Active Directory/Documentation/Admin Shortcuts

It is a good security practice not to use an OU Admin account for everyday computing. However, this can make the administration of your network a pain. Fortunately, the runas command allows you to run programs that need OU Admin priveleges while logged in as a normal domain user.

The following shows how to runas common OU Admin tools. Simply create a new shortcut, using the below path as the Target and change <userid> to your userid. When you run the shortcut, you will be prompted to type your password, then the tool will launch using the alternate credentials.

• Generic Admin CMD prompt

 %windir%\system32\runas.exe /user:wolftech\<userid>.admin "cmd"

• Generic MMC (build your own toolbox)

%windir%\system32\runas.exe /user:wolftech\<userid>.admin "mmc"

• Active Directory Users and Computers

%windir%\system32\runas.exe /user:wolftech\<userid>.admin "mmc %windir%\system32\dsa.msc"

• Group Policy Management Console

%windir%\system32\runas.exe /user:wolftech\<userid>.admin "mmc %windir%\system32\gpmc.msc"

• Computer Management Console

%windir%\system32\runas.exe /user:wolftech\<userid>.admin "mmc %windir%\system32\compmgmt.msc"

• Offer Unsolicited Remote Assistance

C:\WINDOWS\system32\runas.exe /NETONLY /user:wolftech\<userid>.admin 
"%windir%\PCHEALTH\HELPCTR\Binaries\helpctr /url 
hcp://CN=Microsoft%20Corporation,L=Redmond,S=Washington,C=US/Remote%20Assistance/
Escalation/Unsolicited/unsolicitedrcui.htm"

In Vista (within the admin cmd prompt):

msra /expert

Notes

• runas command