Share Apps With Users Who Have Limited Windows Accounts

How can users with limited Windows accounts run my applications?

--Dan Keating, Silver Springs, Maryland

When you log into XP as a limited user, neither you nor any program you run can change any important Windows setting. On a family computer, you should maintain an administrator account for yourself and give other family members limited accounts. For maximum protection, use a limited account for your own day-to-day computing, logging on as an administrator only when necessary.

Using Windows XP's limited account ("standard" in Vista) can be a nightmare: Some programs won't install, run, or up­­date. When an app tries something dubious in Vista, up pops a User Account Control dialog box, no matter what kind of account you have; if you logged in to a limited account, you must enter the password for an administrator account to finish the task. Though still a hassle, it's better than having to log out as a limited user and then back in as an administrator, as in XP.

Many of XP's limited-account problems arise when you try to install applications. Some installation programs ask whether you want every user on that computer to have access to the app. In such cases, always select the option that lets everyone use it. If a program doesn't give you that option, you can probably still get the app to work on every account by placing a shortcut to it on everyone's Start menu:

The menu you see when you click Start,Programs is actually the combined contents of two folders: your Start Menu folder and the PC's shared Start Menu folder. To make a start menu item or submenu public, right-click the Start button, select Explore All Users, and double-click the Programs folder to bring up the shared Start Menu folder. Now right-click the Start button a second time, select Explore, and double-click the Programs folder to open your private Start Menu folder. Drag the appropriate folders and shortcuts from your private Start Menu window to the shared one.

Unfortunately, some programs won't work for any account except the one used to install it. Also, some programs--and some tasks in other programs--run only for administrators. Here are two workarounds:

First, reinstall the problem program in a location other than the C:\Program Files folder, which is Windows' default destination for programs. Limited accounts can read items in this folder but not alter them. If your program can't update itself within a limited account, this restriction is probably the reason why.

If that doesn't work, right-click the program's icon and select Run As. (If you don't see a Run As option, press Shift and right-click the option.) Select The Following User, choose an administrator account from the 'User name' drop-down menu, enter the administrator password, and click OK.