In response to Miles.

As I said, some of the options are *user* preferences, and should be changeable by individual users without admin coming into it.

I agree that other options require admin privileges, but this does not necessarily require a user is logged in as admin, simply that an admin username and password is required. But there should be no way a non-admin user even knows the admin password unless, as in my case, only one person is using the machine and that person prefers to run routinely as a non-admin user.

When you say "I do not encourage non admin users to alter system files on my mac" my response is that it isn't a matter of encouraging or not, it should simply not be possible except in my situation, provided an admin name and password is asked for when needed.