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| User Accounts |
A User Account is the name you use to log on to your pc.
In most cases, when you switch on your pc you are met with a welcome screen asking you to choose an account and enter a password,
after which you can access the desktop. Each account on the welcome screen is a User Account and can have different security privileges.
To see the User Accounts available on your pc click Start/Control Panel/User Accounts.
The default setting for Windows XP creates a User Account with Administrator privileges where all activities are allowed so you can set
up your pc the way you want it. However, this makes your pc vulnerable to attacks from malware and the internet because by default anyone
is allowed to access all areas of your pc, deposit programs, run them silently and copy anything they want including passwords.
Using an unprotected Administrator account online is the cause of most malware infection.
A firewall and virus monitoring will prevent access from malware (if your setup is airtight) but the best solution is to make a new User Account
with Limited Privileges to use while you're online. When you need to install anything you've downloaded, make any system changes or change
any software configurations, you have to switch back to your Administrator account. To do this, use the Switch User function under Start/Log Off.
To be able to use the Switch User function you need to go to User Accounts, click Change the way users log on or off and
tick Use Fast User Switching and Apply Options. If you still cannot switch between your user accounts you may need to switch the
Windows service on by running Fast User Switching On.bat.
To see if you are using a limited or administrator account go to Start/Control Panel/User Accounts. Accounts with administrator privileges will
say Computer administrator. If you have entered a password it will say Password Protected, if not see Passwords
for the latest guidelines on creating secure passwords.
Windows Vista made some attempt at solving the administrator problem by introducing the User Account Control (UAC) system.
This was supposed to prevent unauthorised installations by malware and hackers by preventing the user from using their pc even if they have
administrator privileges. Sometimes UAC will stop you running a program and ask you to confirm, sometimes you may just get an error
message saying "Access denied" or "not enough permission" you can rightclick the program or file you were trying to run and
select Run As Administrator, and enter your account name and password.
Using a limited account is ok in theory, but you will probably find certain software refuses to work properly unless you use your administrator account.
This is because a lot of software has to create, copy and manipulate files in order to work.
To make software work under a Limited Account in XP you can try the Run As function. Rightclick the shortcut to the software you want to run,
select Properties, make a note of the name under Target, click Find Target. In the software's folder find the name of the target, usually an executable
file ending .exe. Rightclick the exe file and click Run as... In the Run As box click The following user: and under User name select the name of your
Administrator account and enter the password for that account. Don't choose the name "Administrator" as this is the default name of your
Safe Mode Administrator account, choose the name of the account you used before you created the Limited User Account.
If Run As doesn't solve the problem it may work under a Virtual Account which simulates a desktop where you access the internet,
run programs etc, but when you finish and close it, nothing you have done in the virtual pc is remembered or has any effect on your pc.
You can change the welcome screen to prompt you for your account name instead of giving you the names of your user accounts to click.
Go to Start/Control Panel/User Accounts and untick the box next to Use the Welcome Screen. Use this if you are worried about other
users of the pc trying to guess or hack your password.
If your pc has no welcome screen or logon prompt and boots up directly to the desktop then you may need to switch on the logon prompt.
Click Start/Run and type control userpasswords2. In the User Accounts screen tick the box next to Users must enter a user name and
password to use this computer. Click Reset Password to make a new password, or make sure you know the password for at least one of the
User Names in the list, and it must be in the Group called Administrators so when you restart the pc you can use it without the restrictions of
a Limited User. User Names with Limited privileges are listed as members of the Group called Users. You can select Properties to change
the name and Group Memebrship of each user account.
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