The Problem: software run by an admin account can do anything to the system (Vista at least has UAC there).

The Solution: use a standard user account for daily work, and reserve the admin account for your rare administrative tasks.

The Alternate Solution: knowing that you would just nod your head and yet ignore it if we recommend that non-admin account, we turned a hidden feature of Windows around. Windows allows you to run single applications under a different user account. Usually, we would recommend to use that to run admin applications from a restricted user account, but since we mentioned we've 'given up' asking you to change to that, we've decided to help you using the most endangered types of applications (browsers, email apps, IM apps, multimedia apps) through a restricted user accout instead.

The Implementation: close your applications, run the Alter Ego wizard, click Next three times, click Exit. That's it, unless you want to fine-tune things. Run your applications as usual (shortcuts will have been replaced), your settings have been taken over to the alternate account, you won't notice a difference. Well, except that you won't be able to save your downloads in C:\Windows\, because your Alter Ego is not allowed to do so. But neither could malware install there.

Click here for an animated demonstration

List of supported browsers
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer
  • Mozilla Firefox
  • Mozilla SeaMonkey
  • mozilla-based Beonex
  • mozilla-based K-Meleon
  • mozilla-based Lolifox
  • mozilla-based Netscape Navigator
  • mozilla-based Wyzo
  • Opera
  • Apple Safari
List of supported email clients
  • Eudora
  • Microsoft Outlook Express
  • Mozilla Thunderbird
  • Mulberry
  • PostMe
  • SpiceBird (next release)
  • Sylpheed
  • The Bat!
  • Windows Live Mail
List of supported instant messengers
  • AIM 6.5
  • Digsby
  • Gadu-Gadu
  • GMX MultiMessenger
  • GoogleTalk
  • ICQ 6
  • Miranda
  • NateOn (next release)
  • Pidgin
  • QQ 2003 SA
  • QQ 2005 English
  • QQ 2007
  • Skype
  • Tlen.pl
  • Trillian
  • VoipBuster
  • VoipStunt
  • Web.de MultiMessenger
  • Windows Live Messenger
  • Yahoo! Messenger 8.1
List of supported multimedia players
  • Windows Media Player
  • Apple QuickTime
  • DivX Player
  • Foobar 2000
  • Light Alloy
  • Qtrax
  • QuintEssential Player
  • RealPlayer
  • Songbird
  • VideoLAN Client
  • WinAmp
  • Zoom Player

Due to different users having their own profiles and therefore their own settings, most applications will get their settings for the current user copied over to the impersonated alter ego. This means that if you run your application under both accounts, they might run out of sync. There's no need to run these non-impersonated originals though, just keep that in mind, since this will be a beta release first of course

If you want unlisted applications added, please provide details. The code is quite modular, new apps can usually be added with a bit of testing (to see where software installs, what data files it uses, etc.) and less than a dozen lines of code.

Oh, wait, I've nearly forgotten one thing: the download. Will be here soon, just need to package the whole thing into an installer...