Admin or restricted user? worried about spyware

[thundermax]

On my Windows machines, i always have an admin user and a limited user. I only log in as admin to do installs. I always run my software, including BTV as a limited user to avoid adware and viruses.

However, BTV 4.5 implemented some kind of new security feature that prevented me from viewing webadmin, watchTV or record shows unless I run BTV as an administrator. This works fine until BTV restarts itself and cannot restart as admin unless I am there to enter the password. So the result is failed recordings until I manually restart BTV as an admin.

So, how do you guys have your computers set up to run all day and night with administrator rights and avoid spyware, adware, viruses etc?

[Khris]

Mine runs completely as an admin and I've never had an issue with it.

[pvrguy]

I don't surf the Net on my BTV server.

[ClamsTheCat]

I use Firefox to download drivers and things like that on the Server machine.

[thundermax]

I know I'm sounding paranoid, but I keep reading reports about people setting up brand new computers and having spyware within minutes. For example:

"a new computer will be infected within 7 minutes of logging online. "
http://stlouis.dbusinessnews.com/sho...pe_news=latest

"the average computer hooked up to the Internet gets hit with something like Spyware within the first four minutes"
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/117/story/48597.html

[Khris]

Most of those examples are when a computer is connected directly to the Internet. Computers behind a router are generally safer (but not completely unreachable by hackers).

[Bigbird999]

Do your setup behind a hardware firewall (ie a router). For a BTV server that is all the protection you need. By default XP SP2 enables the Windows firewall. You can even disable that when you are finished setting up. Then make an image of your Boot drive, just in case (chances are, you will never need it). The general rule is that you will only need this image if you don't make one. If you use Firefox for browsing, and only do trusted downloads you will be safe. Don't use email on the server. Don't let your "buddies" plug a thumb drive into your server, because it could contain a virus. Plug it into one of the other computers so that AV program can scan the files.

All of your other machines that access the net should be behind the router and running AV and Spyware programs. That way, any bad stuff in emails or questionable downloads will get blocked.

BB

[Fonceur]

Originally Posted by thundermax

"the average computer hooked up to the Internet gets hit with something like Spyware within the first four minutes"

Just integrate the windows' patches on your installation CD (RyanVM's patches + his integrator at http://www.ryanvm.net/msfn/updatepack.html or through nLite)...

[JimF]

Originally Posted by thundermax

So, how do you guys have your computers set up to run all day and night with administrator rights and avoid spyware, adware, viruses etc?

I run WinXP in a Limited User account also, which is better than any anti-trojan ever invented for security.
To run BTV 4.6, I use a .bat file, named BTV.bat, which I place in the program folder: C:\Program Files\SnapStream Media\
The content of the BTV.bat file is the following two lines:
CD C:\Program Files\SnapStream Media\Beyond TV
RUNAS /savecred /user:XXXXXXXX\administrator BTVAgent2.exe
where XXXXXXXX is the name of your computer (as shown by right-clicking on My Computer/Properties/Computer Name tab).
The .bat file is created by simply creating a text file, and then after the above two lines are entered, just renaming the .txt extension to .bat.
You can create a shortcut to this .bat file and place it on your desktop to startup manually. But if you want to start it automatically, in case your PC reboots, place it in your Programs Startup folder. Be sure to run it once in your Admin account to enter the password for your Admin account. It will then enter the password automatically when you start it in your User account. But as I recall, if you don't have a password for your Admin account, you will have to create one for it to work.

[thundermax]

thanks JimF, I'll try that

I still want to be able to use my PC as a workstation until I get another PC.

[Terminal]

You could also try TweakUI in windows powertoys. You can use this to have your system automatically log in to a particular account on the system.

[JimF]

TweakUI is fine for logging in to an account, and could solve the problem by itself, since all thundermax needs to do is run in an Admin account upon reboot. But he could also run in a limited user account using the .bat file. In fact, the .bat file is only really necessary to access the Advanced Settings. But otherwise, BTV will run OK even in a limited user account, at least if you grant write permission to the program folder. I submitted a help request to SnapStream on this, and they replied that it is .NET 2.0 that requires the Administrator rights. I don't know why it didn't before though. But it probably has to do with Vista compatibility in 4.6, as noted by someone else in another discussion.

[thundermax]

JimF, I did what you said, but i have to re-enter my password everytime it starts. Here is a screenshot of what I am seeing

http://img98.imageshack.us/img98/6120/btvbatzt7.jpg

this is my BTV.bat text

CD C:\Program Files\SnapStream Media\Beyond TV
RUNAS /savecred /user:j\admin BTVAgent2.exe

I changed administrator to admin, because that is my login id for administrator

[JimF]

thundermax,

You still have an Administrator account, even if you create an "Admin" account. And the Administrator account is the one where the Runas command needs to see a password. The only problem is that if you give administrative rights to the "Admin" account, you then don't see the real "Administrator" account when you log on. So you will need to remove administrator rights, at least temporarily, from the "Admin" account (XP makes this unnecessarily confusing). But then, when you log on, you should see the real "Administrator" account. You will need to give it a password, but maybe you already did so when you installed WinXP. Then, in the real Administrator account, run the .bat file and enter your password. If it starts up OK, then you can add administrator rights back to your "Admin" account, and log onto it the next time. Everything should work.

But if you want to run BTV from the "Admin" account anyway, and not from an account with limited user rights, you can just use TweakUI to start up in the Admin account. Also, put a shortcut to the BTVAgent2.exe program in the startup folder of your Admin account. Then, when you reboot, BTV will start up and should run fine. You really only need the .bat file if you try to run BTV from a limited user account.

[thundermax]

OK, I tried to remove administrative rights from 'admin' , but XP said only a user with administrator rights can do that. So I would have to create another account with administrator rights, but then I would still have at least one active administrator account.

I can't figure out how to log in as the real admistrator you mentioned.

When my computer boots, I can log in as admin or jason. I can't figure out how to log in as adminstrator. Maybe rename admin to administrator?

edit: well, i couldn't change admin to administrator. username already exists. I poked around and figured out how to switch to classic login mode so I can type the username instead of clicking on the name. Gonna try it now...

edit: I tried logging in as administrator, the password that I think is correct gives me an error that says I cannot log in due to an account restriction. If I try any other password I get an error that my password wa incorrect. Any idea how I can determine what he 'account restriction' is without doing a full reinstall of WinXP?