Tip for Explorer when running as non-Admin

Got the following comment on my recent blog on running as admin:

You can launch Internet Explorer as Admin and switch to folder view while remaining in admin mode.

In XP, you can't do a run as from the "Pinned" start menu. You have to use a shortcut from Program Files, Quick Launch, etc.

Now, if I could just find away to launch iexplore in folder view...any ideas?
[Drew Robbins]

Excellent tip, Drew! While I haven't yet discovered how to make it open in Folders view (a la Windows Explorer), I did find that it's easy to pin IE to the start menu, so you don't have to go hunting for it in order to use Run As... to run it as Admin. And if you set the Home Page setting (Tools | Options | General) to C:\, IE will open to the C drive, rather than the Web, making it easier to avoid inadvertently surfing while Admin.

In another comment on the same post, Drew asks:

I wonder if there is someway I can color the background or make some visual indication just for this Admin explorer. So that I can see clearly what mode I'm in for that explorer. A bright red background, although annoying, would sufficiently warn me when I go to launch an app from this admin iexplore instance.

Alas, I wasn't able to find an easy way to do this, so I'm going to get in the habit of keeping this window maximized to differentiate it from my other Explorer windows, which I never maximize.

So that at least solves the inconvenience of being able to use Windows Explorer as an Admin when running from a non-Admin account. Anyone else have useful tips and tricks for managing common tasks when running as a non-Admin?

1 Comment

  • Ha! I thought of the IE idea because of your previous post, now this one got me thinking about another improvement.





    So I created a new Shortcut as you did and pinned it. In the shortcut properties, I added C:\ as the only parameter in the command line (the result is similar to your homepage idea without having to change the homepage). Clicking the Advanced option in the shortcut properties and I was able to say I want this shortcut to launch with different credentials.





    Finally, renamed the shortcut "Admin Explorer" and gave it a more appropriate icon. I also gave it a shortcut key, but I'm not sure if I'll remember to use it. Habits are hard to form.





    I still haven't solved the issue of making it visually obvious I'm using explorer running under admin. But, now its as easy as Easy-Mac to launch explorer as admin.

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