User Accounts

[suedseefrucht]

Hi,

I feel very stupid for asking this question, but most of the time, I used PCs with only one user account, except when I was a young kid.

In a few weeks a friend will be living at my home for one or two months and I was thinking about sharing my PC with him.

 

How do user accounts in windows 10 work and what do they actually do?

I found many instructions, how to create user accounts but no explanation, what they really do.

So if you know a website, where it is explained in a good way, please let me know.
Or tell me by yourself.

 

This is what I know so far:
I know administrator accounts. They can install and uninstall programs, games and access all drives and folders.
Standard user accounts can't install or uninstall anything, unless they know the administator's password.
Standard users have their own "Documents", "Images", "Desktop", "Music", "Videos", "Download" folders.

 

What about games? We both have steam accounts. Can we both play the same game from system (C:) or does it need to be installed twice?

 

What about additional HDDs? Can we both access the additional HDD? Can I config it in a way, so he can read, but not write?

 

Thanks guys!

[VectorTech]

15 minutes ago, suedseefrucht said:

1. How do user accounts in windows 10 work and what do they actually do?

2. We both have steam accounts. Can we both play the same game from system (C:) or does it need to be installed twice?

3. What about additional HDDs? Can we both access the additional HDD?

4. Can I config it in a way, so he can read, but not write?

1. User accounts in Windows allow another person to sign into the computer and access all programs installed for all users as well as files in the public directory as well as any additional drives that don't have permissions assigned.

2. Steam will have a single directory created under C:/Program Files x86/Steam... yada yada. Both users will be able to access the same steam installs.

3. You can both access the additional (non C:) drives without any issues, if you want to restrict access you have to change the drive permissions.

4. Absolutely!

 

 

[Mark Kaine]

User accounts on windows are basically worthless , non administrators can still access almost anything...

 

I guess it could be good for gaming so each "user" has their own saves...

 

Good question about steam, I guess it wouldn't require to install anything twice, and I guess it would just create a "user" folder for each account,  but im not sure about that.

 

PS: the way it basically works, you tell the other person to "not do anything stupid" and hope for the best lol, that's the windows way!

 

 

Also that's why backups are a thing.

 

I wouldn't let touch anyone my pc generally, with backups that changes to a definitely,  maybe... : p

 

[suedseefrucht]

7 minutes ago, Arika S said:

Though i would be more in the mindset of just not giving them access to your PC if you're more worried about them writing files to a disk as opposed to reading them

I trust him, but there are backups (of my mobile phone, pictures, videos, ps4 recordings) and it would be bad if they were deleted by accident

[GoodBytes]

7 hours ago, Mark Kaine said:

User accounts on windows are basically worthless , non administrators can still access almost anything...

I guess it could be good for gaming so each "user" has their own saves...

Good question about steam, I guess it wouldn't require to install anything twice, and I guess it would just create a "user" folder for each account,  but im not sure about that.

PS: the way it basically works, you tell the other person to "not do anything stupid" and hope for the best lol, that's the windows way!

Do you have any proof of this? Because this is a HUGE lie. Unless you are talking about Windows 95 and 98 (maybe Me, I'll give you that). But these days are long gone, and NT based OS where really the proper solution back then for this in any case.

[GoodBytes]

7 hours ago, suedseefrucht said:

I trust him, but there are backups (of my mobile phone, pictures, videos, ps4 recordings) and it would be bad if they were deleted by accident

Be sure that the account you create for him isn't Administrator, and he won't have access to your personal files using Windows.

 

If you want to ensure 0 access, even outside of Windows (say he boot from a Linux distro from a USB flash drive), be sure to encrypt your data.

Windows Pro offers this. Simply right click on your files or folders containing your files, pick Properties, then press the "Advanced" button, and you should have a checkbox in there to encrypt your data. Click OK, and OK on the Properties dialog. Windows will encrypt the selected data. Windows will also pop-up as message to backup your certification, which you will need to decrypt the data if you reinstall Windows (be sure to store it outside of your system. Just double click on it to import it, if you do re-install your OS, and pass through the wizard and it will make your encrypted files accessible again). The data is decrypted and accessible once you login.

[suedseefrucht]

1 minute ago, GoodBytes said:

Be sure that the account you create for him isn't Administrator, and he won't have access to your personal files using Windows.

Sure. 

 

1 minute ago, GoodBytes said:

If you want to ensure 0 access, even outside of Windows (say he boot from a Linux distro from a USB flash drive), be sure to encrypt your data.

Yeah, I dont think, that will be necessary. I make backups, to not lose important data but there is nothing, someone would break into my house for.