Vista question

buyitall

I am setting up a new laptop, haven't used Vista before. It is currently set up with the account which it asks you to create when installing Vista, and also a user account for each family member. When installing programs which
all users want to access eg itunes/photoshop, does it matter who is logged on when these programs are installed? I don't want to go to the trouble of installing things only to find that they are only on one account! Thanks for your help, I am trying not to mess up the installation process!

mdbarber

The account used to set the program up will need to be an admin account but then should prompt you whether or not to install for all users

buyitall

Thanks, I will be the administrator. Do you think it's best to have my own account in addition to the admin account?

totalsolutions

Remember the admin account is not used on a day to day / login basis. Vista runs all users in a computer user account mode. Part of vistas added security is that you are elevated to admin rights when doing system changes or installs hence the UAC screen.

buyitall

Thanks - so do you mean that the account which was created when we set up the laptop (which was just given the family surname) is exactly the same as all the other accounts we have set up? (I was confused because when I originally googled for help, 'hidden administrator' was mentioned).
The main thing I want to be sure of is that if someone downloads, say, Open Office, that it is accessible to all users and doesn't have to be downloaded four times!

Salamancer

totalsolutions wrote: »

Remember the admin account is not used on a day to day / login basis. Vista runs all users in a computer user account mode. Part of vistas added security is that you are elevated to admin rights when doing system changes or installs hence the UAC screen.

I'm not sure where you heard that, as it's not entirely true.
With UAC, sure, though that is usually disabled with the majority of Vista installs.

You 'can' set Vista (as I have) to always sign in as Administrator. It shouldn't compromise your experience aslong as you have a decent Anti-Virus (such as NOD32 or Kaspersky).

The so-called "Hidden Administrator" thing relates to the UAC and general lock-down of your Windows Vista. It's generally just a huge annoyance, and you can get rid of this in your security settings (it takes less than 2 minutes and a restart).
If you're going by a guide for this, make sure you're looking at one that relates to the final build of Windows Vista, either with or without SP1. Alot of guides out there still only relate to the pre-launch beta versions.

The Administrator account is an account with the highest authority you could see (there's one that's higher, but you don't need that). With an Administrator account, you're more or less in-control of installing what you will.
There are other accounts that you can choose to set up, also, which have a bit less 'freedom'.
A guest account comes with very little authority, and wouldn't allow the installation of files and such, aswell as a few other restrictions here and there.
The regular user accounts, however, are in your control. You can choose what they should be allowed to see and do (to an extent). Such as, they can't see the C:\Windows directory, or save certain settings, etc.

The thing with setting permissions for every user is a bit different.
There isn't any 'master control' that allows you to download a program for every user, however, in the majority of installations it would ask you whether you want to install it for just the current account, or anyone who uses the computer.
You 'may' have to choose "Custom Install" when available in some installs to get that option.

Hope this helps.

sco0ter

Salamancer wrote: »

I'm not sure where you heard that, as it's not entirely true.
With UAC, sure, though that is usually disabled with the majority of Vista installs..

Doesnt UAC come automatically enabled.??? I have yet to see an install that has had it disabled as default.

Salamancer wrote: »

You 'can' set Vista (as I have) to always sign in as Administrator. It shouldn't compromise your experience aslong as you have a decent Anti-Virus (such as NOD32 or Kaspersky)..

As the first account created is the ADMIN account then unless you create a seperate account it will always start in the ADMIN one. This account has UAC enabled and as ANY account should be virus protection is recommended

As for installing things. If installed as Admin you will be most likely asked to install for other users or just your own account. Any programs that dont give this option can be checked how to do it on GOOGLE.

Salamancer

sco0ter wrote:

Doesnt UAC come automatically enabled.??? I have yet to see an install that has had it disabled as default.

It depends. Originally it comes enabled by default, though people usually disable it right after (which I stated by the "2 minute" comment).
You 'can' however modify your Vista installation disc using V-Lite (similar to nLite of XP).

sco0ter wrote:

As the first account created is the ADMIN account then unless you create a seperate account it will always start in the ADMIN one.

Wrong.
When you first create an account as Administrator with a new computer, with UAC enabled, you're inbetween an Administrator and end-user account.
Why else do you think instructions for Vista usually say "Right click and choose Run As Administrator"?
For some users, their Administrator accounts don't have full priviledges even after disabling UAC, to which they have to fiddle with a few settings manually.
Try to use Google for that, it's a widespread issue.

sco0ter wrote:

As for installing things. If installed as Admin you will be most likely asked to install for other users or just your own account.

This is exactly what I said. If you're unable to comprehend basic English, then I'd suggest you re-read my post a couple of times.

[Deleted User]

Salamancer wrote: »

You 'can' set Vista (as I have) to always sign in as Administrator. It shouldn't compromise your experience aslong as you have a decent Anti-Virus (such as NOD32 or Kaspersky).

Without UAC, you open up your computer to a lot more exploits and avenues of attack than simple viruses.

It's not logical to allow each program on your machine to run with High IL, and certainly not recommended.

Salamancer

anewhope wrote: »

Without UAC, you open up your computer to a lot more exploits and avenues of attack than simple viruses.

It's not logical to allow each program on your machine to run with High IL, and certainly not recommended.

Actually, UAC doesn't stop anyone from getting 'in' to your computer, rather it stops 'you' from allowing them by downloading spyware and such.
But as I said, if you have a decent Anti-Virus installed, this wouldn't be a problem considering it would constantly monitor what you're trying to install in order to keep your computer safe.
NOD32, McAfee, Kaspersky, AVG, etc. all would automatically block installations mid-way if any spyware is found.
Not to mention that several even tell you if a compressed archive (.zip/.rar) contains malicious code.

UAC doesn't stop 'programs' from getting into your machine, either.
These are all myths that are bought on by paranoid consumers, Microsoft has never claimed any of this.
What you're trying to do is compare UAC to an Anti Virus. They're not the same thing.

[Deleted User]

Salamancer wrote: »

Actually, UAC doesn't stop anyone from getting 'in' to your computer, rather it stops 'you' from allowing them by downloading spyware and such.
But as I said, if you have a decent Anti-Virus installed, this wouldn't be a problem considering it would constantly monitor what you're trying to install in order to keep your computer safe.
NOD32, McAfee, Kaspersky, AVG, etc. all would automatically block installations mid-way if any spyware is found.
Not to mention that several even tell you if a compressed archive (.zip/.rar) contains malicious code.

UAC doesn't stop 'programs' from getting into your machine, either.
These are all myths that are bought on by paranoid consumers, Microsoft has never claimed any of this.
What you're trying to do is compare UAC to an Anti Virus. They're not the same thing.

I know exactly what UAC does, how it goes about it and how effective it is. I don't need to be told about it.