Always Run Software with Local Admin Rights

Some software requires local admin permissions in order to perform certain functions, or in other instances to even run at all.

Here's how to get your software running smoothly without having to give end-users access to everything else that comes with being a local admin.

	Create a new Shortcut to the application that needs local admin rights. Right-click your desktop (or wherever you want the shortcut to reside) and select New > Shortcut ** PROTIP: If you have multiple users that use the computer under different logins, the C:\Users\All Users\Desktop directory is a good place to put it.
	Use runas.exe to launch the application using local admin credentials. In the Location field, instead of using the path directly to the application, use runas.exe as such: C:\Windows\System32\runas.exe /user:domain\username /savecreds "C:\Path\to\Software.exe" Replace "domain" "username" and "C:\Path\to\Software.exe" accordingly. If you want to use a local login instead of a domain login, just replace "domain" with the local %computername%
	Type a name for your shortcut Name it accordingly to avoid the easily confused end-user.
	Commit the local admin password Double-click the shortcut and you will be greeted by a command prompt asking for the password of the specified local admin account. Type it in and press Enter. The application should open up without prompting after that.

Conclusion

...and there you have it!

You now have a fully functional local admin application that will run under regular user accounts.

Now you don't have to give up full local admin rights to the kind of people that like to download WeatherBug and Smiley Toolbars so much.

Hope this helps you save some of your sanity, and maybe you'll finally be able to stop losing so much sleep too! (Haha, right.)