Windows 7 - Run as Administrator?

[BarkingGhostar]

How is this Urban legend? Think about it: If a virus says "Hey, lets delete x file in c:\windows\system32" and its running as administrator... OKAY! DELETE.

Comparatively, with Vista/7, UAC pops up, and if you're smart and realize you have no idea what this program is, you say no. Access denied, no modification done at all.

Depending on what the user is doing, this may or may not happen often, but from a security standpoint, running as an admin on a day to day basis is a bad idea.

Computers normally do not turn themselves and begin online activities to which they can become infected. It takes a human, and a most suspicious one at that.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

No, running as admin in any OS is retarded and asking for trouble. It's just that Windows made it a huge PITA to do properly before Vista.

No, it isn't. How am I retarded and asking for trouble? I've got seven working computers all setup in this manner, and just built an eighth. None of them seem to have a problem like monkeys hammering a typewriter trying to compose on the Internet.

And last time I checked, computers normally do not turn themselves on by themselves and conduct Internet activity to which they can become infected. This requires a human condition (ahem, monkey).

 

[Chapbass]

Computers normally do not turn themselves and begin online activities to which they can become infected. It takes a human, and a most suspicious one at that.

For one, you're overestimating the intelligence of the average human. Second, I never said anything about doing it on its own, it could be an advertisement, some random link someone throws up on a forum, whatever.

Regardless, considering no one knows exactly what anyone else on these forums does, it simply isn't a very good idea to recommend that someone run as admin all the time.

this much IS true: if you get infected, its MUCH less troublesome if you aren't running as an admin account. and, at least in windows 7/vista, having UAC around is one big deterrent to that.

Anyway, I'm done arguing this topic, feel free to keep arguing with nothinman. Like I said before, do whatever you want, but as for the OP, yes, under win7 you aren't running as admin unless the program asks for UAC access, to which your "superman" ticket then gets involved. If not, you run as your "clark kent" ticket, which is similar to running as a standard user.

 

[Nothinman]

No, it isn't. How am I retarded and asking for trouble? I've got seven working computers all setup in this manner, and just built an eighth. None of them seem to have a problem like monkeys hammering a typewriter trying to compose on the Internet.

And last time I checked, computers normally do not turn themselves on by themselves and conduct Internet activity to which they can become infected. This requires a human condition (ahem, monkey).

Because all you need to do is visit one website that's been broken into or is serving ads from a host that's been broken into and you can be infected with something without ever knowing it. The only clue that the 2 companies I mentioned in my earlier anecdotes had that they had infected users were when they become added to some RBLs and a notification from their ISP, the individual users never noticed anything wrong with their machines. It's possible all 8 of your machines have something on them and you would have no idea.

 

[stlcardinals]

I think running as a limited user account is similar to wearing a condom while having sex. Running as an admin is like having sex without a condom, sure you may not impregnate or catch an STD but your odds are way higher.