Installing software

[Det.John.Kimble]

I've setup an XP Home system with one admin account and all others as
limited users (kids). I want to completely control software installation
through one admin account.

I've encountered different results with different software when doing
installs. Most software I want available to all users. The software will
run under my admin account but not under the limited accounts. Messages
about signing onto your computer with greater user rights appear when
limited users try to run some apps.

How can I get this to work?

 

[Rob Schneider]

I've setup an XP Home system with one admin account and all others as
limited users (kids). I want to completely control software installation
through one admin account.

I've encountered different results with different software when doing
installs. Most software I want available to all users. The software will
run under my admin account but not under the limited accounts. Messages
about signing onto your computer with greater user rights appear when
limited users try to run some apps.

How can I get this to work?

It's all a function of your software, and how they setup their software
to work in an XP/NT security environment. A lot of software (games
especially) isn't designed for that. They are often only installable by
admin and must run as admin.

Sometimes you can install as admin, then as a user, install them again
into the same location to make them work for that users.

Sometimes it's only a matter of copying the startup icons from the Admin
ujser to the "All Users", or to individual user accounts.

Have to mess around a bit, and expect failure (especially for
kid-orientated software). Best to contact the vendor of the software
(via their web site a good first step) to find out how to make it work
on XP.

In our house, we kept a windows 98 machine working and it tends to get
the most use by the kids. The XP machine tends to be used only for homework.

 

[Rick \Nutcase\ Rogers]

Hi John,

This should help:

Some Programs Do Not Work If You Log On from Limited Account [Q307091]
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=307091

Unfortunately, you cannot control all software installs from the admin
account. Some will need to be installed while logged on as the limited user.
This is most easily done by right-clicking the installer file (usually
setup.exe) and using "run as". This is because of the way the software is
written, it was not designed for a true user environment.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers aka "Nutcase" MS-MVP - Win9x
Windows isn't rocket science! That's my other hobby!

Associate Expert - WinXP - Expert Zone

 

[Det.John.Kimble]

It's all a function of your software, and how they setup their software
to work in an XP/NT security environment. A lot of software (games
especially) isn't designed for that. They are often only installable by
admin and must run as admin.

Sometimes you can install as admin, then as a user, install them again
into the same location to make them work for that users.

Sometimes it's only a matter of copying the startup icons from the Admin
ujser to the "All Users", or to individual user accounts.

Have to mess around a bit, and expect failure (especially for
kid-orientated software). Best to contact the vendor of the software
(via their web site a good first step) to find out how to make it work
on XP.

In our house, we kept a windows 98 machine working and it tends to get
the most use by the kids. The XP machine tends to be used only for homework.

Thanks... Tried copying the shortcuts to All Users and it didn't work

I figured it was related to the software when some things installed properly
and others did not. This really bites. This is going to screw up my plans
to limit the damage the kids can do to this system. I just had to rebuild
it due to rampant downloads. Practically nothing worked anymore.

 

[Det.John.Kimble]

I did see the option to run the programs under a different ID. I'll give it
a try. Hopefully it only asks for the ID and password ONCE and will work
without prompting on subsequent runs.

I thought the whole idea of having limited accounts was to allow this sort
of control? It is actually listed as one of the benefits of XP if memory
serves me correctly.

Does XP Pro do this any better or provide more options?

Hi John,

This should help:

Some Programs Do Not Work If You Log On from Limited Account [Q307091]
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=307091

Unfortunately, you cannot control all software installs from the admin
account. Some will need to be installed while logged on as the limited user.
This is most easily done by right-clicking the installer file (usually
setup.exe) and using "run as". This is because of the way the software is
written, it was not designed for a true user environment.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers aka "Nutcase" MS-MVP - Win9x
Windows isn't rocket science! That's my other hobby!

Associate Expert - WinXP - Expert Zone

I've setup an XP Home system with one admin account and all others as
limited users (kids). I want to completely control software installation
through one admin account.

I've encountered different results with different software when doing
installs. Most software I want available to all users. The software will
run under my admin account but not under the limited accounts. Messages
about signing onto your computer with greater user rights appear when
limited users try to run some apps.

How can I get this to work?

 

[David Candy]

It won't ask just once. But creating a shortcut and using runas will. Type runas in help if using Pro.

runas /savecred /user:"serenity\david candy" notepad

I did see the option to run the programs under a different ID. I'll give it
a try. Hopefully it only asks for the ID and password ONCE and will work
without prompting on subsequent runs.

I thought the whole idea of having limited accounts was to allow this sort
of control? It is actually listed as one of the benefits of XP if memory
serves me correctly.

