What is AlterEgo?

[PepiMK]

@drragostea:
Somehwat like, yes.
From a pure technical perspective, I could say that the uninstall removes the AlterEgo file and it is complete. But from the overall perspective, it's way more complex. For example, if you write some text documents using Word, you don't want Word to remove them when you uninstall Word, right?
Same goes for the application you use through the registered account - you might create documents using them (e.g. saving emails or websites as textfiles in the restricted users home directory). What should AlterEgo do with these?

As for suggestions... I've created a new subforum for AlterEgo.
A project tools category already existed here, but that has been moved there as well of course. Keep the project tools only for well-formatted and clearly expressed suggestions please (see other examples); better discuss it in the regular new AlterEgo forum first.

@nOInfectIOn: depends
Are you using that restricted account completely, or in a similar way compared to AlterEgo?
If you're still using an admin account often, AlterEgo would help to set up the "runas" links (shortcuts on desktop) to for example "quickly check your email on your regular restricted account" when using the admin account.
I've you're one of the few really well-behaving computer users (I have to admit that I am not myself :D ), you probably would never switch to the admin account though, and run admin-privilege applications through runas only, in which case AlterEgo would have no use at all.

[nOInfectIOn]

I've you're one of the few really well-behaving computer users

hehe, don´t know what you`re talking about :D

I learned, while testing AlterEgo, that a restricted user-account should be such a matter of course... nothing to talk about...
Well, I thought - where, for [depends on religion] sake, was the problem to start this account? Laziness? I don´t know - but now I have one - THANKS ! for SBSD´s effort!

My next (understanding-)question:
When I am online with the admin-account only for updates and so on - then the AlterEgo would be not necessary - but if I want to use "normal" www simultaneously - then AE would protect?

[drragostea]

...but if I want to use "normal" www simultaneously - then AE would protect?

Are you saying running a web browser with AlterEgo? If so, then AE will make the browser run as a "Limited" privilege account. That makes malware a lot harder to get into your PC. Like PepiMK said, run the browser/program if you need to update or change extensions. The changing extensions and configurations I'm not so sure, but the updates I sure.

@PepiMK, this I'm about to say... should belong into the "Suggestions" topic?

Well, after testing AE, I found that there are multiple accounts on my Immunize tab in Spybot-SD. I have used the "Uninstall" tab. However, on my logon screen, I only see my account. No Limited Accounts. Nothing, just mine.

I created a account eg. "Family-online".
I tested it out and then uninstalled AlterEgo. Thinking that the "Family-online" account was gone from AE, I decided to create a another account named "Torchwood". During that point, I had no idea that the Family-online account was somewhat... still in AE. After using the "uninstall" button for the second time, I realized... well AE told me that "do you want to uninstall"? "Delete the files and settings..."

Then the last confirmation box said, something like (I removed AE, I don't have it on my desktop at the moment), "Family-online" deleted. "Torchwood" deleted. Thinking that something was not right, I clicked on Uninstall again. This time I received the same message.

[PepiMK]

AlterEgo hides any accounts it creates from the logon screen, since they're intended to be used through the modified shortcuts. If you want to see if they still exist, open the system control panel, there's a user list in there.

I may have found why Spybot-S&D is still seeing those users during unimmunization: just removing the users does not get rid of their Documents and Settings folders, and these include the registry. Spybot-S&D is able to find user registries even if the users are not registered with the currently running Windows (to be able to scan and immunize other installations attached to the same machine, or for cleaning a harddisk when running from a CD).
To get rid of those, you would have to remove the users subfolders from C:\Documents and Settings\ ... only for those that do not appear on the system control panels user list, of course!

As for browser extensions: that varies. Firefox usually stores Extensions for each user account, so updating extensions is perfectly possible on the restricted user account. There are only very few Firefox extensions
(the officially installed Talkback and DOM inspector) that reside in a folder where write access is available only to admins.
With Internet Explorer, it could be similar, but depends a lot on how well-behaving the add-on was written

[drragostea]

I see PepiMK. Thanks for your "meticulously", vivid explaination. Lols. So what you're saying is that deleting the "subfolders" or folders with the Limited Accounts will remove the accounts from the immunization in Spybot-SD?

I was just taking a look at the User Accounts in the Control Panel prior to the posts, and I only found my account and the Guest account. Odd.

I guess I'll give it at the subfolders and deleting them. I'll report back.

[drragostea]

Phew that was scary. You were right Pepi, as you said about the "C:\Documents and Settings...". I used "Run" to find it quickly.

It was a bit confusing at first, because the primary account on my PC is named "Family". I'm the only one using it... I found some other folders named the ones I gave when I used AE. There were three folders in total not counting mine. How I distinguished mine from the Limited ones... was the size of the folders ^_^.

The accounts from Spybot Immunize tabs were gone. Thanks for the help. Just that I didn't realize the Documents and Settings part.