Separate Admin and Personal Users are real Problem!

mendopaul · 20 May 2013

Earlier this year I solved some permission problems with help from this forum. Now I have a new Administrator User and my own personal User setups (I don't know how to refer to User sets). Now when I get into program or network installations I'm constantly told I must be installing as a member of the Admin group. But my Admin setup is minimal with no logos or links I normally use and so I'm forced to switch back and forth which is a real bummer. How can I make my Admin setup look like my normal personal setup? I'm told often to not normally operate as the Administrator so I stay in my old normal user mode. What a mess......how do I get out of it and make life easier?

Sub Styler · 20 May 2013

Log into the administrator account. Go to user accounts in the control panel. Elevate your standard user account (your account name) to admistrator level whist you make the changes you want to make. Once everything is as you want it. Log off, log back on as administrator and return (your account name) to standard user again.

alphanumeric · 20 May 2013

Run as Administrator < clickable link to a tutorial

mendopaul · 21 May 2013

Many thanks for the responses but that's exactly what I do but the Admin desktop is so limited that none of my sites or program buttons or icons are available on that screen so most of what I must do as Admin are not available and take a lot of time and clicking around to get what I want while loading and installing programs which is very inconvenient. Can I copy my normal desktop to the Admin desktop for all of my program icons, etc.?

Sub Styler · 21 May 2013

He means right click the programs you want to run/update and select "run as administrator"

gregrocker · 21 May 2013

I don't agree that there is any problem with the owner running as Admin, which is the account that is always set up when you install Win7.

I wouldn't even want to begin sorting out the problems with such an install where you have a pretend Admin who is really yourself having to give permissions to lesser versions of yourself. It's nearly a Monty Python level of absurdity.

What I would do is upgrade your primary User account to Admin and then delete the others placing their files on your desktop just in case something is there you want. User Account Type - Change

If this is not sufficient create a new Admin User account and set it up as you want then delete the others.

Or just reinstall which always correctly sets the (assumed) owner an Admin-level account, which is why as an Installer its all I ever deal with.

mendopaul · 22 May 2013

Gregrocker, that is very reassuring! My problem stemmed from all the articles I've read that tell you that running daily as an admin is a bad no-no. I'll try and return to my original admin condition per your advice. Many thanks.