LandzDown Forum

ripley,
 

questions relate to computers set up with multiple user accounts in home edition including Administrator, Limited, or Guest accounts/profiles

I would say unfortunately not as Limited accounts holders can not remove certain files / Folders
but it is always good practice to scan with Administration rights.

GR@PH;<'S   

Clearly it would make sense to to start scans in an administrator profile as GR@PH;<'S says so it has the authority to remove/clean, and it would reason that any HJT fixing should take place there as well.
But, scanning should be done in each limited profile as well?
In my case, AdAware shows no critical objects in the adminisrator profile, but finds critical objects in the limited, (which aren't cookies or MRU's) when profiles are switched and it's re-scanned in the limited profile.
Spoke to tech support at Counterspy/Sunbelt and it was recommended to scan in the administrator profile, but to also log on to the other profiles and scan there as well.

And Brynn, unless a moderator says otherwise, I have no problem with you posting your questions as it is the same topic.

mitch,

but i still like being online as user as a bit more protection !
and to be realy safe i now do linux for 99% of online

I agree

GR@PH;<'S   

Thanks ripley 

If I'm understanding the replies thus far, there's no one answer.

• all should be run in admin account, as usual
• when scanning in admin, most programs also scan other user accounts
• some programs don't, so scans must also be run in the limited user account(s)
• Ad-Aware does not scan other user accts, so must be run separately in each user acct

(A2 is Ad-Aware?)

So mitch, are you saying that a security program scans where ever it was installed?  Oh...then I will not list all my programs, but instead, like ripley, check the "expanded windows folder" first.  If I can't figure it out from there, then I'll post my programs.  Only problem, I don't know what the "expanded windows folder" is, or where it is.  I would much appreciate if someone could let me know, please?

my thoughts

Actually, it nice to hear your thoughts and those "in the know" on these subjects.  It's helpful.

sorry for being so long winded

There are those that are in a learning mode that relish the long winded replies that I for one can appreciate.

I personally have to added learning XP to my list but it's coming along.  I don't know how long I bounced between the documents and settings folder trying to figure out the difference between "computer settings" and user settings.

For instance,

some programs install in all user, some in admin, some in where it was installed and you can't easly controll that ! ( you can look through the expanded windows folder and see

ewido works for all, but A2 is in admin only

I have Ewido Security Suite and when I look in all users, admin, and my limited account docs & settings folders I don't see Ewido at all.  That's what thru me, but when I look at an Ewido log I can see multiple profiles scanned, thank goodness.  Which is what I'm trying to ascertain.

And "default users" well, that's for another thread, but what the heck is default user??

Brynn and Mitch, this was still the best quote of this whole thread

have you tried to
in user

right click the user shortcut and select "run as " and select admin and password  and run...(whatever program needs admin rights)

As currently I am the only person using this computer, but I am boogled by reading the stories of infected computers which are actually parents with kids/teenagers, that have MULTIPLE user accounts. And the associated computer management issues with this.  So many of the infected computers I'm reading about often contain knowlegable parents who just don't have the time or the know how to place contols on a system with multiple user accounts.  I haven't frequent them but I'm sure there are forums out there that have dedicated forum categories/threads to parental controls.
Getting back to my topic, I chosen to create multiple user accounts,
#1 Based on Mitch's suggestion, and that it's "safer" to surf in a limited user account(less chance of baddies getting in), especially if you are using Internet Explorer as your primary browser.
#2 For me, to learn more about XP.
#3 Because SO many of the poeple I know have created multiple accounts and yet are floundering when it comes to computer security of those multiple accounts.

I guess it comes back to age old story of the computer saavy dealing with the computer naive...and for those of you in the know, all I can say is you have the "patience of Job" and how appreciative us newbies are of the advantage of forums like Landzdown.

In honesty, the reason I started this topic was cuz I'm lazy.  Now that I've created multiple user accounts, and I had an idea that I had a good computer security plan, I read stuff like

so you won't find a list of easy rules or what will and wont run

I wanted easier answers.  But what I'm figuring out is that better computer security depends on MY taking alittle more time to come back to this subject and learning something like

so you won't find a list of easy rules or what will and wont run
but that "problem" is what is keeping you safer when you are on the web playing !

Brynn A-2 is here http://www.landzdown.com/index.php?topic=237.0
and AdAware is here http://www.landzdown.com/index.php?topic=235.0

Hey Mitch, or anybody,

your admin account with a password?
and backed up on a floppy ?????????
hint...
http://members.accessbee.com/mitch/small_documents/XPRecoveryDisk.html

Can you create an XP Recovery disk on on CDROM?
Or can it only be a floppy?

