Administering user accounts
Make the most of tools and features in Windows XP to keep your users in check
Anyone who shares their PC with others will need to make full use of User Accounts. Not only will this enable each person to keep their documents private, but it will also assist with the security of the PC. The best way to protect the integrity of your system is to make sure that only one of the users is the Administrator.
This person can decide whether or not a particular user can install software applications and to what extent they can make changes to vital system files such as the Registry. By restricting access to certain areas of the system the Administrator will be able to ensure the smooth running of Windows XP. Setting up individual logins for everyone who uses the PC is simple. You’ll need to decide which account type you want to allocate to each of them, and you have two choices. A ‘Computer Administrator’ account will have unrestricted access to all areas of the system, plus the ability to create, delete and modify other user accounts. If you want to keep a tight reign on system administration then it’s best if only one user has this type of account.
For the remaining users a ‘Limited’ account should suffice. This means that they won’t be able to install new applications or hardware devices, access system files or other user accounts. Furthermore, they’ll be limited to working with their own and shared documents and programs.
Secure logins
By controlling the way users log in to Windows XP you can make things a little more secure. The default method of logging in is via the Welcome Screen, which will display each users name and their picture. From there it’s just a case of clicking a name and entering the correct password if prompted. With each username being displayed things aren’t quite as secure as you might wish. Instead, you can use the ‘Classic login’ screen that requires the actual username to be entered as well as the password. To start using this option, in User Accounts click ‘Change the way users log on or off’ and uncheck ‘Use the Welcome screen’.
If you leave your PC unattended for any period of time you’ll want to know that your data remains safe from any prying eyes that happen to pass by. Logging off and shutting down can be time-consuming and inconvenient. The best solution is to ‘lock’ the PC: only a user with administrator privileges will be able to unlock it and start using it again. To achieve this you’ll need to go into User Accounts in Control Panel and disable Fast User Switching. Once this is done all you need to do is press the [Windows key] + [L] and the PC will be locked. Only by entering the correct user name and password will you be able to access Windows XP.
User profiles
The actual profile for a user will be created the first time they log in to their account. The profile stores all their personal configuration information and contains items such as the My Documents folder and their desktop settings. User profiles are stored on your hard drive at C:\Documents and Settings\USERNAME. As the Administrator it’s useful knowing the whereabouts of these items should you wish to monitor the activity of the users logging in to your PC.
It’s worth remembering that any user that has an administrator account can access the contents of a similar user’s My Documents folder. To protect folder contents right-click My Documents and choose Properties. Then select the Sharing tab and check the box ‘Make this folder private’.
Setting permissions
You can also control how much access your users have to individual files. In Windows XP Professional Edition right-click any file or folder, choose Properties and then select the Security tab. Here you’ll see the names of all the users listed along with a number of different options for accessing the particular item. For example, by selecting a user and then checking the appropriate box you’ll be able to restrict him or her to ‘Read’ only access for an item.
If you’re a Home Edition user of Windows XP you won’t have these options immediately to hand. Instead, you’ll need to boot into Safe mode first, after which you’ll be able to see the Security. Then just follow the procedure for restricting access to items. If you have more than one user set up with a Computer Administrator account then this is a good way of stopping them from running certain applications. All you need to do is locate the .exe for the program and Deny access to it for a particular user.
Paul Townsend
Manage your accounts
1. Select the user and click ‘Delete the account’. Next, you’ll be able to choose either a full or partial removal of the account. Delete Files gets rid of everything, while Keep Files maintains the user’s Desktop and My Documents folder.
2. There’s no need to use the bulky User Accounts interface of Control Panel. Click Start -> Run, type ‘control userpasswords2’ and click OK. Then, for example, highlight a user and then click Reset Password to alter their login details.
3. Right-click a Folder, choose Sharing and Security and make it available to all users via the Shared Documents folder. Pro Edition users can change the appearance of this tab: click Folder Options -> View tab and uncheck ‘Use Simple File Sharing’.
Duplicate profiles
1. Once you’ve created a new user account and tailored the contents of the profile folder you may find it easier to use this same profile for all other users. By duplicating it you can save yourself a great deal of time and effort.
2. The easiest method is to copy the profile over to a newly created user account. In Control Panel click System Properties -> Advanced tab and select ‘Settings under User Profiles’. Highlight the user profile that you’d like to duplicate and click Copy To.
3. Next, click the Browse button and locate C:\Documents and Settings\USERNAME, where ‘username’ is the user account name you’d like to copy the profile over to. Click OK then OK again to complete the copy process.
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