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Windows XP, Games, and Administrator Privileges?

Posted by Cliff on from the broken-privilege-requirements dept.

An anonymous reader asks: "I manage my kids' computer, running Windows XP Professional, with an iron fist. They have limited access rights as I do not want them accidentally deleting the wrong file or downloading trojan software. However, software products, particularly games, fight my user management schemes at every turn. Each user on the computer is member of the 'Gamers' group. This group has full access to the games directory, the place I install all of the game software. I did this since games often need to update configuration files or write save files. Despite these changes, I still run into problems. Our latest two games, Age of Mythology and Battlefield 1942, require administrator privileges irrespective of the file privileges. I have not been able to overcome the problem and it seems, based on Googling, that others are in the same boat. Fellow Slashdot readers, what have you done to overcome this problem?"

5 of 201 comments (clear)

  1. Windows... by rhs98 · · Score: -1, Troll

    I see your first problem

    1) Try removing Windows XP

    --
    Is it a boat?
  2. so simple... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    the fix is to not be a douchebag-nazi and trust your own spawn, ass. it's not like little jimmy and suzy haven't already seen the XXX hardcore german shit videos in health class.

  3. educate / console / play outside by erroneous · · Score: 0, Troll

    I'd pass a law that all PCs should be sold with a label on them that says "this is not a tv. this is not a refridgerator. this is not a toy. this is not a consumer device. this is actually quite complicated"

    Options include educating your children in the proper use of a PC, buying a console for the kids to play games on, or, and this is radical thought :

    How about going outside and playing with a ball, giving them full administrative rights over the size and shape of the ball and the rules of the game, and the option to include additional sticks.

    Normally I'm nice and productive and helpful but just occasionally I feel the need to vent and troll. Today is one of those days.

    --
    erroneous: look me up in a dictionary
  4. Re:short answer by Domini · · Score: -1, Troll

    4.5- Did Win98SE take the XP partition with it?

    This solution stinks. You have the worst of both worlds here... The unreliability of 98 with the security headached of XP, combined with a healthy dose of rebooting. :(

    Rather just get more PCs.

    The one good idea is Norton Ghost (or other similar software). With this your re-installation time is cut down from 4 hours to 15 minutes.
    (installation + SP1/2 + configuration + drivers taken into account)

  5. Re:Same problem with my kids - different solution by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Troll

    You're a fucking moron.