>> - Allow Administrators to pretend to be another user, without having 
>> to know that user's password.
> 
> Sure. We all wish security would let administrators make changes to the 
> system they could blame on other users. :-)

Newsflash: If your administrators can't be trusted, you have A Big Problem.

>> There are times when, in order to configure something, you have to log 
>> in under the user's account before you can configure it. 
> 
> Not really. That's the easiest way to do it, but it isn't necessary. 
> Everything about the user is stored in the file system, so...

Yeah, sure, because it's really easy to figure out how every random 
screwed up app designed for Windows 95 is using the filesystem to store 
its stuff, right?

> If you knew how to work it, you could do it. Do you think people at 
> Microsoft or American Express hang around to enter their passwords while 
> the sysadmin fixes things?

Presumably they don't use obscure, badly designed software...

>> - Allow Administrators to unlock a workstation without destroying all 
>> of the user's unsaved work. (IOW, without terminating all the stuff 
>> they have running.)
> 
> Wouldn't be much of a lock, would it?

Why? Because one person in the building can unlock it? (Note that the 
administrator can *already* unlock it - as can anybody else by using the 
on/off switch, come to think of it.) It would just be nice if somebody 
goes home and forgets to save their work if I didn't have to destroy all 
that work.

> You didn't provide the actual interesting information, which is the 
> Event ID.

Yes, but you get my *point*. Turn on auditing, perform a few trivial 
actions, watch your event log fill with many megabytes of data that 
nobody knows what it means.

> Or, alternately, you could learn what the codes mean.

As far as I can tell, M$ hasn't actually documented many of them yet. 
(Although a number of other sites have - but you're never sure the info 
is correct.)

> CPU and NIC activity monitors come with Windows, if you're just 
> interested in a approximate "is it doing anything". Task manager will 
> iconify to a CPU activity barchart in the notification area

Yeah, I found that one. Process Explorer does it nicer tho. ;-)

> and there's 
> a checkbox on the network connection configuration front page that says 
> to show the icon even when you have good connectivity, and that icon 
> will animate.

This is one of the many, many alterations I make every time I set up a 
Windows box.

> Your HD light on the front should work. :-) If not, google for "hd 
> activity systray" or something.

Not much help if you're accessing the machine remotely. System Internals 
have a couple of tools that are supposed to do it, but they seem to not 
be very accurate. (E.g., the HD light is flashing away, yet PE shows no 
I/O activity.)

> Vista has sidebar gadgets for nic and HD activity like you want. :-)

I hope I never end up having to use Vista.

Actually, I used to say that about XP. Let me rephrase: I hope I never 
have to use Vista before they're finished fixing it. ;-)

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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