Failed to update the registry at first launch of programme

[Guest]

I have a series of important programs made for Win 9x and WinXP which require
an update of the registry at first lauch. One technique to make these
programs to work for user with limited acount with WinXP is to give the
administration rights to that user at first launch of the program. The
registry can then be updated and the user account can be returned to a
limited level. I cannot do this with Vista, as even a user with
administrative rights cannot update the registry. How can I give to a user
with administrative rights the possibility to modify the registry ?

 

[Chad Harris]

Hi Paul--

Can you explain with an example of an important program and how in the world
they require "an update of the registry at first launch." The "udpate [ing
of] the registry for the program as far as that particular programs entry is
done on installation. With many installations including several MSFT
software programs, on the installation gui box, you can see the words
"updating the registry."

If Vista supports the program, all you should have to do is run the install,
and the MSI is going to take care of any updating of the registry required.

Program by program, you have to go to the company who makes the program or
their website, and see if it is Vista compatible. If it is, running the
install should do it.

CH

 

[Guest]

Hi Paul

I had this issue with a few older programs running on Vista, this may or may
not work for you:

I went to the program icon on start menu, right click, properties,
compatability mode and set it to Win XP SP2, run with administrator rights
and applied to all users for that/those programs.

most programs run fine now.

Scott

 

[Guest]

Dear Scott,

Thank you for your reply. It helped me a lot and solved several of my
problems in configuring most of the "old" programs I needed to install on my
new Vista machine (see my answer to Chad Harris).

I still have a few problems, however, the main one being the follwing:

How can I create an lmhost file in the c:\windows\system32\drivres\etc
folder (the lmhost should contains the netbios names of the computers I
connect to through "Map network drive" (so that I can map drives on machines
that are not in my local network by filling up lines as follows:
www.yyy.zzz.aaa name #PRE, where www.yyy.zzz.aaa is the IP adress and name
the netbios name)).

The problem is that I cannot write to the c:\windows\system32\drivres\etc
folder folder, even though I am logged as user with administrator rights
(I'am denying acess when trying to save my file). If I make a right click on
the folder, and go to the "Security" tab, I cannot set permissions for me ...
(all boxes are greyed).

This is probably a general change in Vista vs. Win XP, but I do not know ho
to have acces to those files...

Kind regards

Paul.

 

[Guest]

Dear Chafd,

Thank you for you reply. Here are a few programs that cause this problem:
- Eudora (the well know mailer), which needs to modify the registry to set
it)self as the default mailer)
- PaintShop Pro version 6 (a drawing program very useful for what I do),
which needs to set up the file associations when being launched)
- VeuwerLite (a molecular modelling program), which needs to write to
various places in the registry to work in tandem with a database ...


I eventually got an hint from IscaComps to run these programs as an
administrator and it solved the problems.

Yet, I'am still struggling with the Vista permission (for instance, how to
create an lmhost file ...). Is there a useful website with a description of
these permissions and how to give rights to a specific user to files and
folders to which he does not have rights (these permissions and the way to
modify them seems much more complex than in WinXP...).

Regards,

Paul.

Hi Paul--

Can you explain with an example of an important program and how in the world
they require "an update of the registry at first launch." The "udpate [ing
of] the registry for the program as far as that particular programs entry is
done on installation. With many installations including several MSFT
software programs, on the installation gui box, you can see the words
"updating the registry."

If Vista supports the program, all you should have to do is run the install,
and the MSI is going to take care of any updating of the registry required.

Program by program, you have to go to the company who makes the program or
their website, and see if it is Vista compatible. If it is, running the
install should do it.

CH

I have a series of important programs made for Win 9x and WinXP which
require
an update of the registry at first lauch. One technique to make these
programs to work for user with limited acount with WinXP is to give the
administration rights to that user at first launch of the program. The
registry can then be updated and the user account can be returned to a
limited level. I cannot do this with Vista, as even a user with
administrative rights cannot update the registry. How can I give to a
user
with administrative rights the possibility to modify the registry ?

 

[Guest]

Hi Paul

Glad to see that tip worked, as for lmhosts, haven't used these for a very
long time, so the best i can find is this:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/923947

Basically run notepad as administrator and then open the hosts file.

Thanks
Scott

 

[Guest]

Dear Scott,

This WAS indeed the solution. Thank you. I only start discovering VISTA ...

Regards,

Paul