In Windows Vista, basically there are two user types: the Standard user and the Administrator. By default, everybody is a “Standard user” with corresponding operation privileges of the system. But the system Administrator can “promote” or “demote” a standard user by giving them more privileges and remove some unnecessary privileges. The master administrator can also create an account for another Administrator level user and modify their privileges for a particular purpose.
In the following table, the typical operations and privileges by the standard users and administrators are listed.
| Standard user operations | Administrator operations |
| Change time zone | Change time, date and time zone |
| Establish local network and wireless network | Monitoring system log and performance |
| Configuring accessibility options | Configure parental control |
| Backup/restore personal files/folders | Backup/restore system and entire PC |
| Change personal password and profile | Add/remove/modify user accounts |
| Sync mobile device | Open and configure firewall |
| Use remote desktop | Schedule automatic tasks |
| Modify background and display properties | Configure automatic updates |
| Play and burn CD/DVD media | Configure Defender for control of virus, spyware, ActiveX etc |
| Create a virtual private network (VPN) | Configure system security policies |
| Run applications and access to the Internet | Install/uninstall software |
In the article “Windows Vista User Account Control”, more details about the frequently used user groups and their functions are discussed. Various user groups and types are actually modifications based on the standard user or administrator, by the system administrator.