New Tech Tip: Configuring Windows 7 for a Limited User Account

Last week, I got a copy of Windows 7 Release Candidate 1 (build 7100) and loaded it on my laptop. Though I help customers with limited Vista issues on occasion, I had let it pass me by on my own equipment. So this means I've never gotten to really play with UAC myself.

Now I have, and I really like it (both Windows 7 and UAC). I'll write more about Windows 7 another time, but I had some bumps in the road getting a true limited user working. I'm a huge fan of least privilege, having run it on all my XP workstations, and I was determined to make it so with Windows 7 as well.

I found there was scant guidance on this, so I created a Tech Tip on how to do it safely. Both new-install and existing-user scenarios are covered, and the instructions have worked well on the several configurations I've been testing in virtual machines and on my laptop.

• Unixwiz.net Tech Tip: Configuring Windows 7 for a Limited User Account

It's clearly a best practice to run as a limited user, and I hope these notes help bring that about (and almost all of this applies to Vista as well).

Comments

[mark waldin]

Hey Steve,

I just used your SSH tutorial. Nice, thanks. One thing you might want to change is the problem with key refused when the key pair are created on Putty and uploaded to a Linux box. The keys have to be generated on the Linux box or the connection is rejected.

[Robert Hammerslag]

As a migrant from Mac to Windows (economics) I was operating (doing everything from) an admin account. Finally I realized this was not safe and created a standard account. But all my data was back in my admin. account. Thanks so much for the tip about creating a new admin account and then demoting the old one to standard. Worked like a charm! Thanks.

[John]

thanks for this found it via google however I don't know if I have disabled or not the administrator account?

I'm running windows 7 home premium and in Computer management I don't have Local Users and Groups only shared folders.

[is a domain name available]

thanks for this found it via google however I don't know if I have disabled or not the administrator account?

I'm running windows 7 home premium and in Computer management I don't have Local Users and Groups only shared folders.
+1