Windows 2000 Quick Fixes

Run tasks as Administrator when logged on as a user

It’s a good idea to use a user account without administrator privileges as your primary account, particularly if your system is connected directly to the Internet or if you spend a lot of time online. Trojan horse applications and viruses (not to mention hackers) can do a lot more damage on a system that is logged on as Administrator than one logged on as a user. Plus, running as a user prevents you from accidentally making changes you might not intentionally want to perform.

In some cases, though, you might need to run an application or open a command console with administrator privileges. You can use the runas.exe utility to do just that.

Tip

You can also hold down the Shift key, right-click a program or shortcut, and choose Run As from the context menu to start a program in a different user context. Windows 2000 prompts you for the user credentials.

Use runas

The runas command included with Windows 2000 enables a process to run in a specified user context. For example, you can use runas to start a command console or other application (including Windows applications) within the security context of the Administrator account. This allows the application (or you, in the case of a command console) administrative access to the system.

Use the following steps to create a shortcut that opens a command console within the security context of the Administrator account:

1. Right-click where you want the shortcut created and choose New → Shortcut. ...