Mike said:
A couple of questions, here. I'm setting up a Win2k server as my domain
controller & have about a dozen XP pro client computers. I have a program on
most of the computers for recording time, etc., that on certain computers
this is all I want any users to be able to use, no internet, games,
installing programs! If I make that user any thing other than a member of
the local Admin group, they can't run the program. Of course, if they are a
member of that group, I can't limit anything they can do. I've tried Power
users or any of the other groups & it won't run. I've even tried setting
permissions on the program & am having no luck. What am I missing? Also, how
can I keep them from accessing ther Internet?
Thanks-
This is quite common if the software was designed for Win9x/Me, or
if it was purportedly intended for WinNT/2K/XP, but was very poorly
coded. Quite simply, the installation routine for this application
doesn't "know" how to handle individual user profiles, or the
application tries to make changes to "off-limits" sections of the
registry. Quite often,
you can make this software available to other users by _copying_ the
Start Menu folder and Desktop folder shortcuts from the user profile
from which the software was installed in the corresponding folders in
the user profile(s) in which you'd like the software to be accessible.
If the application is something that can/should be made available to
all current and future users, copying the shortcuts into the
corresponding locations of the All Users profile will do the trick.
For some obscure reason, game developers in particular seem to not
understand WinXP's file security paradigm, and require even limited
users to have unnecessarily high privileges to protected systems
folders. For example, saved games are often stored in a sub-folder
under the game's folder within C:\Program Files - a place where no
inexperienced or limited user should have write permissions.
NOTE: This may not work if the software requires access to parts
of the hard drive and/or registry that are not normally accessible to
regular users. (This won't occur if the application was properly
written.) If this does prove to be the case, however, you're left
with two options: Either grant the necessary users appropriate higher
access privileges (either as Power Users or local administrators), or
replace the application with one that was properly designed
specifically for WinNT/2K/XP.
Some Programs Do Not Work If You Log On from Limited Account
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q307091
Additionally, here are a couple of tips suggested, in a reply to a
different post, by MS-MVP Kent W. England:
"If your game or application works with admin accounts, but not with
limited accounts, you can fix it to allow limited users to access the
program files folder with "change" capability rather than "read" which
is the default.
C:\>cacls "Program Files\appfolder" /e /t /p users:c
where "appfolder" is the folder where the application is installed.
If you wish to undo these changes, then run
C:\>cacls "Program Files\appfolder" /e /t /p users:r
If you still have a problem with running the program or saving
settings on limited accounts, you may need to change permissions on
the registry keys. Run regedit.exe and go to HKLM\Software\vendor\app,
where "vendor\app" is the key that the software vendor used for your
specific program. Change the permissions on this key to allow Users
full control."
Ultimately, though, you may need to go back to the applications' vendor
and ask for a patch to make the program compatible with a more secure
OS. If the vendor refuses, take your business elsewhere.
--
Bruce Chambers
Help us help you:
You can have peace. Or you can have freedom. Don't ever count on having
both at once. - RAH
