On many computer operating systems, superuser, or root, is the term used for the special user account that is controlled by the system administrator. An operating system (OS) is a set of computer programs that manage the hardware and software resources of a computer. ... Note: to create a user account for Wikipedia, go to the login page. ... A system administrator, or sysadmin, is a person employed to maintain, and operate a computer system or network. ...

Many older operating systems on computers intended for personal and home use, including MS-DOS and Windows 9x, are not multi-user operating systems, and there is no distinguished superuser account. Effectively any user of the system has administrator privileges. Separation of administrative privileges from normal user privileges makes an operating system more resistant to viruses and other malicious software, and the lack of this separation in these operating systems has been cited as one major reason why these operating systems are less secure. Microsofts disk operating system, MS-DOS, was Microsofts implementation of DOS, which was the first popular operating system for the IBM PC, and until recently, was widely used on the PC compatible platform. ... Windows 9x is a term used to describe the DOS-based operating systems Windows 95 and Windows 98, similar versions of Microsoft Windows which were produced in the 1990s. ...

Unix and Unix-like

In Unix-style computer operating systems, root is the conventional name of the user who has all rights or permissions in all modes (single- or multi-user). Alternative names include baron in BeOS and avatar on some Unix variants. BSD often provides a toor ("root" backwards) account in addition to a root account. The root user can do many things an ordinary user cannot, such as changing the ownership of files and binding to ports numbered below 1024. Filiation of Unix and Unix-like systems Unix (officially trademarked as UNIX®) is a computer operating system originally developed in the 1960s and 1970s by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie and Douglas McIlroy. ... In computing, an operating system (OS) is the system software responsible for the direct control and management of hardware and basic system operations. ... BeOS is an operating system for personal computers which began development by Be Inc. ... The ten avatars of Lord Vishnu, copyright BBT In Hindu philosophy, an avatar, avatara or avataram (Sanskrit: , IAST: ), most commonly refers to the incarnation (bodily manifestation) of a higher being (deva), or the Supreme Being (God) onto planet Earth. ... BSD redirects here; for other uses see BSD (disambiguation). ... Toor is an alternative superuser account (toor is root spelt backwards) in UNIX like Operating Systems, mostly in BSD family of Operating Systems. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Computer port (software). ...

It is never good practice for anyone to use root as their normal user account, because simple typographical errors can cause major damage to the system. It is recommended to create a normal user account instead and then use the su command to switch when necessary. Some use the sudo utility instead, which allows a measure of graduated access. A typographical error or typo is a mistake made during the typing process. ... The Unix su (subsitute user) command is used to assume the login shell of another user without logging out. ... sudo (superuser do) is a program in Unix, Linux, and similar operating systems such as Mac OS X that allows users to run programs in the guise of another user (normally in the guise of the systems superuser). ...

Many operating systems, such as Mac OS X and Knoppix, allow administrator accounts which provide greater access while shielding the user from most of the pitfalls of full root access. In some cases, the root account is disabled by default, and must be specifically enabled. In a few cases, such as Plan 9, there is no superuser at all. Mac OS X (official IPA pronunciation: ) is a line of proprietary, graphical operating systems developed, marketed, and sold by Apple Inc. ... Knoppix, also spelled as KNOPPIX, is a computer operating system which can be used as a live CD. It is a Debian based Linux distribution, developed by Linux consultant Klaus Knopper. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

Software defects which allow a user to "gain root" (to execute with superuser privileges code supplied by that user) are a major security issue, and the fixing of such software is a major part of maintaining a secure system. One common way of gaining root is to cause a buffer overflow in a program already running with superuser privileges. This is often subsided in modern operating systems by running critical services, such as httpd, under a unique limited account. In computer security and programming, a buffer overflow, or buffer overrun, is a programming error which may result in a memory access exception and program termination, or in the event of the user being malicious, a breach of system security. ... Httpd can mean several things: The Apache HTTP Server. ...

Windows NT

In Windows NT and later systems derived from it (Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Vista), there may or may not be a superuser. By default, there is a superuser named Administrator, although it is not an exact analogue of the Unix root superuser account. Administrator does not have all the privileges of root because some superuser privileges are assigned to the Local System account in Windows NT. Windows NT is a family of operating systems produced by Microsoft, the first version of which was released in July 1993. ... Windows 2000 (also referred to as Win2K) is a preemptible, interruptible, graphical and business-oriented operating system that was designed to work with either uniprocessor or symmetric multi-processor 32-bit Intel x86 computers. ... Windows XP is a line of proprietary operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on general-purpose computer systems, including home and business desktops, notebook computers, and media centers. ... Windows Server 2003 is a server operating system produced by Microsoft. ... Windows Vista is the latest release of Microsoft Windows, a line of graphical operating systems used on personal computers, including home and business desktops, notebook computers, Tablet PCs, and media centers. ... Filiation of Unix and Unix-like systems Unix (officially trademarked as UNIX®) is a computer operating system originally developed in the 1960s and 1970s by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie and Douglas McIlroy. ... Windows NT is a family of operating systems produced by Microsoft, the first version of which was released in July 1993. ...

To run a program as a superuser in Windows XP and probably later versions of Windows, use the command runas. See Microsoft's documentation for runas for more details. Windows XP is a line of proprietary operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on general-purpose computer systems, including home and business desktops, notebook computers, and media centers. ...

See also

• Power user

A power users desktop. ...

External links

• LINUX: Rute User's Tutorial and Exposition
• Discussion on origin of Charlie Root at pipermail