Can someone tell me what those small shields with blue and yellow squares attached to those small icons on the left hand side of your screen are?

Well, a screenshot would certainly help, along with what operating system you are using.

I don't see such shields on my screen. Can you grab a screenshot to post?

Is it only in thaivisa.com browser windows, or ...?

To show that the program is set up to 'run as administrator'?

To show that the program is set up to 'run as administrator'?

Yep, sounds like.

This one (enlarged, from Windows 7)?

I see that often because I am not logged in as administrator in normal use.

To show that the program is set up to 'run as administrator'?

Yep, sounds like.

This one (enlarged, from Windows 7)?

I see that often because I am not logged in as administrator in normal use.

Yes, that's it, there's one on my Kies, and one on my audio icons (that's the red and white cone). I'm on Windows 8.1.

To show that the program is set up to 'run as administrator'?

If you look at post #5.

Well, a screenshot would certainly help, along with what operating system you are using.

Thanks Crossy, if you look at post #5, and I am on Windows 8.1.

Your answer is in post #4.

To show that the program is set up to 'run as administrator'?

Sorry for my ignorance Slip, but what does it mean 'run as administrator'?

How deep you want to dig

Can become a long thread.

Looks like a good article out of the many that explain the function and different types of user accounts (administrator vs. standard user in the most popular case):

http://www.howtogeek.com/school/windows-network-sharing/lesson1/all/?PageSpeed=noscript

To show that the program is set up to 'run as administrator'?

Sorry for my ignorance Slip, but what does it mean 'run as administrator'?

Those small shields are also on my anti virus and auslogics defrag icons.

How deep you want to dig

Can become a long thread.

Looks like a good article out of the many that explain the function and different types of user accounts (administrator vs. standard user in the most popular case):

http://www.howtogeek.com/school/windows-network-sharing/lesson1/all/?PageSpeed=noscript

Thanks, I looked at this, and am not sure whether I have a administrator or standard account, but I am the only user of my PC.

The first user on Windows 8.1 has an administrator account.

Subsequent accounts are a standard account by default.

The first user on Windows 8.1 has an administrator account.

Subsequent accounts are a standard account by default.

Even though this is true, it doesn't really explain what it is. When you set up your computer, you'll get two accounts, like above. Once using your computer, most of the time, your computer uses your account (with the name you gave) for it's operations. Sometimes you want to change something and it is protected by some microsoft rules, that you can only access it through the administrator account. It just goes beyond the first protection.

As an administrator you also can create other accounts (guest accounts). The user of that account has to log in with his own password and cannot change anything on the computer that you as an administrator installed.

So if your computer is being used by parents and their children, you can avoid your children to ruin your setup (as many are likely to do while experimenting)...

The icon is just an indicator that opening the icon (launching the app/program) will do so with "Administrator Rights", with the ability to make changes to the Operating System.

Microsoft, and other producers of Operating System, have switched to a "rights" approach to allow Equipment Owners the ability to safeguard how their systems are set up. Great for the corporate world to prevent end-users from erasing or installing unauthorized programs (especially those that could open security holes). Home/Personal users shouldn't need to have "restricted" accounts but they are sometime stupid and download stuff from the Internet (gasp) ...so they get restricted user accounts now as well.

The "restrictions/rights" given to the accounts vary. Some just prevent OS object changes/deletions. Others may prevent installing/uninstalling applications or devices.

In Windows you can right-click and select "Run as administrator" if the program doesn't natively have the rights to do what you need it to do. You'll see this most often when using the cmd.exe (command prompt) when needing 'write' privileges within the Windows OS directories.

AntiVirus needs "Administrator" rights so it can detect and quarantine/delete nasties from system areas.

Kies probably because it needs to create system objects to talk to devices.

If people would just stop being stupid ,or malicious, then we would all be allowed to have access to sharp and pointy things.

To show that the program is set up to 'run as administrator'?

Sorry for my ignorance Slip, but what does it mean 'run as administrator'?

Apologies- I have been away for a couple of days, but I see you have got some good answers in my absence.