Solved Tutorial: How to make Windows 8 understand you ARE the Administrator

[GMan]

Are you tired of opening a command prompt while in a user account with Administrator privileges, and then running your command only to have it deny you access to it? Are you tired of other security warnings and disabilities when you are already the Administrator?

Well then this tutorial is for you. It is a simple and effective method to bypass the overprotective operating system.

I advise that you have a good hardware firewall (almost all routers qualify) between your machine and your ISP connection. Windows is protected from being accessed remotely to an account when there is no password present. However, if you do have a password, it is advised that it is long and random, with many different types of symbols such as $#(%&*. A weak password can be guessed at and your system compromised.

I also recommend not disabling the Windows Defender service. It is MSE on Windows 8 and is excellent.

This tweak goes well when UAC is already disabled and is assumed you have done so already.

   Warning

Disabling UAC using this method will break all Metro Store app until enabled again, and the computer restarted.

For the proper method for Windows 8 now, see: http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/5509-user-account-control-uac-change-settings-windows-8-a.html

So let's start.

User Account Control (UAC) - Elevate Privilege Level - Vista Forums

1) Type secpol.msc in the Start Menu and press Enter.

2) Double click on Local Policies then double click on Security Options.

3) Scroll to the bottom to this entry -

User Account Control: Run all administrators in Admin approval mode.

Double click that line.

4) Set it to disabled then press OK.

5) Reboot.

------------------

How to test that it works? Open a regular command prompt. Run this command, which you can stop anytime.

sfc /scannow

You will not be denied.

Here is relevant information about it:

User Account Control: Turn on Admin Approval Mode

This policy setting controls the behavior of all User Account Control (UAC) policy settings for the computer. If you change this policy setting, you must restart your computer.

The options are:

• Enabled: (Default) Admin Approval Mode is enabled. This policy must be enabled and related UAC policy settings must also be set appropriately to allow the built-in Administrator account and all other users who are members of the Administrators group to run in Admin Approval Mode.

• Disabled: Admin Approval Mode and all related UAC policy settings are disabled. Note: If this policy setting is disabled, the Security Center notifies you that the overall security of the operating system has been reduced.

   Warning

Disabling UAC using this method will break all Metro Store app until enabled again, and the computer restarted.

For the proper method for Windows 8 now, see: http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/5509-user-account-control-uac-change-settings-windows-8-a.html

 

[Calico]

Good tip :thumb: Just need to think of a way to apply something similar - for those who need - on the 'home' editions' when they become available.

 

[fafhrd]

There's no such thing as foolproof...

 

[GMan]

There's no such thing as foolproof...

hah! For quite some time now, I have written off Metro apps in no small part to what you are showing. I just made a post showing the same deny screen for a different reason.

lol @ the 3.1

 

[fafhrd]

There's no such thing as foolproof...

lol @ the 3.1

That's what you get on an Athlon X2 - 3.1 becomes 6.2, God knows what an I7 would do lol
now in Technicolor:

 

[johnpombrio]

What friggin` hat did you pull THIS rabbit out of? I searched for hours on the web to figure this out (never did) and here it was under my nose.. Thank you! Added to favorites and I am stingy with my favorite websites. AND a rep bump!

 

[chev65]

I turned off UAC as soon as I booted up Windows 8 CP the first time. I never received this warning of Apps can't open with UAC turned off however, if I dare to turn UAC back on again I can no longer access most of the Apps, they will not open no matter what I do after that point.

Another Windows 8 bug I'd say. Luckily I always make a system image after I get things they way I like them.

 

[GMan]

What friggin` hat did you pull THIS rabbit out of? I searched for hours on the web to figure this out (never did) and here it was under my nose.. Thank you! Added to favorites and I am stingy with my favorite websites. AND a rep bump!

