advice on user accounts

[Jeff]

I have a new notebook PC running XP MCE and am trying to do things correctly
as far as user accounts but need advice. I am the only one who would use
this PC.

So far, I have (in my 'User Accounts' folder) my user account - which is an
administrator account and the built in guest account which is listed as
being "off". I know I should not use the administrator account but have
done so till now because I needed it to set up the PC correctly. Now that
that part is largely done, I need to use a more rationally secure account
that is not a user account. Problem is that I am a perpetual fiddler who is
constantly modifying the notebook by going to Settings, installing new apps,
etc. - things that I suspect need administrative privileges.

What would be the best approach for me? How limited should my everyday user
account be and how do I deal with my frequent need to use administrative
privileges?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated, including what to do with the guest
account (leave it off or delete it).

Thanks.

Jeff

 

[Steven L Umbach]

Unless you want to allow anonymous access to network share on your computer
that have permissions for everyone I would leave the guest account disabled.
The biggest risk with using any administrator account is when using the
internet, including email, other than going to Windows Updates. Email
attachments, spyware, and websites that contain malicious content will take
advantage of your administrator account to do their deed when you are logged
on as such. Of course opening any software anytime as an administrator can
be a risk and best practice is to use a good virus program that will
automatically scan such applications before opening and/or warning you when
it detects script activity that could be malicious. So if you can do
internet activity as a regular user account you will reduce your risk of
something bad happening. Also you can use runas while logged on as a regular
user to do many specific tasks as an administrator. Search your Help for
runas and you will find how to use it.

Steve

http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/protect/windowsxpsp2/Default.mspx
--- Protect Your PC tips