why does my computer say i need to be administrato

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Why does my computer say I needto be administrator, when I am?

In Windows Vista and Windows 7, your account may be

administrator but you still may be denied access, saying

you need to be administrator. I'll show why and what to

do.

My computer says that I need to be the administrator [to perform

a tas k], but I already am! An y ideas as to wh at is happening?

Sure.

You’re not the administrator. Not really.

Oh, sure, you may think that you’re the administrator. And Windows may have even lead

you to believe that you’re the administrator.

But, as the result of a new security feature introduced in Windows Vista and made less

obnoxious in Windows 7, you’re not the real administrator by default.

But you can be.

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Administrator… But Not

UAC, or User Account Control, is an important security feature that, in essence, makes the

account that you’ve created to be the administrator not have administrative privileges by

default.

The reason is that most users run as administrator on their own machine. That means that

without this feature, any programs you run also have full administrative privileges.

Including malware.

Whether you want it or not.

The solution is to think of your

administrator account more

like “administrator capable”, rather than

being the actual real-life administrator.

By administrator-capable, I mean thatWindows will often ask you for permission before performing tasks that require true

administrative access and you’ll just have to say yes or no.

Use ‘Run as administrator’

with caution and only

when you’re sure you need to

use it.

“



Now, right-click again, but this time, on the Windows Explorer line in that pop-up menu:

As you can see, there’s what we’re looking for: “Run as administrator”. Click on that. You’ll

get the UAC confirmation prompt. After clicking Yes, that instance of Windows Explorer has

full administrative privileges.

Cautions

It’s tempting to just leave that Windows Explorer open and running so that you’ll never

bump into the restriction, but this opens up risks.

Any program that you start from within that copy of Windows Explorer

inherits administrative privileges. If you run your mail, your browser, your word processing

program or instant messaging client by double-clicking on their icon in this instance of

Windows Explorer, they’ll be able to do anything . And that includes any malware, such as

emailed attachments, that they might “invite” onto your system. Essentially, you’ll have

completely subverted the security measures that the UAC puts into place.

In addition, Windows treats file ownership and security differently, depending on what user

you are and whether you have full administrative privileges. In other words, the files that

you create with full administrative privileges might not be accessible to you without those

privileges – even though you were logged in with the same administrator-capable account.

In short, the security put into place with the UAC is there for an important reason and helps

keep your machine safe from many forms of malware and exploits. Use “Run as

administrator” with caution and only when you’re sure that you need to use it. And even

then, use it only for those things that require it. Close the program (Windows Explorer in

our example above) as soon as you no longer need

the extra capabilities.



Kim

Charles Edwards

Read more:

How do I know when it’s safe to allow programs that cause the User Account Control

(UAC) notification to occur? User Account Control or UAC asks when programs need

special permissions to do something. I’ll look at when those are, and are notappropriate.

Requires Elevation – What does that mean and what do I do? Windows Vista may tell

you that a program requires elevation in order to run. We’ll look at what that means,

and the various steps you can take.

How do I turn off User Access Control (UAC) in Windows Vista? User Access Control, or

UAC, is new in Windows Vista and prompts you each time an application requires

administrative access. Annoyance, or feature?

Posted: March 3, 2011 In: Windows User Interface

Shortlink: https://askleo.com/4757

About Leo

Leo A. Notenboom has been playing with computers since he was required to take a programming

class in 1976. An 18 year career as a programmer at Microsoft soon followed. After "retiring" in 2001,

Leo started Ask Leo! in 2003 as a place for answers to common computer and technical questions.

More about Leo.

Comments

March 8, 2011 at 8:14 am

why do i get this error?? Windows security…

these files can’t be opened…

your internetsecurity settings prevented one or more files from being opened. Does it have to do with the

administrator account?? I get this everytime i type something into the start menu serarch

area…i had vista but upgraded to windows 7?? can you help??