And thank you!

aswinbarathb deserves credit in a roundabout way. Notice the screenshot in his opening post:

http://www.eightforums.com/hardware-drivers/5139-audio-service-not-running.html


I found it while searching secpol for a solution for him, before I found the technet url with the actual solution that worked for him. Once I saw the entry for this Admin permissions setting, I immediately knew I had to try it out to see how it went. And it went.

 

[fafhrd]

What MS fails to understand (in Matrix terms) "There is no administrator" ("There is no spoon"). This is a P(ersonal)C(omputer) operating system.

 

[Brink]

You could just enable the built-in elevated Administrator account and sign in to it like in Windows 7 and Vista to have full control as well.

Built-in Administrator Account - Enable or Disable - Windows 7 Forums

In addition:
User Account Control (UAC) - Elevate Privilege Level - Vista Forums

 

[GMan]

Yeah, that is true for sure, but then you are literally named Administrator and that is the first thing that root kits go for. You can rename the actual Administrator account to make that not a risk though, with secpol.msc.

Built-in Administrator Account - Change Name - Windows 7 Forums

Local Policies | Security Options | Accounts: Rename administrator account

"Accounts: Rename administrator account

This security setting determines whether a different account name is associated with the security identifier (SID) for the account Administrator. Renaming the well-known Administrator account makes it slightly more difficult for unauthorized persons to guess this privileged user name and password combination.

Default: Administrator."

Got to be careful, heh. Net use is a very powerful command, along with enumerating shares, amongst other commands that go well along with them....not to mention C$, D$, ADMIN$ etc...

 

[brk]

There's no such thing as foolproof...
View attachment 4840

I'm getting same error if i set User Account Control: Run all administrators in Admin approval mode as Disable . Any solution?

 

[Brink]

Hello Brk, and welcome to Eight Forums.

This will hopefully be fixed in the Windows 8 Release Preview. For now the UAC notification settings will need to be set to the default setting, and leave User Account Control: Run all administrators in Admin approval mode set to it's default setting of Enabled.

If you like, you can use this below instead though.

User Account Control (UAC) - Elevate Privilege Level - Vista Forums

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[GMan]

This will hopefully be fixed in the Windows 8 Release Preview.

It would be cool, but I don't think it's broken, but rather by design and intended by MS for security reasons.

 

[Brink]

Sure would. We'll find out next month though.

 

[brk]

OK. Thanks.
I hope it will be fixed.

 

[ceckin]

Just got my copy of W8 from Dreamspark and sad to see this trend continues, I'm baffled how MS can randomly assume that only idiots run windows. Its literally irritating to use UAC, but on the other hand there are some cool metro apps. So is there a solution to this problem? Cause migrating my account to the Administrator account is not an option for me.

And just a question to the MS logic team: When i'm member of Administrators group on my machine, why on earth there are restrictions to what i can access and what i can do? More over, why would you enforce UAC with Metro apps on Administrators? If im Administrator on my own PC, im pretty damn sure what i'm doing, i don't need a popup every time.

 

[azasadny]

Thanks for the good info here!

 

[alikhan]

Just got my copy of W8 from Dreamspark and sad to see this trend continues, I'm baffled how MS can randomly assume that only idiots run windows. Its literally irritating to use UAC, but on the other hand there are some cool metro apps. So is there a solution to this problem? Cause migrating my account to the Administrator account is not an option for me.

And just a question to the MS logic team: When i'm member of Administrators group on my machine, why on earth there are restrictions to what i can access and what i can do? More over, why would you enforce UAC with Metro apps on Administrators? If im Administrator on my own PC, im pretty damn sure what i'm doing, i don't need a popup every time.

agreed ...its really annoying. I hope they fix it .

 

[davehc]

If it is only the Command prompt privileges, it is not really necessary to delve into secpol. Jusy create a shortcut, (which eventually you can place where your choose). In the text window type Cmd. Click. Give it a name - How about "Command Prompt"? click
Right Click your new shortcut and select properties and the "shortcut" tab. Click "Advanced". Select "Run as Administrator" Leave the other option as it is (Run in Separate memory space), Ok and out. Done.