Implications for developers and system administrators are discussed, and answers to frequently asked questions are provided. The default Windows 2000 security settings do not restrict administrative access to any registry or file system object. Administrators can perform any and all functions supported by the operating system. Any right that the Administrator does not have by default, they can grant to themselves.
Users are the opposite of administrators.
Provided that Windows 2000 is clean-installed on to an NTFS partition, the default security settings are designed to prohibit Users from compromising the integrity of the operating system and installed applications. Users cannot modify machine-wide registry settings, operating system files, or program files. Users cannot access other users private data. Power Users are ranked between Administrators and Users in terms of system access. Free Newsletters 2001 Microsoft Corporation.