With every legacy version of Windows up to and including Windows XP, users are administrators by default. This means that they have complete control over everything in the operating system and can install programs and delete or move files without restriction. This is still the case with Windows 8, but User Account Control (UAC) adds a layer of protection.

Because of problems running legacy software in Windows, the full security afforded to other operating systems, such as Apple OS X and Linux, isn’t possible. But Windows developers recognize that users might occasionally make changes to the operating system, either unintentionally or without understanding the true repercussions. More important, Windows developers know that malicious software and viruses will want to do this, too.

UAC helps prevent inadvertent or malicious changes to critical system processes by putting a security layer between the user and any action that Windows determines could cause harm to or destabilize the operating system. When UAC is activated by a questionable action, Windows 8 drops into a secure desktop where only the UAC dialog box is active and where only a user, not software, can make a selection.

UAC is a useful but not foolproof way to protect Windows 8 from attack. As comedy science fiction author Douglas Adams once famously said, “A common mistake people make when trying to design something completely foolproof is to underestimate the ingenuity of complete fools.” Although this observation fails to take into account the simple fact that many people are often bemused or confused by technology, or even tricked by malware into clicking something they shouldn’t, it does apply to some degree to UAC. It’s still too easy for a user to click Yes without reading or properly understanding the implications of making such a decision. What isn’t helpful is that UAC messages are frequently unclear, and it can be difficult to determine what is trying to change what.

There are a great many ways to manage users on a computer and to prevent anyone from installing unauthorized software, making unnecessary changes, and downloading and opening harmful files from the Internet. But managing user accounts can be a complex process. This section covers some ways to manage user accounts.

Setting an Administrator Password

With UAC, a user can bypass security warnings by simply clicking through a dialog box. For better security on a multiuser desktop, you can set the main user as an administrator and all other users as standard users. Standard users have far fewer privileges to change Windows. They are even further restricted if you establish a password for the administrator account so that nobody can click through a UAC dialog box without entering the password.

INSIDE OUT: The pros and cons of setting an administrator password

On a multi-user computer, protecting the main administrator account with a password prevents other users from logging in as the administrator and upgrading their own accounts from standard users to administrators. But be aware that setting an administrator password can have a downside. Password protection for the administrator account prevents users from making even legitimate changes to Windows or other software that might be required.

To set up additional user accounts on your computer, follow these simple instructions:

1. Open the Start screen and swipe in from the right of the screen or press Windows logo key+C.

2. Click the Settings charm.

3. Click Change PC Settings.

4. Click Users, as illustrated in Figure 1.

   

   Figure 1. Managing user accounts in PC Settings

5. Click the + (plus) button next to Add A User.

   You now have a choice of whether to allow the user to use their Live ID on the computer or you can click Don’t Want This User To Sign In With A Microsoft Account? to create a user account specific to this computer, as shown in Figure 2.

   

   Figure 2. Adding a user account

   If you sign in with a Live ID the computer will ask for your username and password. If you creating a local account, proceed to step 7.

   Caution

   Signing into a computer that you do not intend to use regularly can leave Internet Favorites and temporary files on the PC that can potentially be accessed by other users. Deleting the user account when you are finished or signing in to the guest account can help prevent these problems occurring.

6. Windows 8 displays an explanation regarding the difference between creating a local or Live ID account (see Figure 3). Click Local Account to continue.

   

   Figure 3. Choosing a user account type

7. In the text boxes shown in Figure 4, type a username and optional password for the account.

   

   Figure 4. Adding user details

8. When the account has been created, click Finish, as demonstrated in Figure 5.

Figure 5. Finalizing a new user account