User Account type problem

[Percival P. Cassidy]

I am using Windows 7 Professional with all the latest updates.

Having read what a terrible thing it is to use an account with
administrator privileges for normal use, I activated the Administrator
account and changed my account type to Standard but then found that I
couldn't even execute Windows Update: it did not ask me for a password
but simply told me that I needed administrator credentials. This was
plainly ridiculous, so I changed my account type back to administrator,
but now I can't even save downloaded files in the place where I always
used to save them: the only place it will let me save them is in my own
"personal" folder rather than on the drive I had dedicated to downloads.

How do I fix this problem?

Perce

 

[Stan Brown]

I am using Windows 7 Professional with all the latest updates.

Having read what a terrible thing it is to use an account with
administrator privileges for normal use

That was definitely true in Windows XP. In Windows 7, since not only
a user but each program has a privilege level, it's really not true
IMHO.

I overcame my initial apprehensions after getting a Windows 7
machine. UAC seems to work well for me when I run as administrator:
programs that need administrative privilege have to ask for it.

 

[Rob]

I am using Windows 7 Professional with all the latest updates.

Having read what a terrible thing it is to use an account with
administrator privileges for normal use, I activated the Administrator
account and changed my account type to Standard but then found that I
couldn't even execute Windows Update: it did not ask me for a password
but simply told me that I needed administrator credentials. This was
plainly ridiculous, so I changed my account type back to administrator,
but now I can't even save downloaded files in the place where I always
used to save them: the only place it will let me save them is in my own
"personal" folder rather than on the drive I had dedicated to downloads.

How do I fix this problem?

Perce

When you change the security settings of an existing account,
there can be knock-on effects like this (it does give a warning,
but it is unspecific as to the consequences.)

You need to give your 'everyday' account write/modify permissions
on the drives you can no longer save to. Login to an administrator
equivalent account and change the security settings for the drive
so that your 'everyday' account has the permissions it needs
(right-click the drive in Explorer, look at the security tab.)

The best way to set up a new installation is to have both an
administrator account and an 'everyday' account. Only use the
adminstrator account when you absolutely need to, then logout
and login to your 'everyday' account when done.

HTH

 

[Gordon]

The best way to set up a new installation is to have both an
administrator account and an 'everyday' account. Only use the
adminstrator account when you absolutely need to, then logout
and login to your 'everyday' account when done.

And in fact if the new admin account has a password (which it should)
then you almost never need to log into it anyway - you can use the
"right click>run as administrator" for most tasks...

 

[Percival P. Cassidy]

When you change the security settings of an existing account,
there can be knock-on effects like this (it does give a warning,
but it is unspecific as to the consequences.)

You need to give your 'everyday' account write/modify permissions
on the drives you can no longer save to. Login to an administrator
equivalent account and change the security settings for the drive
so that your 'everyday' account has the permissions it needs
(right-click the drive in Explorer, look at the security tab.)

The best way to set up a new installation is to have both an
administrator account and an 'everyday' account. Only use the
adminstrator account when you absolutely need to, then logout
and login to your 'everyday' account when done.

HTH

I switched to the new Administrator account and was able to change the
permissions on most of the drives but not on all directories of the C:
(boot) drive -- e.g., Program Files. So now, for example, I cannot by
any simple means fix the problem caused by a program I installed
recently: the installation package was missing a file, and the author's
fix is simply to download the missing file and copy it to the program
directory (which is a subdirectory of Program Files). I could do it from
the Administrator account but not from the everyday account.

Any fix for this?

Would reverting to a Restore Point created before I changed the Account
Type work?

Perce

 

[BobbyM]

I switched to the new Administrator account and was able to change the
permissions on most of the drives but not on all directories of the C:
(boot) drive -- e.g., Program Files. So now, for example, I cannot by
any simple means fix the problem caused by a program I installed
recently: the installation package was missing a file, and the author's
fix is simply to download the missing file and copy it to the program
directory (which is a subdirectory of Program Files). I could do it from
the Administrator account but not from the everyday account.

Any fix for this?

Would reverting to a Restore Point created before I changed the Account
Type work?

Perce

The simplest way is just log into the administrator account & do it.
Based upon your UAC settings, you may get a security warning, but if you
answer yes, you should be able to do it. You may need to copy & paste
the file; sometimes Windows wants to create a shortcut instead if you
just drag & drop.

 

[noname]

I have 2 accounts on my machine. One Admin and one normal user.
Works fine for me.
Updates need no password if i remember. Other stuff does.
Normally you should not operate it with admin rights.
But also remember that the folder you saved the item may belong to a
different user.

 

[Percival P. Cassidy]

I switched to the new Administrator account and was able to change the
permissions on most of the drives but not on all directories of the C:
(boot) drive -- e.g., Program Files. So now, for example, I cannot by
any simple means fix the problem caused by a program I installed
recently: the installation package was missing a file, and the author's
fix is simply to download the missing file and copy it to the program
directory (which is a subdirectory of Program Files). I could do it from
the Administrator account but not from the everyday account.

Any fix for this?

Would reverting to a Restore Point created before I changed the Account
Type work?

I discovered that I don't have any restore points reaching back before I
changed the account type, so that didn't work. I then tried creating a
new account with Administrator privileges, but it couldn't load the
profile -- until I logged on to that new account in Safe Mode.

AFAICS the new account is working OK. I did have to reinstall a few of
the programs.

Perce