Win7 Pro profile confusion

[lonny]

I've been running my desktop PC as admin and installed many progs.
Now I tried to install a small portable program, which is running 100% on my laptop, but it fails.
First I checked and compared settings between the desktop and laptop but all identical.

This went on for about 3 months while I researched in all directions.
Eventually I had success by first running: Net user administrator /activate:yes

The problem now is that I'm in a new profile and it seems no other programs installed? The desktop is blank.
If I use a shortcut for example to start MS Office it opens but all settings lost.
Same with any other program and many even no longer registered and activated.

Any advice most welcome.

 

[Alejandro85]

You've used another user account, different to your main one, and as such, all settings are completely new. Also, "portable" programs were left in the previous account, so no surprise you found an empty environment.
Also, using the built-in administrator account for normal usage is widely considered a bad practice, so make sure to only login to it when absolutely necesary.

Just return to your normal account in the Windows login screen and everything should return like it was.

 

[lonny]

Thanks Alejandro85, I agree that it's bad practice to run as admin permanently.
Yes I restarted and selected "user" and all's as it used to be.

I hoped to fix the hiccup with the portable prog (ran 100% under admin) and that it will stick for "user".
Maybe I do not really understand the purpose of booting into the adminstrator's account?

 

[z3r010]

Also, using the built-in administrator account for normal usage is widely considered a bad practice, so make sure to only login to it when absolutely necesary.

Not since the invention of UAC, running as admin is pretty safe these days.

 

[Snick]

Not since the invention of UAC, running as admin is pretty safe these days.

Agree!
Provided you run Anti-Virus, Anti-Exploit and Anti-Ransomware apps!

 

[lonny]

Aside from the safety aspect because I will always ensure that I have anti-virus & firewall in place.

As it is a new profile I am forced to reinstall all my programs such as MS Office, etc from scratch?
Will MS then see it as a new installation and not allow me to re-activate it with the same key?

I also have Ant Download Manager Pro which was a give away some time ago and the date already lapsed. I cannot reinstall it.
It's like a brand new computer with only the OS in place and it must built up from the ground?

 

[Alejandro85]

As it is a new profile I am forced to reinstall all my programs such as MS Office, etc from scratch?
Will MS then see it as a new installation and not allow me to re-activate it with the same key?

I also have Ant Download Manager Pro which was a give away some time ago and the date already lapsed. I cannot reinstall it.
It's like a brand new computer with only the OS in place and it must built up from the ground?

Every installed software remains installed the same way it was. A new user account means different settings, different document folders and different permissions, but the programs remain there (you may not have your desktop shortcuts you've added, but all the common files are there), so there is no need to reinstall anything, much less to use again your serials for paid software.

Since you're using a new user, all your settings are no longer with you and must be configured again. That includes all your preferences for programs, your documents and configurations. This is all expected and how Windows is to be used in a multiuser environment.

The real question is, why do you even need to create a new user? Just use your regular account.

Not since the invention of UAC, running as admin is pretty safe these days.

Not even close, UAC, while better than before, isn't 100% safe, by a wide variety of reasons, but mainly because their default configuration leaves lots of backdoors and is motivated by user comfort rather than security.

Agree!
Provided you run Anti-Virus, Anti-Exploit and Anti-Ransomware apps!
:thumbsups:

Nowadays antiviruses are widely considered ineffective to stop any but the most trivial menaces. In fact, more often than not they create security problems instead of solving them.