User Account Control blocking a program despite permissions

[jwazevedo]

I have a computer running Windows Vista Business that is the principal
machine on a network of five computers. It is set up with three users. One is
an administrator and the other two are standard users. All users need to be
able to run a program called "ath.exe". I have set up full control
permissions for all users for this program. However, when the standard users
try to open it, there is a User Account Controls error message that "an
unidentified program wants to access your computer". An administrator
password is required. Obviously, this situation in untenable. What is the
secret to making this program available to all users while maintaining the
other security features of User Account Controls? Thanks.
Jerry

 

[H Brown]

I have a computer running Windows Vista Business that is the principal
machine on a network of five computers. It is set up with three users. One
is
an administrator and the other two are standard users. All users need to
be
able to run a program called "ath.exe". I have set up full control
permissions for all users for this program. However, when the standard
users
try to open it, there is a User Account Controls error message that "an
unidentified program wants to access your computer". An administrator
password is required. Obviously, this situation in untenable. What is the
secret to making this program available to all users while maintaining the
other security features of User Account Controls? Thanks.
Jerry

There are many things you can do just to run the program *but* based on your
question it will help you get the _right_ solution from the right people
with just a little more information from you.
Is it: Vista Business Sp1 *or not*? _32 bit_ or _64 bit_?
What is the name of the program/application and its version number that all
_users_ need to be able to run?
In the mean time pay a visit to the web site of the distributor of the
program in question and find out if they offer a Vista compatible version.
That would be a version that’s designed to run in the user environment.

When I Google "ath.exe" I see your post to Hewlett-Packard Service forum
and others, but to many possibility to guess at what ath.exe is.

 

[JWAzevedo]

This is Vista Business SP1, 32-bit version.

"Ath.exe" is a library automation program called Athena. The software
developer sold out to another company, and the program is no longer
supported. We are a small community library, and for a long list of reasons
we are unable to switch to a new program. This one works just fine. I just
need to be able to set it up to open normally by a standard
(non-administrator) user.

Thanks.

 

[H Brown]

This is Vista Business SP1, 32-bit version.

"Ath.exe" is a library automation program called Athena. The software
developer sold out to another company, and the program is no longer
supported. We are a small community library, and for a long list of
reasons
we are unable to switch to a new program. This one works just fine. I
just
need to be able to set it up to open normally by a standard
(non-administrator) user.

Thanks.

Hi Jerry
Your wise in wanting to maintain the security that User Account Control
(UAC) provides.

*Good news*, Sagebrush Corporation the developer of Athena is now the
Follett Software Company.
*"Follett Software Company continues to support current customers of the
Athena library automation system"*

"Follett Software Company is a division of Follett Corporation, a respected
name in education, known initially for building our nation’s school
libraries beginning in 1874."
The Follett Software Company has been in business for over 30 years.
In my opinion (IMO) you can conceder Follett Software Company as a viable
and trustworthy company.

Until you/we find out what a Follett Software Company support tech has to
say about your issue there is no need to be trying any of the other possible
solutions.

"Frequently, the software vendor will be able to resolve the incompatibility
issue by providing one of the following resolutions:"
*"Information about any configuration changes to make the program compatible
with Windows Vista"*
"An update to make the current version of the program compatible with
Windows Vista."
"A version of the program that is compatible with Windows Vista."

Locate as much of the old documentation your library got from Sagebrush and
their Athena software.
Note the current version number of Athena software you are running.
Your old Sagebrush Customer Number, provided you still have it.
Even if some of the above info is missing you should know the name of the
library as it would have appeared at the time the library first began using
Athena.

Sitting in front of the computer in question call the below phone number.
Call toll free in the U.S. and Canada, Monday - Friday, 7 AM --6 PM Central
time.
Technical Support Athena-- 800.661.4109

Note: When I called the above tech support line there was no holding, pushed
the 3 key and a live human tech answered speaking fluently in his native
tongue, which happened to be English.
I think you will be pleasantly pleased by taking the above advise.

Follett Software Company URL below for more.
http://www.follettsoftware.com/

Get back to this Newsgroup and let all know how it went.

H Brown











IMO your number one (1) best solution to help and mostly to resolve your
issue.
Good news for you Jerry
Your wise in wanting to maintain the security that User Account Control
(UAC) provides.
Frequently, the software vendor will be able to resolve the incompatibility
issue by providing one of the following resolutions:
An update to make the current version of the program compatible with Windows
Vista
A version of the program that is compatible with Windows Vista
Information about any configuration changes to make the program compatible
with Windows Vista

 

[H Brown]

I have a computer running Windows Vista Business that is the principal
machine on a network of five computers. It is set up with three users. One
is
an administrator and the other two are standard users. All users need to
be
able to run a program called "ath.exe". I have set up full control
permissions for all users for this program. However, when the standard
users
try to open it, there is a User Account Controls error message that "an
unidentified program wants to access your computer". An administrator
password is required. Obviously, this situation in untenable. What is the
secret to making this program available to all users while maintaining the
other security features of User Account Controls? Thanks.
Jerry

TEST ONLY for WLM newsreader receive, lost tread TEST ONLY no reply
necessary this group only sys at 10:42 cst

 

[H Brown]

This is Vista Business SP1, 32-bit version.

