How do I start control panel with runas in Windows XP?

Sometimes I need to make a config change on another user's PC. The user doesn't have admin rights so I try to start control panel using the runas command. I can start other stuff with the command but if I try to start control panel nothing happens. It doesn't even give me an error message.

Alternatively I start another command prompt as admin (using the runas command again) and from that try to start control panel. Still no joy.

Is control panel designed not to be startable from a non-admin profile as an admin user?

MrVimes

Posted 2012-06-07T07:49:17.960

Reputation: 1 255

You can give a try to the command sfc /scannow in ruas box. – avirk – 2012-06-07T08:43:49.223

@avirk: What is the SFC scan supposed to achieve? – user1686 – 2012-06-07T09:26:42.907

@grawity, If I'm not wrong then this command will immediately initiate the Windows File Protection service to scan all protected files and verify their integrity, replacing any files with which it finds a problem. – avirk – 2012-06-07T09:28:33.467

Answers

Starting with Windows 95, Control Panel is not a separate program but a special Windows Explorer namespace, and the control.exe program just opens the Control Panel namespace in Explorer.

By default, Windows Explorer only runs one instance of itself per desktop – when attempting to run it via runas, the new process will only ask the first instance to open a new window.

You should be able to start explorer /separate, however, and navigate to the Control Panel from there.

Alternatively, many applets can be launched directly, e.g. mmc compmgmt.msc, sysdm.cpl or desk.cpl. Even in a normal user's Control Panel, you can Shift + right click an applet and use "Run As..." in the context menu. (This won't work Fonts or Printers; they are virtual folders like Control Panel itself.)

user1686

Posted 2012-06-07T07:49:17.960

Reputation: 283 655

Printers is the one I wanted to start. I will try the explorer /separarte command and then start printers from there. – MrVimes – 2012-06-07T08:06:06.947

1For others' reference, dir %SystemRoot%\System32\*.cpl will show a list of available applets. Won't work for Printers, as noted in the answer. – Bob – 2012-06-07T08:11:56.407

Not to forget *.mmc -- er, yeah, *.msc -- in the same directory (most of which are normally listed as Administrative Tools) – user1686 – 2012-06-07T08:15:31.380

@grawity *.msc... which actually reveals the printmanagement.msc, which can be run as admin. – Bob – 2012-06-07T08:16:20.910

@Bob It doesn't seem to be part of base XP Pro SP3 installation, however. – user1686 – 2012-06-07T08:17:13.233

@MrVimes Could you let us know why you want to view the printer panel as administrator? There may be other methods to accomplish what you want.

– Bob – 2012-06-07T08:17:18.707

@Bob Unlikely in this case. There aren't any better methods for managing printers on WinXP than via Control Panel. – user1686 – 2012-06-07T08:18:18.130

Bob, I was not able to add a network printer on the user's profile so my next thing to try was open it as Admin. I realize there might be better ways to do this. A few things to try mentioned so far when I get a chance. – MrVimes – 2012-06-07T08:23:05.890

Simply hold down the shift key and right-click the icon in the control panel that you want to run as admin and you'll get a run as option in the menu.

user335125

Posted 2012-06-07T07:49:17.960

Reputation: 21

In XP? Are you sure? That was never available to me, even with Service Pack 3... – Canadian Luke – 2014-06-20T14:56:36.153

Works for XP pro sp3 – Jool – 2016-11-29T13:49:35.413

Try this:

runas /user:DOMAIN\USERNAME "explorer.exe /N,::{20D04FE0-3AEA-1069-A2D8-08002B30309D}\::{21EC2020-3AEA-1069-A2DD-08002B30309D}"

Ken Salter

Posted 2012-06-07T07:49:17.960

Reputation: 11

You can do any config from Command Prompt.

But try to run mmc from Command Prompt. It has all the things you need.

Just add what you need.

Or you can run mmc in you pc, and then in file menu select the host you want.

Good Luck

Hamed JML

Posted 2012-06-07T07:49:17.960

Reputation: 387