We have normal logon accounts, and then we have “Admin_” accounts for doing things, such as user account password changes & Group Policy management.

It is, to say the least, a pain to either:

• log out of my standard account and login with my Admin_ account or
• run each program with the “Run As User” option.

A co-worker suggested I look at the “Winstep Nexus Dock” toolbar.  It allows me to put all the utilities I need to run with my “Admin_” account into the toolbar, such as program shortcuts.

At start-up, I “Run As” the Nexus Dock with “Admin_” credentials.  Once the Nexus Dock is loaded, it will pass those credentials onto the program shortcuts.

There is a paid “Ultimate” version at $24.95US, which gives you additional features, but I find the free version does what I want.

The Australian Signals Directorate has published an explanatory article here explains why minimizing admin privileges is a good idea.

Related posts:

Resetting the main account password on a Android phone (Froyo 2.2) Active Directory User account being locked repeatedly How to remember that password on a test system

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