Bypassing admin restrictions on work computer...

[MONKEYMAN]

Originally Posted By: Subdued
Gotta love the users who know just enough to be dangerous


I feel I fit in that category. We recently went to clocking in with APD via laptop that IT provides to each work site. At first I contacted Help Desk (IT Department) often, then found my knowledge was limited. Since I fiddle with my computers at home I had the urge to do the same with the work computers. I have adjusted to not being in control. When you use Windows, you are never completely in control.

I have found my niche in helping co-workers use APD or Windows 10. Most of my co-workers only have cell phones. We use Charter for Internet and most problems so far are with Charter. A power cycle of the modem/router solves that most of the time. I have pushed for everyone knowing that simple fix. This thread is helpful in keeping things in perspective.

 

[uc50ic4more]

Originally Posted By: gojoneeded
The answer is no, but these drivers should show up in Windows optional updates and you may be able to install it from there.


The installation of anything at a driver level would require admin access. I **hope** Windows is automatically configured to not even run their software updating service as a service or daemon for users without admin privileges (and cannot trivially escalate their privileges temporarily like Mac and *NIX users can often do with sudo).

 

[Rand]

Originally Posted By: pandus13
Originally Posted By: Subdued
Gotta love the users who know just enough to be dangerous

we really don't know OP's know-how level , so let's be adults...



I did IT for a few years.
We do kinda know the OP's level due to his large amounts of threads in this section.

Several people have been fired from my work for plugging in an outside flash drive.

 

[pandus13]

Originally Posted By: Rand
Originally Posted By: pandus13
Originally Posted By: Subdued
Gotta love the users who know just enough to be dangerous

we really don't know OP's know-how level , so let's be adults...



I did IT for a few years.
We do kinda know the OP's level due to his large amounts of threads in this section.

Several people have been fired from my work for plugging in an outside flash drive.

hehehe, i just comeback from an user who could not remember his own username and password....
Please tell me you didn't get to live that one with the server on the same power strip with the grumpy secretary's tea maker....
the lady still retired from that place....
of course server is not alive anymore...and those old IBMs could take a lot of abuse....

 

[Subdued]

Originally Posted By: pandus13
Originally Posted By: Rand
Originally Posted By: pandus13
Originally Posted By: Subdued
Gotta love the users who know just enough to be dangerous

we really don't know OP's know-how level , so let's be adults...



I did IT for a few years.
We do kinda know the OP's level due to his large amounts of threads in this section.

Several people have been fired from my work for plugging in an outside flash drive.

hehehe, i just comeback from an user who could not remember his own username and password....
Please tell me you didn't get to live that one with the server on the same power strip with the grumpy secretary's tea maker....
the lady still retired from that place....
of course server is not alive anymore...and those old IBMs could take a lot of abuse....

Then there's "local IT staff" that thought it a good idea to plug a laser printer into a UPS.

 

[pandus13]

Originally Posted By: Subdued
Then there's "local IT staff" that thought it a good idea to plug a laser printer into a UPS.

backup of a backup of a backup... but the first backup is corrupted....
or let me guess: they put the printer on the backup battery side and the server on the surge protected one....

now something from way back in the time: had a user plug (actually shove) a parallel port printer's cable(25 pins wide) at 180 degrees (as in the other way around).. it didn't work. it was local IT stuff...

 

[javacontour]

 

[Rick in PA]

I believe we had the evening cleaning service plug a vacuum cleaner into the server UPS once. That didn't end well.

 

[simple_gifts]

I'll add in my "server was unplugged to make way for a holiday party crockpot" 2 cents.

Shortly after I seized control of that particular computing platform it was moved into a locked server room controlled by the IT staff.

Maybe we should have a 'classic IT story' sticky in this section.

In 1986 I chastised a guy for placing an open soda can on top of a 60mb disk pack; he was shocked when I told him to remove it and he said "It isn't waterproof?"

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: simple_gifts
I'll add in my "server was unplugged to make way for a holiday party crockpot" 2 cents.

Shortly after I seized control of that particular computing platform it was moved into a locked server room controlled by the IT staff.

Maybe we should have a 'classic IT story' sticky in this section.

In 1986 I chastised a guy for placing an open soda can on top of a 60mb disk pack; he was shocked when I told him to remove it and he said "It isn't waterproof?"


Oh, you should definitely start that thread!

One of my favourites is taking over a doctor's office and discovering their "server" was being used as a desktop with admin privileges by one of the users

 

[uc50ic4more]

In 1998 (I think) a video production place I was working in was migrating from IRIX SGI machines to their newer, lower-end Windows NT systems. Not having any experience with Windows administration and in desperate need of some HDD space to accommodate some captured video I (having admin privileges because, you know, Windows) deleted what appeared to be a useless 1GB file. That file was called PAGEFILE.SYS. We lost some time in the studio!

 

[OVERKILL]

Ahhh SGI, brings back memories

I had a couple of SGI boxes to play with in the late 90's, was a great OS, I loved IRIX. Another favourite of mine was DEC Alpha UNIX. Would have been 1992 1993? I was doing computer courses at the local Uni when I was in grade 9 and these workstations, along with an x86 box w/OS2 Warp on it were in my workspace. Also had VAX access and T1 "internet" which was like rocket speed for the time, surfing with NSCA Mosaic in black and white on those big beautiful Alpha boxes

 

[bunnspecial]

I actually have an SGI Octane that runs 24/7 in my office and is on the network.

It has some high end software on it for protein modeling and for X-Ray Diffraction analysis. There are two or three O2 workstations in the department that are still used with some regularity that depend on the Octane in my office being turned on.

In fact, when I removed the computer from its former location, it had been running but untouched for 6 or 7 years. Once I brought it back online, I found that there were three active accounts, two of whom were for people still employed in the department. Unfortunately, neither could remember their password.

As a Mac guy, I have a passing familiarity with BSD Unix so naturally thought it would be an easy fix to just boot into single user mode and change the passwords. Aside from some syntax differences from OS X, I ran into another issue in that I didn't know the root password. Some very helpful folks over at one of the SGI fora told me how to change the root password from an IRIX install disk, but I ended up on another wild goose chase as the version of IRIX on the computer was newer than any of the disks I had. I finally sorted out.

I have two other SGIs sitting in my office-an O2 and an Iris Indigo. The O2 is dead, and I haven't invested the time in fixing it. I got it with a beautiful 21" Trinitron, but unfortunately it was very dim and even when I upped the B+ the colors were very muted and way off. I finally gave in the towel and recycled the monitor. The Iris Indigo SHOULD work, but I don't have the mouse for it(the keyboard and mouse are both proprietary). It needs hard drives which aren't really a problem(depending on how much I want to part with some of my precious 50 pin SCSIs) plus to track down the correct version if IRIX tapes.