REPLY

March 8, 2011 at 8:27 am

Great help thanks a million! I was PO that I could not do things on my own computer.REPLY

http://localhost/var/www/apps/conversion/tmp/scratch_7/why_does_my_computer_say_i_need_to_be_administrator_when_i_am/?replytocom=193653#respond


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http://ask-leo.com/how_do_i_turn_off_user_access_control_uac_in_windows_vista.html

http://ask-leo.com/requires_elevation_what_does_that_mean_and_what_do_i_do.html

http://ask-leo.com/how_do_i_know_when_its_safe_to_allow_programs_that_cause_the_user_account_control_uac_notification_to_occur.html



David Usher

Sebastian Magnano

Harry Torossian

Keith McGee

Sandy Killila

Robert Byrne

Mario

March 8, 2011 at 8:42 am

Thank you. With “Administrator”, can I turn off driver certificate requirements? I have

BlazeDTV which works perfectly with XP, but 7 will not allow the drivers!!!

REPLY

March 8, 2011 at 10:09 am

All of a sudden when I open e mail with attachments that I know, the email comes thru

without the attachment available. Is it the sender?? or is it my email?? I use Windows mail.

This started about one month ago.

REPLY

March 8, 2011 at 11:25 am

I tried spybot and it would not delete 31 items saying I wasn’t the administrator. Well I am.

I find this very irritating .

REPLY

March 8, 2011 at 12:04 pm

Thanks VERY much! This issue was really perplexing and I could find nothing on the MS“help” venues. Now I can run Spybot again.

REPLY

March 8, 2011 at 1:25 pm

I’m with Keith. I was never so disappointed as when I had to abandon SpyBot because I

didn’t know how to be more of an administrator than I already was. I love SpyBot and now I

can…

again…

and be an Administrator! Wow.

REPLY

March 8, 2011 at 2:44 pm

Brilliant. This problem has bedevilled me ever since I installed Vista O/S. Because I am a

one user one machine man I always thought I was the Administrator but I now understand

why I am not and what to do when I have similar problems in future. Well done Leo

REPLY

March 8, 2011 at 3:13 pm









Ted Ramsey

Edy Medor.

Saetana

This admistrator issue gave me so many headaches!! No more from now on!!Thanks Leo!! It

was a great idea to subscribe to your newsletter!!!!

REPLY

March 8, 2011 at 7:05 pm

That’s fine, if you Visa or 7; but what about XP? I tried what you suggested and it doesn’t

work that way. So what can I do because I have the same problem?

The concept doesn’t apply to XP. In XP if you’re logged in with an account that has

administrative privilegess, then you have those all the time without asking. (That’s

the security issue that UAC fixes.) When logged in as an administrator you can

assign administrative privileges to another account: How do I get administrative

privileges on Windows XP?

10-Mar-2011

REPLY

March 8, 2011 at 7:42 pm

I, myself, was always trying to understand this issue about administrative rights and I am

pretty darn sure that everyone at one time or another had to face this mind-boggling

problem while using their PC. I really extol this article which really gives a good

understanding of what it’s all about.

Many thanks Leo!.

REPLY

March 9, 2011 at 9:57 am

I’m running Windows 7 64 bit Home Premium and I have completely disabled UAC, those

popups are annoying, even at the lower security levels, plus I had some issues with

installing software (probably because of this same admin-not admin issue). I wouldn’t

recommend it for computer novices but I’ve had no problems and not one single bit of

malware since I got this PC 12 months ago (I do run full security software plus a few other

precautions), then again I do combine this with being careful using the internet ;o)

REPLY




http://ask-leo.com/how_do_i_get_administrative_privileges_on_windows_xp.html




Mike

Danny

Frank

Nikon Chick

Robin Clay

Moose

March 9, 2011 at 10:26 am

Leo, bless you, thank you! I learned the HARD way never to disable the UAC, but not having

Administrator privileges when needing to install certain programs has been a real pain.

