Registry change to allow Administrator Command Prompt to use userprofile

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[snissen]

OK, I’m going to date myself here, since I think this goes back to Windows 7. There is a registry setting to allow a Command Prompt “Run as administrator” to use a local userprofile. By default, an admin Cmd.exe switches to the Administrator profile, but I want it to keep using my userprofile. The name of the registry key might include the words local, profile, and/or share(d).

This is a single registry value change. It does not involve file permissions, ownership, or the RunAs command. It’s a simple, one-step, one-time registry value addition. But I can’t remember the name of this old registry value! I know it works under Windows 10; I hope it still works under Windows 11. I searched the forums under every term I could think of, but I can’t find it.

Does anyone remember this simple registry change?

• This topic was modified 2 years, 9 months ago by snissen.

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I’m sorry, I explained this very poorly. I think what I was remembering was related to mapped network drives. If so, I found the answer:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System]
"EnableLinkedConnections"=dword:00000001

Or does someone have a better answer?

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That’s the one I was thinking of.

Susan Bradley Patch Lady/Prudent patcher

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I’m confused. The registry hack you described in your second post is/was for mapped network locations but your OP talks about running an elevated console using standard user privileges?

Are you trying to avoid UAC without the logged-on user being aware? If you could do that then surely the OS’ basic security model would be useless… hopelessly compromised.

(Even users in the Administrators group are – by default – treated as *standard* users by UAC, hence the prompts when you want to use Run as Administrator… even when the logged-on user is in the Administrators group.)

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Hmm… more Google-foo shows – amongst other articles – this one: Does enabling EnableLinkedConnections pose a security risk?

This response suggests a loophole that I hope Microsoft has plugged in its war against unexpected/unwarranted privilege escalation.

If not privilege escalation outside of a well-established security model, perhaps OP could clarify what it is he/she is trying to achieve?

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