"Ath.exe" is a library automation program called Athena. The software
developer sold out to another company, and the program is no longer
supported. We are a small community library, and for a long list of
reasons
we are unable to switch to a new program. This one works just fine. I
just
need to be able to set it up to open normally by a standard
(non-administrator) user.

Thanks.

Hi Jerry
Your wise in wanting to maintain the security that User Account Control
(UAC) provides.

*Good news*, Sagebrush Corporation the developer of Athena is now the
Follett Software Company.
*"Follett Software Company continues to support current customers of the
Athena library automation system"*

"Follett Software Company is a division of Follett Corporation, a respected
name in education, known initially for building our nation’s school
libraries beginning in 1874."
The Follett Software Company has been in business for over 30 years.
In my opinion (IMO) you can conceder Follett Software Company as a viable
and trustworthy company.

Until you/we find out what a Follett Software Company support tech has to
say about your issue there is no need to be trying any of the other possible
solutions.

"Frequently, the software vendor will be able to resolve the incompatibility
issue by providing one of the following resolutions:"
*"Information about any configuration changes to make the program compatible
with Windows Vista"*
"An update to make the current version of the program compatible with
Windows Vista."
"A version of the program that is compatible with Windows Vista."

Locate as much of the old documentation your library got from Sagebrush and
their Athena software.
Note the current version number of Athena software you are running.
Your old Sagebrush Customer Number, provided you still have it.
Even if some of the above info is missing you should know the name of the
library as it would have appeared at the time the library first began using
Athena.

Sitting in front of the computer in question call the below phone number.
Call toll free in the U.S. and Canada, Monday - Friday, 7 AM --6 PM Central
time.
Technical Support Athena-- 800.661.4109

Note: When I called the above tech support line there was no holding, pushed
the 3 key and a live human tech answered speaking fluently in his native
tongue, which happened to be English.
I think you will be pleasantly pleased by taking the above advise.

Follett Software Company URL below for more.
http://www.follettsoftware.com/

Get back to this Newsgroup and let all know how it went.

H Brown

 

[JWAzevedo]

Follett Technical Support confirms that they do not support Athena with
Vista. The program has not been tested with Vista, and since they are not
developing that program any longer, they are not going to troubleshoot
problems. The program itself is working fine for our tiny library, and as I
said, to change it now would create serious problems for us. The only issue
we have -- and this is the issue I brought to the forum -- is that Vista User
Account Control won’t let us open the program without an administrator
password. So I’ll repeat that question and ask for a specific answer: How
can I tweak Vista to tell it to allow this program to open without challenge
from UAC? Thanks.
Jerry

 

[H Brown]

Follett Technical Support confirms that they do not support Athena with
Vista. The program has not been tested with Vista, and since they are not
developing that program any longer, they are not going to troubleshoot
problems. The program itself is working fine for our tiny library, and as
I
said, to change it now would create serious problems for us. The only
issue
we have -- and this is the issue I brought to the forum -- is that Vista
User
Account Control won’t let us open the program without an administrator
password. So I’ll repeat that question and ask for a specific answer: How
can I tweak Vista to tell it to allow this program to open without
challenge
from UAC? Thanks.
Jerry

I will try to get back to you with other possible solutions a little later.

 

[JWAzevedo]

I'm still looking for a solution here.

I've tried 3rd-party tools (TweakUAC and Norton UAC Control), but though
they're great for the administrator account, the standard user account is
still prompted when opening this program.

For the moment, UAC is off. That might be the "solution", though I hope not.

Best,
Jerry

 

[Mike Torello]

I'm still looking for a solution here.

I've tried 3rd-party tools (TweakUAC and Norton UAC Control), but though
they're great for the administrator account, the standard user account is
still prompted when opening this program.

For the moment, UAC is off. That might be the "solution", though I hope not.

I've had UAC off for 6 months. Don't plan to ever turn it back on.

If that's your fix, run with it and don't look back.

 

[Kerry Brown]

I'm assuming you've tried the program compatibility wizard?

http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/Help/99a95df6-04e6-46eb-bb65-6404cd215e641033.mspx

http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Windows/en-US/Help/bf416877-c83f-4476-a3da-8ec98dcf5f101033.mspx

Note that the compatibility wizard works best with UAC on.

Another method that sometimes works, Make sure UAC is on. Change each user
to an administrator user. Run the program. Change the user back to a
standard user. Sometimes it's just a matter of letting the program run once
as an administrator and let it create some registry entries or modify a file
in a system area like Program Files. Vista will redirect this to a virtual
registry and file store in the users profile. With UAC off this doesn't
happen. As a standard user if you specify an administrator user in the UAC
prompt the redirect may go to the wrong user profile.