Wow mitch, thanks for all the great info!
Sorry I've been a bit scarce, since my last reply in this thread.
Like ripley, I'm so grateful for the help and support of the more savvy and experienced members (geek or not!); I really treasure every comment I read from such professionals.  And I also must admit to wanting a list of rules (simple or not), although I can't really say it comes from laziness, for me.  However, this does shed some light on something that's been both confusing and frustrating for me, regarding the internet and tech support in general.

I don't know, maybe I'm just "old school", as they say   I've only had a pc and internet access for a few years, but I've been aware of, and understood the general idea of computers and the internet since college (in the late '70's).  Yeah, or maybe "old flower child" would be apropos   LOL!  Because my understanding of the original concept of the internet (or www?), as a medium, or tool, for facilitating the uninhibited free-flowing exchange of information, is very much like the idealism that I associate with the 60's generation....or maybe the concept of 'community', at its most basic, ie -- give whatever you can, take whatever you need, everything will balance out in the end.  (I realize that many folks consider this to be a naive perspective....so call me naive , and read on )

So when I first came to the internet, I expected an abundance of websites and forums whose goals are to help people.  And not just offering computer classes and technical support, but educational content for everything imaginable.  I expected people to be offering these things out of the goodness of their hearts, simply because they want to help others, and asking nothing in return!  Once I managed to learn how to work my computer, and I got to the internet, I was shocked and dismayed at the blatant commercialism!  Instead of teaching everything imaginable, people are using the internet to sell everything imaginable!  (as I said...call me naive ....)

However, despite all the commercial pollution, up until the last few months, I still believed this free educational content must exist, and that I have just not found it, or learned enough to find it yet.  But I was becoming increasingly frustrated at the apparent lack of content and support for beginners.  I definitely find plenty of educational info available (witness LzD)...just precious little designed to assist rank beginners.  But given my belief that such content and support are inherent aspects of the internet, my frustration has lately been changing to anger....until now.

I don't think I can really verbalize entirely how this belief began to change for me.  Part of it is the realization that I'm no longer a mere novice, but perhaps have reached the level of an intermediate- or advanced-beginner...all on my own, without yet having found the educational material which I thought was part and parcel of the internet.  And mitch's and ripley's comments in this thread have really gelled this new concept for me -- it's not just this limited user account for enhanced security, for which there is "no list of easy rules" or instructions.  Indeed, I'm beginning to think it's more the exception than the rule, that any given computer issue will have clear-cut rules.

So, talk about long-winded!  Anyway, it's just...when you hear things like "it's all ones and zeros", and you begin to understand the concept of "digital"...well, maybe not "you", but I think, everything about computers must be very structured, regimented, and ultimately, clear and understandable...ie - rules and list for everything imaginable.  But mitch's and ripley's comments in this thread have really reinforced for me the notion that information, educational content and/or tech support are not necessarily available for every issue that one might encounter, in teaching oneself computer literacy/proficiency.

And why am I posting this discourse?  Partly to explain myself.  Not so much an apology, for everyone has their own learning curve    But just to shed some light on my original motivation here at LzD.  This new understanding of the nature of computers and internet, will undoubtedly affect my use of all support forums -- hopefully resulting in more thoughtful requests for help...more patience with complex, yet helpful, replies...to name a couple of potential adjustments.  And partly in case there may be other members who might benefit from reading/hearing my thoughts, perceptions, and experience.

And finally getting back to the topic of this thread:

"using different users can be a "black art""

I hope by this, mitch, you mean that not many people actually use the limited user account as a security measure, or that it's not widely understood as such...as opposed to there being something dark and unnatural about it?

Oh, Windows Explorer, yes I know what that is.  I just have never heard it called an "expanded windows folder".  I normally make fairly heavy use of it, and not sure it will help me understand, since I may have moved a program to another folder, besides where it was installed.  ...or am I still missing your point?  In my C drive, I have Owner (the admin), Brynn (the new limited user), and All Users.  But all the security programs are in All Users.  Is that what you would expect?

Well, the bottom line, I do understand, is that I have to dig into each program's documentation, to find out how it treats the limited user accounts -- not just in regard to what it scans, or from where; but also in regard to dl-ing and installing.  And I do understand that they are all different in this respect, or mostly different.

"on anti-crapware i usually give the user admin powers before i download the program ( say aaw) and install in the admin account and give it a shortcut"

2 Qs on this comment:
 ---  I'm not sure what you mean by "...give the user admin powers...".  Are you talking about a different process than switching users, or in other words, a different process than logging out of user and logging in to admin?  Oh!  Or is this the "right-click > Run as admin" trick you mentioned?
 ---  "...give it a shortcut"  Give it a shortcut...from the limited user account?

Ok then, for whatever it's all worth, end of reply
Thanks for your patience,
especially mitch and ripley, and also everyone else who reads all this!