Understanding User Accounts in Windows XP

Everyone who uses Windows XP needs a user account. User accounts act like cocktail party nametags and help Windows recognize who's sitting at the keyboard. Windows XP dishes out three types of user accounts: Administrator, Limited, and Guest.

Each type of account gets to do different functions on the computer. If the computer were an apartment building, the administrator would be the manager, the limited accounts would be the tenants, and guests would only get to drop by and use the bathroom in the lobby.

The administrator controls the computer, deciding who gets to use it and what they can do on it. Limited accounts can use the computer, but they can't make any big changes to it. Guests can also use the computer, but their actions are tightly restricted.

• On a computer running Windows XP Home, the owner usually holds the administrator account. He or she then sets up accounts for other household members, changing their accounts when needed, fixing lost passwords, and if desired, peeking into other users' files. Here's the important part: Only administrators can install software and change the computer's hardware.

In a family, the parents usually hold administrator accounts, the kids usually have limited accounts, and the babysitter logs in using the guest account.

• On computers running Windows XP Professional, the administrator holds the same privileges and more. But because Windows XP Professional offers many more security features and settings, its administrator in an office setting is often a full-time job.

To see what version of Windows XP you're using, Home or Professional, click the Start button, right-click on My Computer, and choose Properties from the pop-up menu. On the first page — the one beneath the General tab — your version is listed beneath the word System.

• Administrators should create limited accounts for people who use the computer on a regular basis. Windows XP then keeps track of the way each limited account member prefers the computer to be set up. After a limited account user logs on, Windows XP displays that person's favorite desktop and background, and remembers his or her favorite Internet Explorer Web sites. Everything looks just the way that user set it up.

• Administrators should create a single guest account for people the computer doesn't need to recognize. Guests can use the programs and log on to the Internet or read their e-mail, but they can't change any settings, install programs, or burn CDs.

More than one person can hold an administrator account on a computer. In fact, all the users can hold one, if the computer's owner prefers that. That lets anybody install software and change important computer settings. (It also lets everybody peek into each other's files.)

When you install Windows XP, the software automatically grants administrator status to every account you create. After the installation is complete, be sure to change these accounts to limited or guest status unless you trust those people to handle your computer wisely.

Switching between users

Windows XP keeps track of everybody's programs while different people use the computer. Mom can be playing chess, and then let Jerry log on to check his e-mail. When Mom logs back on 20 minutes later, her chess game is right where she left it.

Switching users is fast and easy. While holding down the Windows key (it's usually between your keyboard's Ctrl and Alt keys), press the letter L. Wham! The Welcome screen pops up, letting another person use the computer for a while.

After you finish using the computer, hold down the Windows key and press the letter L. Wham! The Welcome screen pops up again, letting a different user log on.

• If you don't like the Windows key, use the mouse to switch users: Click the Start button and click Log Off from the bottom of the menu. After the new window appears, click Switch User. The Welcome screen appears.

Microsoft touts this feature as Fast User Switching, or FUS in the trade.

• If Fast User Switching doesn't work on your computer, the administrator may have turned it off.

Choosing Log Off rather than using Fast User Switching is often better, especially for computers without a lot of memory. Programs automatically shut down after users log off the computer, and the computer runs faster for the next user. If you use Fast User Switching, the computer must juggle unsaved settings and open programs, leading to more overhead.

Creating, deleting, or changing a user account

Only administrators may create or delete user accounts. Sorry.

To create, change, or delete a user account, click the Start button, choose the Control Panel, and select User Accounts. A window pops up, as shown in Figure 1, that's seen only by administrators. Here's a rundown on the different tasks available:

• Change an Account: The most encompassing of the options, this lets you change an account's name, picture, password, or type. (You can upgrade a user's account to administrator if you're tired of handling the computer by yourself, for instance.) Click here to delete an account, as well.

• Create a New Account: Click here to create accounts for other computer users. You choose a name and whether the user is to have an administrator or limited account.

• Change the Way Users Log On and Off: This one's a little more complicated, because it brings up two options, described here:

• Use the Welcome Screen: Normally, people log on by clicking their names on the Welcome screen. Removing the check mark in this box turns off the Welcome screen. Then, people must type their name and password into little boxes in order to log on. This method is more secure - without the Welcome screen, nobody can tell which people have accounts on the computer. Turning off the Welcome screen also turns off Fast User Switching, described next.

• Use Fast User Switching: Windows XP lets users switch back and forth quickly and easily. When they switch back on, their open programs are just the way they left them. Removing the check mark in this box turns off the Fast User Switching for all users. Instead, they must log off, saving their work in the process, before another user may log on.

Figure 1: Only administrators can choose the Control Panel's User Accounts icon to change, create, or delete user accounts.