setting up new windows 7pro - admin and user accts question

[maryeleek]

I am at the first turning on of a new Windows7Pro installation.

I am wondering about the difference between administrator acct and user acct.

It looks like I will first be asked to choose a user name for the default administrator acct, then a name for my computer.

Next, I am asked about a password for the administrator.

If I am the only user, will there only be one account set up and will it be an Administrator acct? It has been so long since I've done this, want to get it right the first time round.

thank you,

 

[Ranger4]

Open Control Panel & select User Accounts. This will take you to setting up an account. Click on the various menus & when they open it is fairly self explanatory of what it required. If you are the only user you can set up an Administrator Account account. This can be password protected if you wish & there are settings for that, however, that will mean every time you start the computer you will be prompted to type in the password & every time you want to make changes to computer settings & even when opening some programs.. This type of account is more secure. I use an Administrator Account without a password as I am the only user.

Once you have set up the Account you need to click on "Change User Account Settings" & then adjust the slider. The default setting is one second from the top. This will give you fairly good protection for most internet use. This setting will prompt a notification if you make any changes to the computer settings & when opening certain programs.

The difference between an Administrator Account & a User account, is the an Admin can change computer settings & install software, whereas a User cannot.

 

[mrjimphelps]

Mary:

I suggest that you use a standard user account as your normal working account, while using your administrator account only if needed to install something. This is the safe way to work, because if malware tries to get on your computer, it will probably have less rights than admin if you are not logged in as admin.

If you need administrator access at some point, a window will pop up asking you for the administrator password. Therefore, there is no need to do your normal day's work as the administrator.

Jim