Easily "Run As" Administrator

If you have ever needed to install a program or make a system wide change requiring administrator access, you can easily do this by using the run as feature within Windows XP.

The run as command allows you to temporarily assign administrator rights and permissions to a particular task or application. Once the task is completed, the permissions are revoked, returning all system permissions to normal. The run as command operates within a shell from the main operating system, so nothing else has administrator access - apart from the application that was invoked with run as.

To access the "run as" command

- hold down the shift key
- right mouse click the program icon
- select run as from the context menu
- login using the administrator credentials (or any other user)

Once you have completed the task with the administrator rights, closing the program will remove the administrator rights that were given.