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Thread: Vista Password?

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    HSK
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    Question Vista Password?

    Hi, i recently put a password on my user account...but, doesn't that mean all my files in c:/users/myusername get restricted too? i.e. to any one else on another user name if they try to view the folders via explorer? because other users can still view/access my files...am i doing something wrong ere? or missing some setting.


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    Ex-MSFT Paul Adams's Avatar
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    Re: Vista Password?

    The profile folder (C:\Users\username) is protected by an Access Control List (ACL), not by the account owner having a password on his logon.

    By default, SYSTEM (services running on Windows), the user and the Administrators group have access to user profiles.

    If regular user (not administrator) accounts have the ability to browse through each others' profiles, then you have changed something on the permissions of C:\ or C:\Users I would guess.
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    HSK
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    Re: Vista Password?

    Ahh ok, yes the other user is an administrator as well, I just checked.

    Is there any way to restrict any other admins?

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    Re: Vista Password?

    stick documents you don't want seen in a passworded zip?

    Even if you restrict file access to just yourself on that computer the drive can be taken out and an Admin account can take ownership of the files - granting them access.

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    Re: Vista Password?

    Quote Originally Posted by HSK View Post
    Ahh ok, yes the other user is an administrator as well, I just checked.

    Is there any way to restrict any other admins?
    Yes and no.
    Yes, you could remove "Administrators" from the ACL.
    No, they could just add it back again.

    In the Windows world, an Administrator is God.
    We do often get requests along the lines of "can we make someone an admin who can do everything except xxxx..." - the answer is no.

    You should have users set as user accounts, and only have administrators logged on when absolutely necessary - Windows has the "Run as Administrator" context menu option for those applications that specifically need it (or need to run elevated to do something specific) - if the currently logged-on user is not an admin then you get prompted to enter the credentials of someone who is (so there is no need to create a logon session with that account).

    As dave87 said, some password-protected archive may be an option if you simply must have multiple admins - or a PGP solution maybe.
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    Re: Vista Password?

    Ahh thanks Paul, that makes things clearer. So even standard users, have the "run as admin" in there context menu? just in case they need to install something...etc.

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    Re: Vista Password?

    you can look at encrypting data.

    security, is simply a rule saying grant 'a' access to resource 'b'. this can always be overwritten, be it by administrator, or by accessing the drive outside of that OS and its security model.

    encrypted data is only understandable by those who have the key.
    throw new ArgumentException (String, String, Exception)

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    Re: Vista Password?

    Quote Originally Posted by HSK View Post
    Ahh thanks Paul, that makes things clearer. So even standard users, have the "run as admin" in there context menu? just in case they need to install something...etc.
    Yes, Vista and Windows Server 2008 use a "split token" concept - you have your regular user token and optionally an administrator token for the same logon session.
    The token used determines the privileges the program expects or is granted - so an admin can more safely execute a non-administrative program, by default the user token is used.
    If you select to "Run as Administrator" then the OS looks for an administrator token and uses it (with a UAC prompt) if you have one, otherwise it prompts for the credentials of a user account which does have that token.

    The one exception to this rule is "the" Administrator, which is why we recommend not using it (or disabling UAC).

    An example where you may want to run a program elevated once is where it wants to set file associations - an administrative task.
    Once you launch a program with a particular token you cannot change half-way - if a program launched with a user token wants to do an admin action later, then it will need to relaunch with the admin token.
    So you launch the program once with right-click/Run as Administrator, do your file association action and then exit and run again as a normal user.
    (I use this method for file associations with Irfanview, and adding a context menu option in "Send To" for hexplorer, for example.)
    ~ I have CDO. It's like OCD except the letters are in alphabetical order, as they should be. ~
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