installing under a non-administrative user

[Guest]

Hi,
I've given my kids non-administrative user accounts to prevent them
installing whatever they get their hands on. (win xp pro sp2)

I installed some programs after logging on to one of their accounts (giving
my admin userid and password when prompted) using the install wizard and a
message appeared saying installation was completed.
However, the program menu only shows 'uninstall' and not the program itself.

When I navigate to the exe program in the program file directory to start it
manually (or create a shortcut) it won't work either.

The weird thing is that when I log on to my admin account I find an icon
created on my admin desktop and this executes the program.

Do really I have to let the kids log on to my admin account when they want
to play a game?

I'm simply not on the same wavelength as Microsoft on this one and I can't
find any online help on this either.

Any ideas?

Tom

 

[Shenan Stanley]

I've given my kids non-administrative user accounts to prevent them
installing whatever they get their hands on. (win xp pro sp2)

I installed some programs after logging on to one of their accounts
(giving my admin userid and password when prompted) using the
install wizard and a message appeared saying installation was
completed.
However, the program menu only shows 'uninstall' and not the
program itself.

When I navigate to the exe program in the program file directory to
start it manually (or create a shortcut) it won't work either.

The weird thing is that when I log on to my admin account I find an
icon created on my admin desktop and this executes the program.

Do really I have to let the kids log on to my admin account when
they want to play a game?

I'm simply not on the same wavelength as Microsoft on this one and
I can't find any online help on this either.

Any ideas?

You are an administrator and in being one - you have to grant the 'users'
rights they need to be able to run the application. This task can be rather
painful. You usually can get away with doing nothing more than changing the
installation directory permissions so that 'users' have read/change rights.
Sometimes you have to also change registry permissions. On occassion, you
might have to discover some strange file it placed outside the installation
directory (common areas like \Program Files\Common\ and \Windows\ and
\Windows\System32\) - but you want to be very SELECTIVE in giving
permissions.

Something like REGMON and FILEMON can help you locate exactly what
files/registry entries are accessed if the simple solution (NTFS permissions
on the installation directory) doesn't work.

How to disable simplified sharing & set permissions
on a shared folder in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307874

How to set, view, change, or remove file and folder
permissions in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308418

 

[Guest]

You are an administrator and in being one - you have to grant the 'users'
rights they need to be able to run the application. This task can be rather
painful. You usually can get away with doing nothing more than changing the
installation directory permissions so that 'users' have read/change rights.
Sometimes you have to also change registry permissions. On occassion, you
might have to discover some strange file it placed outside the installation
directory (common areas like \Program Files\Common\ and \Windows\ and
\Windows\System32\) - but you want to be very SELECTIVE in giving
permissions.

Something like REGMON and FILEMON can help you locate exactly what
files/registry entries are accessed if the simple solution (NTFS permissions
on the installation directory) doesn't work.

How to disable simplified sharing & set permissions
on a shared folder in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307874

How to set, view, change, or remove file and folder
permissions in Windows XP
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/308418

I'm sure you're right. But I don't even know what regmon is.

I was hoping that there was a simple solution (since installing is
deactivated by default for default normal users and the 'install under admin'
wizard is also default).

I'll de-install it and re-install under my admin account for all users and
then use the windows xp security console to disable it for my youngest (who
shouldn't play).

I'll let you know how this works out,
Tom.

 

[Lanwench [MVP - Exchange]]

Hi,
I've given my kids non-administrative user accounts to prevent them
installing whatever they get their hands on. (win xp pro sp2)

I installed some programs after logging on to one of their accounts
(giving my admin userid and password when prompted) using the install
wizard and a message appeared saying installation was completed.
However, the program menu only shows 'uninstall' and not the program
itself.

When I navigate to the exe program in the program file directory to
start it manually (or create a shortcut) it won't work either.

The weird thing is that when I log on to my admin account I find an
icon created on my admin desktop and this executes the program.

Do really I have to let the kids log on to my admin account when they
want to play a game?

I'm simply not on the same wavelength as Microsoft on this one and I
can't find any online help on this either.

Any ideas?

Tom

This isn't really a Microsoft problem - it's a problem with the software
you're trying to run. This is not uncommon with children's software,
although certainly not exclusive to that category. The first thing I'd do is
contact the developers and complain loudly - there's really no excuse for
this kind of sloppy code nowadays.

As Shenan has already given you a lot of good advice, all I can add is that
both FileMon and RegMon have been replaced/superseded by Process Explorer -
this is a Sysinternals tool (free) now available for download from
Microsoft. It can take a little time to figure out, so be patient - but it's
very useful when you're trying to figure out where in the file
system/registry an application expects to have access.