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Download Setting up a limited user account in Windows XP (PDF, 490 KB)

Creating and using a limited account for most daily tasks, such as surfing the web and reading emails, will reduce the amount and type of malware that is able to infect your computer.

Many forms of serious malware require a user to be running as an Administrator, i.e. either logged in as an Administrator1 user or running a program with Administrator privileges, in order to successfully infect your computer. Operating as a limited user greatly reduces the effectiveness of many types of harmful malware.

Note: You must log in with an account that has Administrative rights to complete the following instructions

It is important to enable these features on an automatic basis because they correct security bugs in the operating system software which, if exploited, could allow an attacker to steal sensitive information from your computer or delete or modify your computer’s files.

1. Click the “Start Button” in the lower left corner of your screen. The button looks like the following image.

   

2. Single click on the icon labeled “Control Panel”.

   

3. Open the User Accounts window by clicking on the button.

    

4. Click on the button “Create new account”

   

5. Type a name for the new account and then click the Next button

   

6. Select the radio button for Limited. Then click the “Create Account” button.

   

7. The next time you log in, you can log in as the new user.

1 You can check whether you are an Adminstrator by following steps 1 to 3 above and looking
for “Administrator” beside your login name.