When you log in to your computer with a user name and password, you are using a specific account. The type of account determines what privileges you have on the computer, like whether or not you can install new software or change system settings.
An account that grants full privileges to make changes is generally called an "administrator account," and one that grants only restricted privileges is a "user account."
In your daily work, you should use a less privileged user account. If your computer is infected by a virus or suffers some other form of attack, the damage can be much greater if you are using an administrator account. Just as a user account restricts what changes you can make to your computer, it also limits what an attacker can do. This safety measure is especially important due to the proliferation of malicious web sites that try to install software without your knowledge, so-called "drive-by downloads."
For most people, the need to install software or make other changes to the system is infrequent enough that switching to a privileged account for such tasks should not be a burden. Whatever inconvenience this may cause is greatly outweighed by the protection you enjoy when using a normal user account.
Depending on the practices of your department, you may already be using a less privileged account. Check with your local IT support to see what your options are.
If you manage your own Windows computer, use this step-by-step procedure to modify an account or set up a new one. Otherwise, you should ask your IT staff to help you with this.
Note: Mac OS X has both Administrator and Standard accounts, but its administrator account does not give the level of privilege that Microsoft Windows does. There is considerably less risk to using an administrator account on the Macintosh.