Somehow, stumbling around, I’ve gotten it to do what I want, but NOW I can do it

intelligently.REPLY

March 12, 2011 at 7:48 am

Thought about this for years you have opened my eyes! Thank You Leo!

REPLY

April 9, 2011 at 7:25 am

Wow, I just taught this very topic to my students in Operating Systems class. Monday, I am

going to share this article with them for a clear explanation! Good article!

REPLY

August 18, 2011 at 9:18 am

Thanx for the info! My son built me a kick ass computer but went back to college and I kepthaving this problem and its so frustrating. But now I’m back to ruling my computer

REPLY

November 1, 2011 at 5:23 pm

Thank you for the instructions. Alas! They don’t work for me (running Win7)

When I right-click on the Explorer icon, and ditto on “Run as administrator”, it asks in a newwindow, “Do you want to allow the following program to make changes to your computer,

Yes or No”. Click on “Yes”, and… up comes yet another window, “This file does not have a

program associated with it for performing this action. Please install a program, or, if one is

already installed, create an association in the Default Programs control panel”.

What’s going on ?

REPLY

May 31, 2015 at 7:49 am

I’m running windows 7 too, and I tried that trick too, but when I got to the








Lom

Angel Ryan

Legs

Venkatesh Bc

administer page, the “yes” button was grayed out, so I don’t have the option to

overrun the problem. I look at my name and I can see the cute little puppy pic, and

my name and “Standard” user above it What the heck? I can’t even install games

without the approval of myself, and I can’t get it.

REPLY

February 2, 2012 at 3:12 pm

Hi Leo! Here’s one of your italian fan I have a problem similar to this. I have installed a

videogame (excuse me if I disturb you with such a stupid problem but is really annoying).

When I try to run the .exe file a window pops up saying “impossible to axcess to the

dispositive, to the path or the specificated file. It is probable that you don’t have the

autorizations requested.” (translated from italian, I hope you’ll understand =) ) i tried

running with UAC disabled, with the “run as administrator” option but never worked. How todo? please help me =

REPLY

February 7, 2012 at 8:36 am

Leo, my computer is completely down and it too involves the Administrator password. Mine

won’t accept it. We can’t reboot or anything. Your article taught me a lot about the term

Administrator, can you expand it a little to cover computers that won’t accept Administratorpasswords? I am the Administrator (well you know what I mean) and I have always used the

same password for years so it’s not like I forgot it. It just won’t accept it. Thanks so much

and keep up the good work.

Well, you can try reseting the administrator password: I’ve lost the password to my

Windows Administrator account, how do I get it back?

07-Feb-2012

REPLY

April 24, 2012 at 3:00 am

I tried this but the program still says i need to be an administrator to run the program

REPLY

June 19, 2012 at 11:58 pm



http://ask-leo.com/ive_lost_the_password_to_my_windows_administrator_account_how_do_i_get_it_back.html





Anthony

Ad

Ad

Richard

i did all circus to access my control panel of windows 7 ultimate……….( if i open control

panel dis operation has been canceled due to restrictions in effects on this computer.

please contact administrator… and i am d administrator. plzzzzzzzz someone help me…

This isn’t referring to the administrator account, it’s referring to whomever setup

and administers your machine. This scenario is most commonly associated with

malware – run up to date scans as soon as possible.

22-Jun-2012

REPLY

August 21, 2012 at 5:39 am

Hi Leo, I followed your instructions but this did not work for me. I ended up getting another

box saying “File Access Denied”. Where do I go from here Leo

REPLY

November 10, 2012 at 11:01 am

I’m on Win XP. Admin account – the only one. Can not install SW – it asks for Admin

rights… It used to be a part of a domain but no longer. It’s connected to MSHOME network.

No password and no problem logging in. Please help. Thanks very much – Ad

REPLY

November 10, 2012 at 11:08 am

Trying to install a wireless USB adapter and it gives an Error #1303 -the installer has

insufficient privileges to access this directory: c:program filesnetgear.There’s only one account – Administrator

Thanks again.

