With the higher security given by UAC in Windows 7, is it still good practice to run as a standard user or Administrator?
In my opinion and according to what I read on Microsoft's website it's best practice to always run as a standard user rather than Administrator.
What does this mean for you? If you are just setting up a brand new computer, you will go through the steps of first creating an Administrative User. This is a user with rights to do everything on your computer. Trouble is, if you have a nasty virus issue while you are logged in, you end up possibly giving it Administrator Rights too!
In Windows 7, even when logged in as Administrator, their are still lots of 'Say Yes' if you want to do this warnings come up, but it is still much safer to do your day-to-day work as a standard user. So the first job you need to do after setting up your new PC or notebook is to create a Standard User account for your use. If you computer already came setup, it's a pretty good bet you are operating as an Administrator. Change it now! If you need some programs to run as an Administrator, you can specify such in the program menu entry or shortcut.
To do administrative tasks, take advantage of Quick User Switching if enabled on your computer. For domain users, have your IT department create a local administrator account to do program installs (if allowed) etc.
Best practice often means planning for worst case.
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After spending more than thirty five years in Information Technology, the whole industry still delights, amazes and frustrates me like nothing else. -