Converting Windows Administrator account to regular user... A Question.

damgar · 06-07-2010, 06:50 PM

If an administrators account on windows is converted to a regular user, do all of the settings, etc. remain in tact? It's been so long since I did it that I just can't remember, but I have an older customer that keeps installing malware (he means well, he really does) and I'm thinking I need to take away his administrative rights so that he at least has to type a password for it to happen.

jschiwal · 06-07-2010, 07:05 PM

Yes, I believe so, but you may want to create another account with admin rights, so there is one to log into without needing to boot up in safe mode to access the "Administrator" account.
I assume he uses XP. I believe that in Vista and Win 7, you need to enter a password even with admin rights.

jiml8 · 06-08-2010, 07:50 PM

That's right. With Win7 at least, you have to enter a password in order to run certain programs that might make changes to the system even if you are an Administrator. This presumes, of course, that your system is set up to be password protected. You have to deal with one of those warning messages ("Do you want to allow this program to make changes to your system") at a minimum anyway.

I think that Vista is more of a PITA than that, with more warnings.

XP, of course, would just do it if you were an Administrator.