Ad

REPLY

December 28, 2012 at 10:42 pm

Thanks for the article for I just had an experience where I had to do a system recovery and I

wondered why the computer generated these “new” accounts. Found them when after the

recovery I was cleaning up and reloading things back into users personal stuff. Click open







Makade Vassele

John Gaines

Crystal

Eric

Mark Jacobs

C:, opened Users, and sat back and said “WHAAAT!?” Who are these accounts I didn’t set up.

I know how to access the “hidden” admin account, so I’m glad I came across this article

before possibly inflicting damage. To me it’s a “looks ugly, but it works” situation. It was a

frustrating, long time to find an answer and you had it! I am very glad to have found your

newsletter and becoming a subscriber. That deserves a Facebook “like”. Thank you for doing

what you do.

REPLY

March 21, 2013 at 9:05 pm

okay I just updated to windows 8 and im trying to activate it for sure but it says ” cant

activate at this time, please contract your system admin or technical support department.”

please help

REPLY

July 4, 2014 at 5:36 am

When I right click on the Windows Explorer icon I get no such options. All that happens is

WE opens.

REPLY

September 14, 2014 at 5:45 am

I am having this problem when I’ in control panel and trying to delete a program.. any

advice?

REPLY

December 7, 2014 at 9:52 pm

Hello Leo,

I’m trying to use a System Restore to get rid of a ICE trojan popup. At the moment the

System Restore button is grayed out showing I need to be administrator…. and yet my

account already says I am? What else can I do? I’m aware there is a Safe Mode with

networking option but I keep going to the screen where its loadng windows Files and gets

stuck there. Any advice you can provide will be greatly apprieciated. I just want my

computer to work again without having to restart it every half an hour.

REPLY

December 8, 2014 at 1:51 am








Angela

Kitty

JudgeDredd

Leo

Blocking System Restore and blocking access to Safe Mode are things malware is

capable of doing. In fact, there’s nor much malware can’t do. In an case, System

Restore often doesn’t do what we expect it to.

https://askleo.com/why_i_dont_like_system_restore/

Here are a couple of articles on recovering control of your machine after a malware

attack.

http://ask-

leo.com/how_do_i_clear_up_these_lingering_problems_after_a_malware_infection.html

http://ask-

leo.com/how_do_i_remove_this_error_on_startup_after_a_virus_removal.html

REPLY

January 2, 2015 at 9:04 pm

My problem started with the IE saying it needs to be upgraded….the upgrade will not

install unless I have windows service pack 2….found out that I needed SP1 first…try to

install SP1, it said it installed but it didn’t, tried about 10 times….now it says that system

restore was turned of by group policy and that I need to contact my “Domain

Administrator”. I bought this computer in 2006 and no one has ever touched it but me….So

what does it mean “domain administrator” and how do I turn System Restore back on and

How do I upgrade or replace my Internet Browser??? Please help so mad right now that I

can’t even see straight…

.Thank you, angie

REPLY

January 9, 2015 at 6:54 am

Excellent! Very good advice and such a help! Thank you!

REPLY

January 10, 2015 at 6:22 pm

A couple of extremely important questions your very helpful article does not address. 1) If

your browser is already running while you make this change does it then inherit the

permissions you warned about? 2) Is there some way to check what permissions a given

program has? 3) Is there any way to revert these permissions if someone accidentally

clicked on a program while running as an admin?

REPLY

January 11, 2015 at 9:22 am

https://askleo.com/





http://ask-leo.com/how_do_i_remove_this_error_on_startup_after_a_virus_removal.html

http://ask-leo.com/how_do_i_clear_up_these_lingering_problems_after_a_malware_infection.html

https://askleo.com/why_i_dont_like_system_restore/



Plasmadog7

Leo

Plasmadog7

Plasmadog7

1) No. 2) I think process explorer can tell you by looking at the details of a process.

