A virtual system environment in a computing system allows non-root users to perform administrative operations normally requiring root privileges. A virtual control module has a virtual file system with virtual directories corresponding to one or more of the system directories of a root file system. Each virtual directory contains one or more symbolic links symbolically linking to one or more system files as link targets. The symbolic links have non-root permissions that allow the non-root users to perform administrative operations in the virtual control module that delete, change or replace the symbolic links. A capability is provided to resolve the symbolic links within the virtual control module to allow the non-root users to execute the link targets via the symbolic links. One or more non-root users may be placed in the virtual control module by setting their apparent root directory to a root directory of the virtual file system.