UOS Lahore: Create a Guest Account and Avoid Unwanted Changes to Windows [How To]

Thursday, 7 November 2013

Create a Guest Account and Avoid Unwanted Changes to Windows [How To]

If you share your PC with others or let friends use it when they come to visit, you may find settings changed, files deleted, programs installed etc. when you next use it. With previous versions of Windows, I’ve used Windows Steady State, which provided a mode to allow access without setting complicated policies to protect your settings. Thankfully with Windows 7, Microsoft has made this level of protection much more readily accessible. Learn, in this guide how to set up a Guest account—available in all Windows 7 and 8 versions—for infrequent users of your PC.
Please note two things before getting started:

You should not use a guest account if you have parental controls set on your children’s accounts
You cannot use Guest mode in an Active Directory environment
In other words, you probably wont be able to add a guest account if you use company hardware

Set up a Guest Account (Windows 7)

Skip to Windows 8 instructions
1. Click the Start button, type guest and click Turn guest account on or off

guest account012 Create a Guest Account and Avoid Unwanted Changes to Windows [How To]

2. Click the Guest account icon

guest account021 Create a Guest Account and Avoid Unwanted Changes to Windows [How To]

3. Click Turn On to enable the guest account.
guest account03 Create a Guest Account and Avoid Unwanted Changes to Windows [How To]

Use the Guest Account in Windows 7

1. Log off or Switch User.
2. Click the Guest account icon to log on:
guest account04 Create a Guest Account and Avoid Unwanted Changes to Windows [How To]

guest account04 Create a Guest Account and Avoid Unwanted Changes to Windows [How To]

Set up a Guest Account (Windows 8)

1. Click the Start button, type guest and click Turn guest account on or off

guest account031 Create a Guest Account and Avoid Unwanted Changes to Windows [How To]

2. Click the Guest account icon

guest account041 Create a Guest Account and Avoid Unwanted Changes to Windows [How To]

3. Click Turn On to enable the guest account
guest account03 Create a Guest Account and Avoid Unwanted Changes to Windows [How To]

Use the Guest Account in Windows 8

1. Lock your PC (Windows Key + L) or restart and skip to step 3
2. Click the back arrow next to your account picture:

guest account051 Create a Guest Account and Avoid Unwanted Changes to Windows [How To]

3. Click the Guest account icon to log on:

guest account061 Create a Guest Account and Avoid Unwanted Changes to Windows [How To]

Sign out of the Guest Account in Windows 8

If this is the first time you’ve used more than one account in Windows 8, it might help to know how to sign out of the guest account. To sign out of the guest account, press the Windows key, right click the guest icon and click Sign out:

guest account08 Create a Guest Account and Avoid Unwanted Changes to Windows [How To]

Restrictions of the Guest Account

The guest account is not permitted to make changes to your PC. The only files that are modified when the guest uses your PC are temporary profile files that are wiped out when the guest logs off.
A guest cannot:
Install a program:
guest account05 Create a Guest Account and Avoid Unwanted Changes to Windows [How To]