Whats the use of an administrator?

[LPent]

Hi,

I'm sure this is a stupid question but still: There are 3 people using one computer. Only one (me) has administrator priviliges. Sometimes I must install software or updates that require me to check and/or change settings for the other users. All accounts however are password protected. Is there anyway to bypass these passwords other than resetting them? If not, what's the use of having an administrator-level?

LPent

 

[Liquidlen]

doubl clik the user icon in Control panel There you can temporarily shutoff passwrd .There are ways of affecting all users on the same machine ,but it does depend on what you need to set.Check help file for Default user eg.Look at the All users folder under Documents and Settings.

 

[LPent]

What I need to do is export e-mail and favorites and other program settings. Some of these I can do from the user directories, but others are registry settings. So I can only access those when logged on as that user.

I am not sure what you mean by double clicking the user icon in the config screen? If I go the the config screen and click on the user accounts icon I can only change or remove the passwords. Not Temporarilly disable them.

Thank you

 

[Phantasm66]

The use of an admistrative account is basically to give a special, priviledged user full control of the operating system settings. We don't want every user having this ability, since most users just need to use the applications and don't require to change things, and would maybe abuse this power if given it. So, a special user is given these enhanced entitlements, other accounts are not.

 

[LPent]

I'm sorry phantasm, the question was ment to be sarcastic/rhetorical :giddy: I just don't see the point when you can't actually access other user accounts as if you are that user.

 

[Liquidlen]

I'm sorry phantasm, the question was ment to be sarcastic/rhetorical :giddy: I just don't see the point when you can't actually access other user accounts as if you are that user.

I read your post to read you just want to avoid re-typing passwords while you logged in and out of the users , so you can just temporaily shut off the need for a password and then back on when you are done.
I misunderstood you.
P.S. Can't you make these registry changes under eg. HKeyuser etc. ?

 

[LNCPapa]

I'm not sure if I fully understand your question but maybe this will accomplish what you want - if you even want to accomplish anything. Run the following command
"control userpasswords2"
Uncheck "Users must enter password...."
Does this do what you want?

 

[LPent]

Does using "control userpassword2" not delete or remove the password alltogether? What I do now is indeed remove the passwords and next time a user logs on they have to turn their password back "on". I want to avoid this (obviously I could ask for their passwords, but that's not the point).
One of the problems I encounter for example was that one user uses thunderbird, another uses outlook express and yet another uses outlook (office). The problem was/is that the computer gets confused and sometimes opens the wrong mail program. The only way I know to check if my registry alterations worked is by logging on as another user and see for myself.
There are lots of little problems like this that I regularly iron out. As being the one with the administrative account I just think I should have access to everything by default.