3) Other than exiting the program, no.

REPLY

February 11, 2015 at 10:03 am

I cannot remove a picture file I created literally 1 minute ago, saying I need administrator

access to perform this action. Click continue. Then it says “You need permission to perform

this action. You require permission from the computer administrator to delete this file. Click

try again, or cancel. Try again does nothing. thought about using cmd.com in reboot, but not

sure this will work cmd.com wont let me delete it in windows. I don’t get it, Im the only

account on this PC, marked as administrator in UAC account settings, and have never really

had this problem until recently. I have 2 antivirus programs on the PC, Norton and Windows

Defender. Found cookies but only 1 virus in the years I have used this thing. Any ideas? Ithought about creating a new administrator account, but I had this problem with my mom’s

new Windows 8 laptop and couldn’t get around it.

Thanks!

Ryan

REPLY


Did you try running Windows Explorer *as* administrator as outlined in the article?

REPLY


No I did not. I used my computer, which doesn’t appear to have the

option to ‘run as administrator’ when you right click on the icon. Iassumed (although incorrectly since you pointed out in your article)

that it was for applications like Word or Adobe Acrobat etc. rather

than what I would consider more core windows files like My

Computer, Network Places, etc, although this too is probably

incorrect. As mentioned below, I doubt it had much to do with

administrator privilege at all since the file was removed using the

exact same method without issue after closing IE.

REPLY




https://askleo.com/





ScrewUp

Mac

Dan

Leo

I wrote above and I believe the situation is resolved.

I think the file may have been in use because I was trying to upload the file to Ebay. I

actually cropped the photo in pant and uploaded the new file, but later I had no issues. I

thought it usually told you ‘the file was in use’ versus the message I received regarding

administrator permissions. When I went to try again later I had no problem deleting or

moving the files. Thank you anyway, I think your service is very cool and great for people

like me. But since my issues resolved, you needn’t address this or the above problems.

Sorry and thank you Leo,

REPLY


It could be done in a way you likebut not by Microsoft

2 stubburn. way 2

REPLY

March 8, 2015 at 1:30 pm

I haven’t seen an answer yet to my question: Why do I NOW need permission to run Internet

Explorer when I didn’t before? (Windows 7 Ultimate 64 bit).

This issue is recent (like just a couple of days ago it started doing this).. When I would run IE

from the task bar or the start menu, IE would come right up to my google home page — NO

DELAY WITH ANY KIND OF PERMISSION!….. NOW it DOES!.

Thank You

Mac

REPLY

June 4, 2015 at 10:19 pm

Is this the same as clicking “Start”, “Run” and typing “explorer”? What is run from there is

supposed to be run as admin.

REPLY

June 5, 2015 at 12:00 pm

Start, Run does not automatically run as administrator, if that’s what you’re saying.

REPLY


https://askleo.com/







Mark Jacobs

Khan Sab

Nicole

Mark Jacobs

Mamie Brown

June 5, 2015 at 8:09 am

“Start”, “Run” and typing “explorer” will run the Windows/File explorer, but that wouldn’t be

in administrator mode.

REPLY

July 7, 2015 at 12:44 am

I did this but still the exe says you need administrative rights….?

REPLY

July 9, 2015 at 4:53 am

My computer does exactly the same but when i want to run as administration the screenpops up but i cant select yes because it requires an administrative password which i dont

have. Dont know what to do. Please help

REPLY

July 9, 2015 at 3:33 pm

The administrative password is the password for you main account which is an

administrator account unless you opened another account, designated it anadministrator account and changed the original account to be non-administrator

account. I believe you’d remember if you did something like that.

REPLY

July 28, 2015 at 7:48 am

While playing a game on my laptop it suddenly stopped and a box appeared with the words

…

..LUA ERROR ?:0: attempt to concatenate a nil value ..

Can anyone help please

REPLY

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