Basic security measures in Windows are heavily related to the administrator account, without which you wouldn’t have much freedom to install or run specific programs, services, or video games.
Even if you’re logged into an administrator account, prompts still show up when running certain executables, but you’re not asked to write down the password again. The situation changes when running the same applications from a regular account, with the prompt showing up, requiring the administrator password.
This method is used to prevent others from messing up system configurations, or worse, allowing malicious content to infiltrate, even by accident. On the other hand, this prompt becomes frustrating when you frequently have to run a specific program with a regular account, even if it’s made to enhance security.
Luckily, there are methods of providing the right clearance for a target program, without disabling anything, but rather simply granting full administrator privileges to just that specific program. Some tweaking is required, but there’s also an app for that.
The Windows method
| Important note: First of all, an elevated administrator account must be enabled for this method to work. Doing so is easy, but it’s highly recommended NOT to use it for everyday activities, since it’s fitted with unrestricted access to any area of your computer, every operation you perform, and isn’t even prompted by the UAC, which makes it an easy target for malicious content. |
Step 1: Make sure you’re currently logged into an administrator account. Launch the Command Prompt with admin privileges. It’s easily done by right-clicking the Start Menu button and choosing the option from the menu.
Step 2: Regardless of the location, type in this command:
| net user administrator /active:yes |
Step 3: Close the Command Prompt and access the Control Panel.
Step 4: From the User Accounts section, follow the link to Change Account Type.
Step 5: Now, pick the new Administrator account, and choose to Create a Password.
Step 6: Fill in the corresponding fields for the password and hint fields, and press the Create Password button. You can close the Control Panel.
Step 7: Sign out of the current administrator account and log into the one you want to grant special permission to.
Step 8: Go to the location you wish to launch the program from, or stay on the desktop. Right-click an empty space, and choose to create a New Shortcut.
Step 9: A new prompt shows up. In the field where you need to Type The Location of The Item, write down this code:
| runas /user:computer_nameAdministrator /savecred “C:application_pathexecutable_name.extension” |
In this example, the code we had to write down looks like this:
| runas /user:DESKTOP-N12V7FQAdministrator /savecred “C:Program Files (x86)IObitIObit UninstallerIObitUninstaller.exe” |
Step 10: Press Next, and give the shortcut the name you see fit.
Step 11 (optional): Access the Properties panel to change the program icon, because by default it’s not fitted with one.
Step 12: Run the newly created shortcut, type down the administrator password you previously set, and press Enter. The program runs, and you don’t have to enter the password again for this application.
| Removing the saved password: The password is now saved in the Windows Credentials Manager, and can be removed from there. It’s done by looking for the Credentials Manager utility via search (Win + S), clicking on Windows Credentials, expanding the Computer_nameAdministrator entry, and hitting Remove. |
The third-party alternative
A much faster and easier way is to use RunAs Tool. The first launch requires you to write down the administrator password, after which you only need to drag target files over the main window. These can either be run from the program interface, or right-clicking items to create desktop shortcuts with admin privileges.
In conclusion
Bottom line is that the administrator prompt and UAC screen are good security measures, even if it gets frustrating to always have to write down the password to run specific programs. However, if other security measures have your back, then it’s probably safe to make a few exceptions, at least with frequently used applications that can’t really harm your PC.