User Account Query

[Lasse]

One of the irritating things about Windows XP is trying to carry out various
aspects of system maintenance using admin credentials from a restricted user
account; for instance, one cannot run msi packages under admin credentials
from a restricted account, nor set Date and Time or change Firewall
settings, as well as many other things.

It appears that Microsoft's solution is UAC, and it could easily be a
fantastic way of getting around above-mentioned things. All tasks can be
done from restricted accounts as long as the user provides a password.

However, to take advantage of UAC from a restricted account in Vista Beta 2,
it appears that one also must default to running admin accounts in Admin
Approval Mode. In practical terms that means that even when logged in as an
administrator, one has to constantly click the pop-ups asking for permission
to do this or that. Disable the option to "Run all administrators in Admin
Approval Mode" (to stop the pop-ups when in admin accounts) and the
possibility to perform all system tasks from a restricted account is also
disabled. On top of that, while Admin Approval Mode is disabled, Protected
Mode in IE is also disabled, whether you check the Protected Mode option in
IE options or not.

Would appreciate if anyone knows of a way around, i.e. how to disable
permission pop-ups while in an admin account, but still being able to use
Protected Mode in IE and provide a password and run admin tasks from a
restricted account.

Thanks,

//Lasse

 

[Sharon F]

One of the irritating things about Windows XP is trying to carry out various
aspects of system maintenance using admin credentials from a restricted user
account; for instance, one cannot run msi packages under admin credentials
from a restricted account, nor set Date and Time or change Firewall
settings, as well as many other things.

It appears that Microsoft's solution is UAC, and it could easily be a
fantastic way of getting around above-mentioned things. All tasks can be
done from restricted accounts as long as the user provides a password.

However, to take advantage of UAC from a restricted account in Vista Beta 2,
it appears that one also must default to running admin accounts in Admin
Approval Mode. In practical terms that means that even when logged in as an
administrator, one has to constantly click the pop-ups asking for permission
to do this or that. Disable the option to "Run all administrators in Admin
Approval Mode" (to stop the pop-ups when in admin accounts) and the
possibility to perform all system tasks from a restricted account is also
disabled. On top of that, while Admin Approval Mode is disabled, Protected
Mode in IE is also disabled, whether you check the Protected Mode option in
IE options or not.

Would appreciate if anyone knows of a way around, i.e. how to disable
permission pop-ups while in an admin account, but still being able to use
Protected Mode in IE and provide a password and run admin tasks from a
restricted account.

Thanks,

//Lasse

Windows key +R to bring up the Run dialog. Type in msconfig
There's a button to click in the System Configuration Tool that will turn
off UAC.

This could also be done in gpedit.msc however it entails several settings
there. Not as easy to turn off and then turn back on as it is in msconfig.