Program Windows Are Blank When You Use the RUNAS /USER:ADMINISTRATOR Command in Windows XP

If you use the runas command to start a command prompt to run a program under the local Administrator account, the program that you start from the command prompt seems to run, but the program window is empty or blank. For example, if you try to run a program from a command prompt that you started with the following command, the program opens but data is not displayed in the program window:

This problem occurs because the permissions that are used with the first Command Prompt window are removed when you close that Command Prompt window.

To work around this problem, keep the first Command Prompt window open. To do so:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type cmd, and then click OK.
3. At the command prompt, type the following command, and then press ENTER.
   runas.exe /user:administrator "cmd /k runas /user:user_domain\user_name /netonly cmd"

After you perform this procedure, start the program that you want to use from that command prompt. For example, type notepad at the command prompt, and then press ENTER.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

If you use the /k switch, the first Command Prompt window remains active as long as you do not close the window. If the first Command Prompt window remains open, the program runs as expected.