server 2003 & xp pro limited/admin user accounts

Sounds like he wants the users to have admin rights on the local PC's. Which is fine, I suggest giving all users local Admin rights, install new Server and Exchange etc. After you are satisfied with Roll out, tighten on Security and remove Admin rights on Local PC's.

you had a bad tech installing it. that's all.

once the machine is set up and ready to go, there should be no reason any user will need admin rights.

humm so are you going to be running Active Directory?

Further, why purchase Enterprise Edition of Windows 2003 Server and Exchange Server? awfull lot of overkill with a small office setup. I don't think you'll be clustering servers which is about the only reason you would need the Enterprise Edition. Heck get the Small Business Server 2003 Standard edition for less than $1000.00 and it comes with Exchange Server 2003. You have to go the route of Active Directory but then you if you do you have a lot more flexibility with user accounts. All would be domain users and from there you can make them power users or backup operators blah blah blah. oh an BTW Microsoft is having a promotion on Small Business Server AND Office 2003 where they will send you a check for IT services if you get it through the Microsoft Small Business Specialsts Partners.

We are a Voluntary Sector Mental Health Charity in the UK. At the moment we deal with 1 Primary Care Trust & 1 Social Services Dept. This is all changing due to Government changes in the way health services are delivered. Next year we will be dealing with, and these are min figs the final figs will properly be higher, 2 Primary Care Trusts, 2 Social Services Departments, 2 Mental Health Trusts, 2 County Councils, 1 Strategic Health Authority, 40 GP Practices, 2 District/Local Councils, Dept Of Health, Office Of The Deputy Prime Minister, National Institute For Mental Health, Benefits Agency and a whole host of other Statutory & Voluntary Agencies. These changes will however bring about opportunities to expand our business from 1 Drop-in Centre & 1 Residential unit to at least 6 Drop-in Centres & 10 Residential Units plus other units which means say about 25 desktops & 15 laptops. A mountain of form filling, letters, god knows how many emails and a lot of data in the accounts & payroll system. All this documentation will have to be kept for at least 6 years. Medical records & correspondence forever and will have to be available 24/7/365. Given this & many other factors was the reason we were given for the IT system speck we were advised to install. Hope my explanation makes sense.

Your dealer does not know his stuff. You do not need to give your users admin accounts on their desktops, to do so would be very unwise and foolish, it would be like giving the world the key to your front door at home. Everyone would be able to enter and do what they like or take whatever they want. Your users should be able to do all they want to with limited accounts. If there is any task they cannot do, which I doubt, then that task is the job of the System Administrator/IT Manager. Why do you think Microsoft created different levels of user accounts, to stop users meddling and keep your system secure.

no it does not make sense to purchase an enterprise edition of Windows and Exchange for 25 desktops and 15 laptops. No matter how many forms, files and lenght you have to keep stuff.

They sold you something you don't need. Period.

All the other posters have answered your question about users having administrator priviliges. They don't.