 2000, XP, Vista and 7. It is a classic approach to computer security based on Unix which I studied when I was younger. Yes it is inconvenient at times but not nearly as much as a malware infestation. I use an administrator account for such things as imaging and installing software but most of what I do doesn't need elevated privilege. Software that requires elevated privilege to do something that isn't administrative in nature doesn't get installed on my systems. There are always other options. A lot of times I just have to tweak file permissions on a folder or file in a program's folder to get it to work in a standard account, most commonly a file or folder's permissions get changed from "read and execute" to "read" and "write". Software written for Windows often doesn't take limited user accounts into consideration but it's getting better these days and most of the newer software I have works fine.

In my approach to security, using a limited account is second in importance behind imaging and backup. It takes away a lot of the need for 3rd party security products and uses what's already in the OS.

 

Yeah I thought deleting the Chrome folder in the hidden folders might be a mistake as well. My MBAM blocked a drive by in Chrome, and then every time I accessed Chrome it re-appeared. I booted into my second snapshot, and a porno web page appeared, which I closed. Then on a later Chrome access, a phony site appeared telling me my computer was infected and I should call a certain phone number. I couldn't get out of the site, so I closed Chrome. I did an AV scan and a Malwarebyte scan, and both found nothing. I did a Hitmanpro scan that also found nothing. I uninstalled Chrome and re-booted. Then I installed Chrome again from the official site. Still have the problem. The Chrome settings were saved when I uninstalled, so were re-activated when I re-installed. I didn't get an option to uninstall the settings. I assume the settings must be in the hidden folder. I just uninstalled Chrome again and left it uninstalled. I have no problems other than that. That's when I contemplated uninstalling the hidden Chrome folder, and possibly starting Chrome from scratch.

 

I would just make a copy of this folder and then delete it and reinstall Chrome. If it works delete the copy, if it doesn't restore it. I never hesitate to delete an application's folder in a situation like this and if there is some doubt, I just make a copy. Where you really have to be careful is the OS's hidden folders. The location this folder is in is a per user folder so Chrome shouldn't do this if you log on as a different user.

 

Admin with UAC off.

 

My first vote in Wilders, and SUA.
For me there's no alternative software as what it provide is fundamental privilege control which is better than just run a process as LUA.

 

Administrator - have never seriously considered running as Standard user.

 

Wait, what is ISR? FD-ISR? I didn't actually know twl845 meant deleting a folder created by that program. I'm sorry for my misunderstanding.

 

@stapp
Thanks. I misinterpreted the ISR part in twl's post.

 

Generally:
I login to servers as a admin.
I login to desktops as a user.

 

I run as standard user, because over the years, installers have got better at understanding this way of working - it used to be terrible.

I've put other because when using Sandboxie, you're often running as ANONYMOUS user (which has lower permissions).

I do the thing of requiring Ctrl-Alt-Delete and forcing the different desktop, and I use Yubikey HMAC-SHA1 for TFA on windows login.

 

I run Admin, but with restrictions to make it safer than a default Admin. First off I create an Admin acct. and disable the built in one here on XP. Then after GP/LP tweaks, folder permissions, a default deny SRP, etc... it's like a hybrid Admin/LUA without all the inconveniences of the latter. I find it to be a nice compromise.

 

Standard User.

 

Standard user account. Cant see no reason to run as admin for daily use. I have done and do test quite a lot of software but haven´t had any SUA related problems running them. If I help friends and relatives I always make them Standard users and explain to them how to handle it. 99 times of 100 they have no clue of the difference of security it gives and have no problems adapt to it once explained why.

Before ransomware got popular I even skipped all anti-malware software too since I found them obsolete more or less. Nowadays I use a couple though (if sandboxie can be considered as such?) since I dont fully grasp how ransomware affects me as a Standard user.

 

I also use Standard user account. It took me long to try it and now I wouldn't go back
Only problem I have is updating uTorrent. I have to perform it under Admin account and then copy updated program installation folder in folder under Standard user profile folder. Everything else runs with no problems.

 

Ransomware could encrypt files created under your standard user account. It cannot encrypt any files under local admin account.