xp users help

[SemperFi]

I have a machine with xp home and one with xp pro. I noticed the other day that I could change users to a power user in pro version. Well I want to change a couple of the users on the home box to power user I don't want the kids to have admin privlages but some of the games they have won't run under user privlages. Apparently home won't let you change this setting through the user and password interface.

My question is can I hack the registry to give power user to certain users of this box? If so can someone direct me to the key?

Thanks in advance

Semper Fi

 

[JohnDoh2]

OOOOOOHRAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!

At ease private!!

 

[TechieZero]

I have the same issue. I lived with it by just setting up an ID called SUPER GUEST that has admin powers and no PW. It at least allows my Son etc to play Half-Life and not look at my documents in my doc folders.

 

[SemperFi]

Thats just it my son is 4 and every other game will work but bob the builder. It requires admin privlages to run and I don't want to set up any admin accounts other than mine. I showed the his 2 older sisters how to put in a password and they had one setup for him. That was real funny when they typed it in wrong twice then they couldn't remember it. You know the computer didn't remember it right.

I was really hoping someone knew where to change this in the registry.

Semper Fi

 

[Fokks]

My 2 cents...
As far as I know, all users are stuck as Administrators only in XP Home edition.

As far as a hack... I wonder if you could copy over gpedit.msc file, or the user console, or something from XP Pro and use that? Dunno.

 

[SemperFi]

They are set as admin as default when you start the account. You can change it to limited as near as I can tell this is the same level as user on xp pro.

I'll give your idea a try fokks. thanks

Semper Fi

 

[c0rv1d43]

Try going to the Start | Run dialog and typing in the command "control userpasswords2" (no quotes) and executing it. I believe that brings up an alternative users control applet that may allow you to create the other standard user groups on the machine. I used this to help a friend who runs WinXP Home Edition to set his system to require use of Ctrl-Alt-Del for logon. Unfortunately I'm not using Home Edition on any of my machines now so I can't check this out to be absolutely sure I'm remembering this correctly.

- Collin

 

[jkukowsk]

I'm not sure if this helps or if it works like this on the Home version but if you right click on a shortcut under the Advanced button you choose what type of user you want it to run as.

 

[SemperFi]

c0rv1d43, That is what I needed the only problem when I click ok to save the setting as power user I get an error. The error says that the group does not exist. I was trying to make a user, a standard user instead of restricted user.

So I decided to add a new user and named it test to see if I could setup a new user as a standard user. Well get this I get an error that says this user test already has permission to use this computer. Would you consider this to be a big security hole? It doesn't sound as safe as a guest account to me.

Anyhow I am going to try safe mode on this thing and see if that will work. I know I was able to set a password for the Administrator account there.

jkukowsk thanks I just checked that out and it looks to me like checking that makes the shortcut run like you right click it then choose the run as option. If I can't change the user I guess that option will come in handy.


Edit/ Well I just tried safemode no dice. It looks like I am stuck with it. Boy I wish I would have asked my sister n law to trade her xp pro before I installed both of them. She won it in a drawing at a seminar and she only has one computer.

Edit 2/ Well I just tried to create a test account on my xp pro and did not get this error. If this is a hole it seems to only be xphome.