Running Windows XP as a limited user.

Hi all.

I started using a limited user account a few days ago for a bit of extra security. I haven't had any problems so far and infact have found it less annoying than I expected it to be. However, there are a few things that I want to ask.

Firstly, I am using a laptop and every time I shut the lid it goes to standby... I would like it to just turn off the screen. So I go to power settings > advanced, and the options to change this are all greyed out... I am guess this is because I am a limited user. I have logged into my admin account and changed it, but that has no effect on this limited user account and it still goes to standby.
Is there anyway to get around this?

I have also noticed I cannot do a disk defrag (I really think it needs one after reinstalling Windows and installing tons of programs, files, etc).
Is there a way around this, too?

 

Hi Chris! Welcome to the "Dark Side" I've been running a LUA on my home PCS for several years...

The only way I've seen would be to log onto your regular admin account, change the LU to an admin, log onto the formerly LUA and make the changes to the clock and so forth. Then, go back onto the admin account and make the LUA limited once again.

As for defragging, that's strictly an admin function. It can ONLY be ran from an admin account. Since it is a rarely used function, I've never considered it to be an issue...

 

I´m using Diskeeper myself and I don´t have any problem defraging in a restricted account, since its service runs as local system. You can change this by changing permissions in Local Security Policy. Run and type: "secpol.msc", then security settings/local policies/user rights assignment.

/C.

 

Cerxes: 2 questions... First, would the secpol.msc/Diskeeper approach only run in XP Pro? Second, (if we disregard Diskeeper) regular Windows defrag does not run as a service, right? If this is the case, would there be a work around?

 

Diskeeper runs under most Windows versions except Vista Business and Enterprise. There´s no "secpol.msc" in the home versions.

AFAIK the in-built defrag, which is based on a limited version of Diskeeper, doesn´t run as a service (maybe connected to some scheduling service, I don´t know). It relies on MMC to work which Diskeeper also does. Diskeeper is however using a service (DKService.exe).

/C.

 

Both things can easily be done in a limited account with SuRun from http://kay-bruns.de/wp/software/surun/ (the site is in German but an automatic translation is available). In the past, I had always recommended SuDown (see e.g. this thread) but SuRun is a much better solution. I can only recommend it - it makes the LUA approach under Windows XP easier than ever.