Does XP Pro do this any better or provide more options?

Hi John,

This should help:

Some Programs Do Not Work If You Log On from Limited Account [Q307091]
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=307091

Unfortunately, you cannot control all software installs from the admin
account. Some will need to be installed while logged on as the limited user.
This is most easily done by right-clicking the installer file (usually
setup.exe) and using "run as". This is because of the way the software is
written, it was not designed for a true user environment.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers aka "Nutcase" MS-MVP - Win9x
Windows isn't rocket science! That's my other hobby!

Associate Expert - WinXP - Expert Zone

I've setup an XP Home system with one admin account and all others as
limited users (kids). I want to completely control software installation
through one admin account.

I've encountered different results with different software when doing
installs. Most software I want available to all users. The software will
run under my admin account but not under the limited accounts. Messages
about signing onto your computer with greater user rights appear when
limited users try to run some apps.

How can I get this to work?

 

[Det.John.Kimble]

Runas won't work in XP Home?


It won't ask just once. But creating a shortcut and using runas will. Type
runas in help if using Pro.

runas /savecred /user:"serenity\david candy" notepad

I did see the option to run the programs under a different ID. I'll give it
a try. Hopefully it only asks for the ID and password ONCE and will work
without prompting on subsequent runs.

I thought the whole idea of having limited accounts was to allow this sort
of control? It is actually listed as one of the benefits of XP if memory
serves me correctly.

Does XP Pro do this any better or provide more options?

Hi John,

This should help:

Some Programs Do Not Work If You Log On from Limited Account [Q307091]
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=307091

Unfortunately, you cannot control all software installs from the admin
account. Some will need to be installed while logged on as the limited user.
This is most easily done by right-clicking the installer file (usually
setup.exe) and using "run as". This is because of the way the software is
written, it was not designed for a true user environment.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers aka "Nutcase" MS-MVP - Win9x
Windows isn't rocket science! That's my other hobby!

Associate Expert - WinXP - Expert Zone

I've setup an XP Home system with one admin account and all others as
limited users (kids). I want to completely control software installation
through one admin account.

I've encountered different results with different software when doing
installs. Most software I want available to all users. The software will
run under my admin account but not under the limited accounts. Messages
about signing onto your computer with greater user rights appear when
limited users try to run some apps.

How can I get this to work?

 

[David Candy]

It will but the savecred part is ignored which means there's no point. But it will always prompt for the password in a command prompt rather than r/c RunAs, Choose User, Enter Password.

You can make the animals PowerUsers rather than Users (Limited Users is a pretty word for the technical group called Users). This is the same as a User on NT4, they can do more including install software. But can't stuff admins about.

You can make a Fat32 partition and install the software there (no security on file).

You can give them specific permissions on a file basis (eg if a game insists on saving it save files in the program.s directory - give your animals permissions to that directory. (You can use filemon and regmon to find what a program wants access to - www.sysinternals.com). See File Permissions in help (it's in Pro's help but the procediure is different in home (basically log on in safe mode then r/c Properties - Security).

To restrict access to programs install for all users, find the exe and remove the allow permission (don't touch deny without a lot of thought - remove the allow). They get told they can't run it. Not as neat but the best way.

Runas won't work in XP Home?


It won't ask just once. But creating a shortcut and using runas will. Type
runas in help if using Pro.

runas /savecred /user:"serenity\david candy" notepad

I did see the option to run the programs under a different ID. I'll give it
a try. Hopefully it only asks for the ID and password ONCE and will work
without prompting on subsequent runs.

I thought the whole idea of having limited accounts was to allow this sort
of control? It is actually listed as one of the benefits of XP if memory
serves me correctly.

Does XP Pro do this any better or provide more options?

Hi John,

This should help:

Some Programs Do Not Work If You Log On from Limited Account [Q307091]
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=307091

Unfortunately, you cannot control all software installs from the admin
account. Some will need to be installed while logged on as the limited user.
This is most easily done by right-clicking the installer file (usually
setup.exe) and using "run as". This is because of the way the software is
written, it was not designed for a true user environment.

--
Best of Luck,

Rick Rogers aka "Nutcase" MS-MVP - Win9x
Windows isn't rocket science! That's my other hobby!

Associate Expert - WinXP - Expert Zone



I've setup an XP Home system with one admin account and all others as
limited users (kids). I want to completely control software installation
through one admin account.

I've encountered different results with different software when doing
installs. Most software I want available to all users. The software will
run under my admin account but not under the limited accounts. Messages
about signing onto your computer with greater user rights appear when
limited users try to run some apps.

How can I get this to work?