WinXP User Accounts - Specific Configuration

[daamon]

Hi All,

I've done some searching on Google, and in this forum, but can't find anything helping with what I want. All I do find is loads of links to real basic stuff that I either know, don't need or can figure out.

Here's my setup - I have three user accounts:

1) Myself - Set up as "Administrator".
2) My girlfriend - Set up as "Limited"
3) A "Guest" account (not the default guest account, that's turned off) - Set up as "Limited".

4) There is also the default "Administrator" account, but this doesn't show up at normal login.

I have some spyware and Windows washing software installed (and a few other lesser apps) that don't fully work on the "Limited" accounts because they can't write to areas protected by the "Limited" status.

When I recently helped a friend install WinXP on his new machine, there was an option to set every user up as an Administrator but to have their own "My Documents" folders still hidden from other administrators.

How can I configure my user accounts to be like this? This will allow all software to work because it has full access, but each account's private stuff will stay private.

Thanks.

[thevoelk]

Rickt click on My Computer and select Manage, then go into the Users and Computers snap in. You should be able to assign group rights from within there.

Also, for future reference regarding the Window Washing programs, you can always right-click on a program executable in XP while holding shift down and select Run As. A box will pop-up and you can enter the name ofan admin to access the protected areas of the OS.

[daamon]

Hi thevoelk,

Cheers for the info, I'll give it a go.

I know about the "Run As" functionality, but this requires me to do it every time a non-administrator logs on. I want it to be effective without any human input.

[ozymango]

Are you running XP Home or XP Pro? I know the security settings are a bit different on XP Home, I'm much more fluent in XP Pro, but I think they're close enough. I hope, anyway.

As for making your personal folders private, you can do as thevoelk writes but I'm pretty sure there's an easier solution for you -- in the Control Panel, there should be an icon for "User Accounts." Open this, and there should be icons for each of your accounts. Select any account, and there should be an option for "Make Personal Folders Private" or something like that, a radio button. I can't remember exactly as at the moment I'm on my work PC, XP Pro on a MS domain, and the users/groups setting is a bit more complicated on such a setup. But it should be pretty easy to figure it out once you open the "User Accounts" menu.

As for running "admin" tasks from within a limited account ... again this may be different on XP Home or on XP Pro not on a network (AD network), but if you're trying to allow repeating tasks on the PC that run no matter who's logged in, you should be able to set up a "Scheduled Task" on the PC that will run pretty much any program using whatever login credentials you want, within any other login. Which sounds complicated but works pretty easy.

Rather than walk you through it to see if that'll work for you, you can check out the wizard within XP -- open the "Help and support" menu in XP (from the start menu), and type "schedule a new task" in the Search box. Then it'll walk you through how to schedule a task, and that may or may not work for you.

Hope that helps!

[daamon]

Hi ozymango,

Thanks for all the info. I'm running WinXP Pro (I've now updated my Computer Details).

I'll follow up on your suggestions.

Cheers, Daamon.

[ozymango]

When I recently helped a friend install WinXP on his new machine, there was an option to set every user up as an Administrator but to have their own "My Documents" folders still hidden from other administrators.

I found the setting for this, daamon! Wasn't in the control panel after all, just open up whatever user account you want to have private folders, and then right click on the "My Documents" folder, select "Properties," and then select the "Sharing" tab.

In the "Sharing" tab there's an option box to "Make contents of folder private," or something like that. Check that box, and voila, the users files are no longer accessible by other users (even other admins).

Hope that helps, if you hadn't found it already!

[daamon]

Cheers ozymango, I'll take a look.

[daamon]

Got it sorted. Here's how, roughly...

1) Set up all accounts as type "administration" - this is so that the profiles have access to folders such as "Program Files" etc.

This allows software, e.g. spyware etc., that is loaded on start-up to function fully.

2) Then log on under the "Administrator" account in Safe Mode.

3) Privileges and access can be set (or not) where this can't be done in normal mode.

Sorry the last step isn't more detailed - you can't access the net from Safe Mode, and I can't access what I can under Safe Mode when normally logged on. Catch 22...