Run Safer
When Windows is first installed, the first account it creates is an Administrator account, which is what most people use. The name of this account is usually the name of the person that owns the computer, and a person would need to know where to look to know if the account is an Administrator account or not.
Administrators are allowed by Windows to make nearly any change to the system that they want to, including changes that could affect the whole system. Administrators can install drivers, make configuration changes to Windows, and much more.
Limited users can not make changes that would affect the whole system. They cannot install software that could affect the system as a whole, cannot install drivers, and cannot configure Windows in any way that would affect other users on the system. For example, a Limited user can change the wallpaper and screensaver of their account, but cannot change the system time. The wallpaper and screensaver would only be seen when logging into that account, but a change to the system time would affect Windows as a whole (including other accounts on the system).
When you run a program, it will run with the permissions of the account. When you run your web browser in an administrative account, the web browser can do anything that the Administrator can do. Likewise, when you run your web browser in a Limited user account it can only do what Limited users are allowed to do. Limited user accounts offer strong protection, but are rarely used by the majority of computer users.
How does Run Safer work?
Run Safer makes using an Administrator account safer by running user-selected programs as a Limited user when you are in an Administrator account. Run Safer does not restrict programs directly, but rather tells Windows to impose the extra security measures of a Limited user on the target program.
When a program is running using Run Safer, any other program that is launched by this program will also “inherit” the Limited user account restrictions. This means that if your web browser is set to Run Safer and you browse to a website that uses some trick to infect your computer with malware through the web browser, then the malware will be heavily restricted in the ways that it could infect your system. This also means that when your browser is run using Run Safer and a document viewer or media player is automatically launched to view content from the internet, then that program also inherits the same protection; if the document viewer or media player ends up being used to infect your computer then the same security restrictions will be applied.
Some malware cannot infect a computer with the restrictions of a Limited user account at all.
Using Run Safer
A program can be set to Run Safer by opening the Online Armor Control Panel, selecting Programs from the Main Menu, and clicking the Run Safer button.
When you see a pop-up to Allow or Block an Unknown program when it tries to run, then you will also be able to select Run Safer on the pop-up.
Run Safer is best used on any program that handles internet content including web browsers, email programs, instant messengers, media players, word processors and other document viewers, download managers, and more.
Run Safer can also be used on Unknown programs that you are not sure of but still feel that you should Allow to run.
You should not set programs that download and install software updates to Run Safer because they may not be able to install new software updates.
Other security software should not be set to Run Safer because they may not be able to function correctly.
Running a program normally or with RunSafer one time only
When a program is set to RunSafer, you may need to occasionally run it normally. Conversely, you may also want to run a program as RunSafer without setting Online Armor to always run the program with RunSafer. Online Armor adds an item to the Windows explorer context menu that will allow you to do just that. Right-click any program or program shortcut, and you will see an optioni to "Open Safer." This will run the program with the RunSafer restrictions for this time only; the next time the program is run, it will run normally unless you change the setting in Programs or run it the same way again.
Note: You may need to save downloaded files and run them manually when your browser is run using Run Safer, rather than clicking Open on the file download dialog from your web browser. You may also need to run the software without Run Safer to install any updates that the software may need to install, including Windows Updates when installed through Internet Explorer. This can be achieved by opening the Online Armor Control Panel, opening Programs from the main menu, right-clicking the program in the Programs list, and selecting “Open normal.”
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