Admin vs. User account

[Easto]

I'm just starting to familiarize myself with the differences between the two.

I downloaded Libre Office while logged in as the Local User. When it came time to run install the program I was greeted by expected prompt to enter an Admin's password in order to install the program. When trying to save my first document to my Documents folder I was greeted with an alert stating the the folder has blocked access. This seemed a little strange. Upon further examination I had to go into Windows Defender and give this program the rights to access this folder. Is that correct? I'm not sure how many other programs I will install but I can see this as getting kind of monotonous. Would this behavior change if I was to download and install as Admin and then give User Level access?

[Philip]

It depends on the application.. In general, admin accounts have full access to write to most system folders, "Program Files", etc. while uses accounts are limited to their own "C:\Users\\[username]" folder. When you install an application, it should ask you whether you want it installed for "every user" or just for that one user, and that may then modify where it saves its' files/configuration by default.

If you installed the program as one user, and tried to access it as another, you may be trying to save to the wrong users' "Documents" folder. Your user should already have access to their own "Documents" folder.. So I'd check where exactly it is trying to save files.

[Easto]

Thanks, It's becoming more and more clear as I play around with it. I was trying to save the document to the logged in User but it still gave me that alert when I tried to save the doc to that user document folder. I'll just keep playing around with it.

I think I will be loading everything as the admin and then giving all users access as I see fit. I also want to install a guest user at some point.

[Easto]

Although it's just me as Admin and User... what is the preferred way to access and manipulate User permissions while logged in as Admin?

[Philip]

You can always right-click on the folder/file > choose Properties > Permissions, and add permissions as necessary. You could also "share" one users' folder with another from there.

[Easto]

Thanks Philip. I know most of this is pretty basic stuff and I should not even have to ask these questions but... I've always been aware of the features, I've just never put them in use. I'm trying to check for answers online while also trying out all these things before I ask questions here, but sometimes I can't find the correct answer.

[Philip]

There is more than one way to do it, and Windows can get really messy with multiple interfaces for the same thing in general.

Bottom line is, if you are installing a program as Administrator, and you are installing it "For All Users", it should then only modify folders accessible by those users when running. I realize this is not always the case though, as Windows itself has different recommendations for where programs save their settings and working files depending on the Windows version, 32 vs. 64-bit versions of Windows and the software, etc.

[Easto]

I've got a bigger problem.

Somehow my Admin user login started getting "You've been signed in with a tamp Profile" message. I'm not sure if this had anything to do with my new Local User account I've been playing around with. I've searched online and deleted and renamed registry profiles. I've tried just about everything. In the meantime I have created a new Admin profile. When I log in with Safe Mode with my original Admin profile everything looks just as it has for the last 5 years. This makes me believe that the Profile is still good. The local User and new Admin logins seem to work fine and I can see all my data. So I'm not panicking about lost data. It's just that I'd like to get the original Admin profile back up and running.

I'm going to continue searching the web for answers. The think is, after I've followed the registry instructions to the letter, the next suggestion was to create a new admin and rework all my data.