One of XP's biggest security holes is in the implementation of user profiles. Administrators are given far too much access to the system, so once a piece of malware gets on your system it can wreak havoc. Vista has fixed this particular hole with User Account Control, which reduces the basic level of access for administrators to that of standard users (Vista's equivalent of XP's limited user).
In normal day-to-day use, administrators are running with the same levels of access as standard users. When you need more access - for example, to install a program or access a system tool like Disk Defragmenter - Vista pops up a warning dialog that must be clicked in order for that program or process to be temporarily granted administrative privileges.
It's a great idea - one that Apple implemented first in MacOS X - and it's not out of reach for XP users. To get a similar level of system access to Vista in XP, just follow the step-by-step guide below.
Step-by-step:
Get better security against malware
1. CREATE MASTER ACCOUNT
First, you need to create a single administrator account that you'll access whenever you need to perform administrative-level actions. Click Start > Control Panel. Select User Accounts. Click Create a new account. Type its name (Master) and click Next. Select Computer Administrator and click Create Account. Double-click the new account and click Create a password as it needs to be password-protected.
2. LOG ON AND REDUCE YOUR ACCESS LEVEL
Click Start > Log Off > Log Off. Select your new Master account, enter its password and log on. Open the User Accounts Control Panel as before, but this time double-click your existing account. Choose Change the account type. Select Limited and click the Change Account Type button. Repeat for any other administrative users of your PC before closing both open windows.
3. ARE YOU THE SOLE USER OF YOUR PC?
If you are, click Start > Run while still logged on as the Master account. Type control userpasswords2 and press [Enter]. Tick Users must enter a user name and password to use this computer and click Apply. Now untick the box and click Apply again. Enter your limited user account name and - if applicable - password before clicking OK twice.
4. WORKING WITH NEW RESTRICTIONS
Restart and - if necessary - log on as your old user profile, which is now a Limited User. Try installing a new program or accessing the System Properties Control Panel. In the case of the former you'll be unable to install it; in the case of the latter, you'll see certain options aren't available to you.
5. INSTALL NEW PROGRAMS
To install a new program, right-click its shortcut and choose Run as. Choose The following user, select your new Master account from the drop-down menu, enter its password and click OK. The program should install from here, but if it refuses to work, log on to your Master account to install it from there - choose All Users if prompted.
6. RUN PROGRAMS AS AN ADMINISTRATOR
Some programs are restricted or won't run fully in a limited user account. You can either right-click the program and choose Run as, or modify the program's shortcut to prompt you each time you run the program: right-click the shortcut on the Start menu, desktop or Taskbar and choose Properties. Click Advanced and tick Run with different credentials. Click OK twice.
7. TROUBLESHOOT PROBLEMS
You may get an "Access denied" message in step six - this occurs when attempting to modify shortcuts that are on everyone's desktop or Start menu. Just right-click the shortcut and choose to create another shortcut, placing it on the desktop when prompted. This shortcut will work correctly, enabling you to perform the tweak in the previous step..
8. GAIN FULL ACCESS TO SYSTEM TOOLS
Many system tools are buried inside the Windows folder and various sub-folders, including Control Panels and tools like Registry Editor. You'll need to manually create shortcuts to all of these, and then follow step six. Get a head start by downloading some common shortcuts from here - extract its contents to your desktop.
9. OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
Some older programs - including Norton AntiVirus - may refuse to work properly under a Limited User account. Consider sourcing more up-to-date alternatives. If other users have previously enjoyed Administrator levels of access, they'll need to configure their own accounts separately. And if you can't perform a task come what may, log on as your Master account to do so.
Quick tips
If the "Run as" scenario sounds like too much hassle, use [Win] + [L] to switch users each time you need to run an administrative task, then log on as your administrator.
Another alternative is to try RunAsAdmin (click here), which lets you run programs as an administrator without having to enter your credentials. It's simpler, but less secure than our method.
Limited users can't use the "Run as" command in conjunction with program installers with the MSI file extension - you'll need to install these through your administrative account.