If all of that fails then you may need to download Process Monitor.

http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/sysinternals/bb896645.aspx

Monitor what files and registry keys the program is using and change the
permissions on those files and keys. This can be a very time consuming
process but usually you can get almost any program to run with this method.

As a last resort you can use the downgrade rights for Vista Business to
install XP Pro on the computer. This would require wiping the computer and
installing XP Pro then your programs.

http://download.microsoft.com/downl...cbd-699b0c164182/royaltyoemreferencesheet.pdf

--
Kerry Brown
MS-MVP - Windows Desktop Experience: Systems Administration
http://www.vistahelp.ca/phpBB2/

 

[H Brown]

Hi Jerry
March 5th I found these links in Microsoft public windows vista general.
The solutions offered by Brink is (OPTION ONE Method Two) from the link
below. From what I've read, Brink's OPTION ONE Method Two in the link below
may get your job done like you want. Further, it maintains the security
offered by UAC in Vista.
There is one thing I would do for sure if I were you before doing anything
else. Create a second Admin account on the computer with a strong password
that only you know. This will give you a back up admin account (a safety
net) if ever the first admin account is compromised. You don't even have to
use the new admin account, its just for emergencies.

For Brinks solution (OPTION ONE Method Two)
http://www.vistax64.com/tutorials/79612-startup-programs-enable-disable.html

You will find http://www.vistax64.com/ a site where you can get much
information
about Vista and its components. I would say most user could find what they
need
with out having to wait for someone to post back in newsgroups or some
forum.
Brink has published many articles and tutorials at the above site. I say
many because
its hard to find any tutorials there with out seeing (Published by Brink).

Passed all this, if the administrator is at the library each morning you
could
have them/you log the standard user accounts in, open the Program in
question and with out the user standing over you shoulder inter the password
to allow the program to run. That way you can leave the program running in
background so this user can get their work done during the day. You could
do that for two users using the Switch user option. As long as it did not
cause any memory problems, (unacceptable slow downs of operations) then at
least for the time being it would get the job done, with out compromising
security of UAC.
H Brown

 

[JWAzevedo]

Thanks to all who replied.

H Brown's solution didn't work for me because I didn't want the program to
start automatically. Before I resorted to Mike's solution [] and before I
saw Kerry's workaround, I found the following solution elsewhere, and since
it was the simplest, I tried it first. I can tell you that it solved the
problem, and I recommend it to anyone who has a similar issue.

Here is the link to the solution I used:

http://blog.tiensivu.com/aaron/arch...ol-Prompt-for-a-certain-application-only.html

If that link doesn't work, the steps are pasted below:


1. Install the Application Compatibility Toolkit 5.0.
2. In the Start menu, locate the Compatibility Administrator inside the ACT
folder. Right-click it and Run as administrator.
3. In the left hand pane, right-click on the database under Custom Databases
and select Create New, and select Application Fix.
4. Enter the name of the application you want to alter and browse to it to
select it.
5. Click Next until you are in the Compatibility Fixes screen.
6. On the Compatibility Fixes screen, find the item RunAsInvoker, and check
it.
7. Click Next and Finish.
8. Select File and Save As. Save the file as appname.sdb in a directory you
will easily find it.
9. Copy the appname.sdb file to the Vista computer you want to alter the
elevation prompt behavior on.
10. Click Start>All Programs>Accessories. Right click Command Prompt and
click Run as administrator.
11. Run the command: sdbinst appname.sdb
It should display: Installation of "appname" complete.



And good luck to everyone navigating the Vista waters.

Best,
Jerry

 

[H Brown]

I'm glad you got it done. Also you were courteous enough to let everyone
here know what it took.
Will you answer a question for me. Did this solution you are using still
keep the standard user from being able to elevate to admin?
In other word are you still getting the security benefits that UAC
provides?
Last, what led you to "elsewhere" to find what would work for you?
I admire your tenacity,
H Brown

 

[JWAzevedo]

I wanted to keep UAC if possible. The Application Compatibility Toolkit
seems to target a specific program and appears not to affect other functions
of the UAC. Though I can't guarantee all standard UAC protections are in
place, I can say that UAC is turned on and seems to work fine. AND, my old
program opens without the UAC challenge.

In trying to understand UAC and how it works, I continued to search the web,
and eventually I stumbled across that link I posted. When I encountered this
problem, I first tried the computer manufacturer for technical support, but
none of their three solutions worked, and the last support rep actually asked
me, "Why are you using Windows anyway?" That told me I had to broaden my
search for a solution.

Good luck to you all.

Jerry

 

[H Brown]

Thanks for reporting back, based on what I've read and what I understood of
your issue
you are good to go with out having to compromise the security provided by
UAC.
I would have done exactly as you have done. Because as far as I can tell
Microsoft's solution offers the correct
solution with out having to give up the benefits of UCA.
Congregation
H Brown

 

[Delin]

cant login to my own administrator account
today i created a new account but stil cant logon
gives me a message logon failed despite of the correct password
i have vista os what should i do