-> WC> Creating a user account other than root gives you a huge
-> WC> security advantage at trivial difficulty. 

-> WC> It's also very easy to crash your system as root user or
-> WC> otherwise make a huge mistake. 

-> WC> Very powerful O.S. 

-> The terms "root", "root user", and
"rootkit" may have little to
-> no meaning to a Windows user. :-) 

Point taken.
Just a matter of permissions as to how much you can alter or damage the
system if at all.

Rootkit is basically a trojan that allows remote access
and complete control of your system if you're neglegent enough to
operate as root and thus allow it in. 

I've never done anything destructive to the O.S.
as a user however I clocked, and later fixed, an MBR
with Linux operating as root.
--- Platinum Xpress/Win/WINServer v3.0pr5