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HOW TO: Use the RUN AS Command to Start a Program as an Administrator in Windows XP

Article ID: 305780 - View products that this article applies to.

This article was previously published under Q305780

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Summary

This step-by-step article describes how to use the run as command to start a program as an administrator.

How to Use the RUN AS Command to Start a Program as an Administrator

As an administrator, you can use the run as command to start a program. To do so:

Locate the program you want to start in Windows Explorer, the Microsoft Management Console (MMC), or Control Panel.
Press and hold down the SHIFT key while you right-click the program icon, and then click Run as.
Click Run the program as the following user, and then type the user name, password, and domain of the administrator account that you want to use.

NOTE: If you want to use the administrator account on your computer, type the name of the computer in the Domain box. If you want to use the domain administrator account, type the name of the domain in the Domain box. When the program is running, you can use Task Manager to check the process owner on the Processes tab of Task Manager. To start Task Manager, click Start, click Run, type taskmgr, and then press ENTER.

Troubleshooting

WARNING: If you try to start a program, MMC console, or Control Panel item from a network location by using the run as command, the procedure may not work because the credentials that are used to connect to the network share are different from the credentials that are used to start the program. If you use the credentials that are used to run the program, you may not be able to gain access to the same network share.