At IU, in Windows 2000, XP, or Vista, how do I give myself or other users login privileges on my computer?

At Indiana University, to give yourself or other users login privileges on your computer in Windows 2000, XP Professional, or Vista, you must first set up your computer to join the IU ADS Domain. For instructions, see At IU, in Windows 2000 or XP Professional, how do I configure my computer to connect to IU's Active Directory Services Domain?

After you've added your computer to the domain, you can add any user who belongs either to that computer's domain or to a domain that has a trust relationship with your computer's domain. To add a domain user as a user on your computer, follow the appropriate steps below.

Windows Vista and XP

1. Log in as an administrator or as a user in the local Administrators group.

   Note: At Indiana University, the University Information Security Office (UISO) recommends that you normally refrain from running your Windows computer as an administrator. For more, see What is the principle of least privilege?

2. From the Start menu, select Control Panel, or Settings and then Control Panel.
   
   
3. Open User Accounts. In Vista, click Manage User Accounts, and then click Add; in XP, click Add.
   
   
4. To locate the account, click Browse and select the account when you find it. If you know the account you want to add, type the username, and enter ADS as the domain.
   
   
5. The account receives Standard user rights by default, which can leave your computer vulnerable to security risks. Instead, choose the Restricted set of permissions. (This adds the user to the regular Users Group.)
   
   
6. Click Finish. ADS accounts added in this manner will appear in the list of user accounts. Users in the list of user accounts will be able to log into your computer using their IU ADS username and password.

Windows 2000

1. Log in as an administrator or as a user in the local Administrators group.

   Note: At Indiana University, the University Information Security Office (UISO) recommends that you normally refrain from running your Windows computer as an administrator. For more, see What is the principle of least privilege?

2. From the Start menu, select Settings, then Control Panel.
   
   
3. Double-click Administrative Tools, then double-click Computer Management.
   
   
4. Click the + (plus sign) to the left of the icon labeled Local Users and Groups. Then select the Groups folder.
   
   
5. The pane on the right will display the standard built-in groups, as well as any groups you've added to your computer. Open the Users group.
   
   
6. Click the Add button. Click the arrow to display the list to the right of "Look in:", and select ads.iu.edu.
   
   
7. If you aren't sure of the username for the account you'd like to add, you can scroll through the displayed list, but this can be very time consuming. Rather, where it says "<< Type names separated by semicolons or choose from list >>", replace this text with the IU usernames for the accounts you want to add (separated by semicolons), and click Check Names. If you are presented with multiple matches, select the correct accounts and click OK.
   
   
8. Accounts added in this manner will now appear in the Members list of the Users Group. These users may now log into your computer using their ADS username and password, and entering ADS for the domain.

Also see:

• Best practices for computer security
• In Windows, why should I avoid running my computer as an administrator?
• In Windows XP or Vista, on my stand-alone or workgroup computer, how do I add a new user?