Jimmy S. said:Hi Pro,
| I have been installing games on my pc as administrator in odrer that everyone
| can play them, but this does not seem to happen. There appears to be problems
| in saving games or accessing games from other users. Are there further
| settings that I need to "allow"?
Some games will work with limited accounts after they have been installed and
run once either using an administrator account, or by temporarily changing the
limited user account(s) to an admin account in Control Panel / User Accounts,
just for the purpose of running the game the first time in order to be able to
install the necessary files and create the keys in the registry that it needs to
function, but may not be able to due to the restrictive nature of limited accounts.
If that mouthful doesn't resolve the issue, use the "Run As.." command instead:
1. Click Start / Control Panel / User Accounts / Create a New Account /
Name the Account: "able2play" (without quotes) / Next Pick: "Computer-
Administrator" & Click "Create Account";
2. Click on your new able2play account and Create a Password for it;
3. When your limited user wants to play a game that requires Administrator
privileges they can Right-Click the shortcut to that game / Click Run As... /
"The Following User": able2play and enter the password. Simple as that!
I know what you're thinking: That defeats the purpose of the limited user account.
To secure the "able2play" account so that it can't be used to logon to the computer:
First you can hide the account so that it won't show up on the Welcome Screen:
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/scripts_desc/xp_hide_users.htm (thanks Doug!)
Next add a shortcut to the windows logoff routine into the RUN key of the
able2play registry. I made a reg patch to simplify this process if you wish to use it:
4. Logon to the "able2play" account,
5. <ONLY RUN THIS PATCH USING THE "ABLE2PLAY" ACCOUNT>
Save this patch to your drive and then doubleclick it to install it to your registry.
http://www3.sympatico.ca/nibblesnbits/OnlyRunUsingAble2PlayAccount.reg
or
*Instead of using the reg patch, click Start / Run / regedt32 / browse to:
[HKCU\SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run] and
Click Edit / New / String value / ValueName: logoff / Value data: logoff
From now on, if anyone logs on with the "able2play" account, the computer will log
them off immediately. They will not gain access to an administrators desktop!
--
Cheers, Windows XP MVP Shell / User
Jimmy S. http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
Game FAQs: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=FH;[LN];gms
Visit my Zone.com / Gaming Helpsite: http://nibblesnbits.tk or Call / Contact
MS Support at: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=sz;en-us;top
My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any rights.
_________________________________________________________
Jimmy S. said:Hi Pro,
Drastic, perhaps.. but it's an effective workaround, and better than
giving administrator rights to users in order to install their games.
When the game needs patching, do so using Run As..., there's no
need to log onto the desktop with the Able2Play account.
--
Cheers, Windows XP MVP Shell / User
Jimmy S. http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
Game FAQs: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=FH;[LN];gms
Visit my MSN Zone.com and Gaming Help Site: http://mvps.org/nibblesnbits
MS Assisted Support: http://support.microsoft.com/select/?target=assistance
My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any rights.
_________________________________________________________
| Thanks Jimmy, Hope u had a good xmas.
| It seems very drastic for something that should be so easy. Wouldnt I need
| to log on to Able2play to install games? (in which case I will need to be
| able to reverse these patches or continually edit the registry) How can I
| access a hidden user group if it isnt on the menu screen?
|
| If I install games outside of a user I find that I cannot enter the program
| directories to pick up the icons to create shortcuts. Not all the games are
| installing program menu entries or icons across all users.
|
| "Jimmy S." wrote:
|
| > Hi Pro,
| >
| > | I have been installing games on my pc as administrator in odrer that everyone
| > | can play them, but this does not seem to happen. There appears to be problems
| > | in saving games or accessing games from other users. Are there further
| > | settings that I need to "allow"?
| >
| > Some games will work with limited accounts after they have been installed and
| > run once either using an administrator account, or by temporarily changing the
| > limited user account(s) to an admin account in Control Panel / User Accounts,
| > just for the purpose of running the game the first time in order to be able to
| > install the necessary files and create the keys in the registry that it needs to
| > function, but may not be able to due to the restrictive nature of limited accounts.
| >
| > If that mouthful doesn't resolve the issue, use the "Run As.." command instead:
| >
| > 1. Click Start / Control Panel / User Accounts / Create a New Account /
| > Name the Account: "able2play" (without quotes) / Next Pick: "Computer-
| > Administrator" & Click "Create Account";
| >
| > 2. Click on your new able2play account and Create a Password for it;
| >
| > 3. When your limited user wants to play a game that requires Administrator
| > privileges they can Right-Click the shortcut to that game / Click Run As... /
| > "The Following User": able2play and enter the password. Simple as that!
| >
| > I know what you're thinking: That defeats the purpose of the limited user account.
| > To secure the "able2play" account so that it can't be used to logon to the computer:
| >
| > First you can hide the account so that it won't show up on the Welcome Screen:
| > http://www.dougknox.com/xp/scripts_desc/xp_hide_users.htm (thanks Doug!)
| >
| > Next add a shortcut to the windows logoff routine into the RUN key of the
| > able2play registry. I made a reg patch to simplify this process if you wish to use it:
| >
| > 4. Logon to the "able2play" account,
| >
| > 5. <ONLY RUN THIS PATCH USING THE "ABLE2PLAY" ACCOUNT>
| > Save this patch to your drive and then doubleclick it to install it to your registry.
| > http://www3.sympatico.ca/nibblesnbits/OnlyRunUsingAble2PlayAccount.reg
| >
| > or
| >
| > *Instead of using the reg patch, click Start / Run / regedt32 / browse to:
| > [HKCU\SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run] and
| > Click Edit / New / String value / ValueName: logoff / Value data: logoff
| >
| > From now on, if anyone logs on with the "able2play" account, the computer will log
| > them off immediately. They will not gain access to an administrators desktop!
| >
| > --
| > Cheers, Windows XP MVP Shell / User
| > Jimmy S. http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
| >
| > Game FAQs: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=FH;[LN];gms
| > Visit my Zone.com / Gaming Helpsite: http://nibblesnbits.tk or Call / Contact
| > MS Support at: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=sz;en-us;top
| > My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any rights.
| > _________________________________________________________
| >
| >
| >
| >
| >
Pro said:Thanks Jimmy, but how about installing games? Not all games install menu
entries, and icons across all accounts?
Jimmy S. said:Hi Pro,
Drastic, perhaps.. but it's an effective workaround, and better than
giving administrator rights to users in order to install their games.
When the game needs patching, do so using Run As..., there's no
need to log onto the desktop with the Able2Play account.
--
Cheers, Windows XP MVP Shell / User
Jimmy S. http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
Game FAQs: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=FH;[LN];gms
Visit my MSN Zone.com and Gaming Help Site: http://mvps.org/nibblesnbits
MS Assisted Support: http://support.microsoft.com/select/?target=assistance
My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any rights.
_________________________________________________________
| Thanks Jimmy, Hope u had a good xmas.
| It seems very drastic for something that should be so easy. Wouldnt I need
| to log on to Able2play to install games? (in which case I will need to be
| able to reverse these patches or continually edit the registry) How can I
| access a hidden user group if it isnt on the menu screen?
|
| If I install games outside of a user I find that I cannot enter the program
| directories to pick up the icons to create shortcuts. Not all the games are
| installing program menu entries or icons across all users.
|
| "Jimmy S." wrote:
|
| > Hi Pro,
| >
| > | I have been installing games on my pc as administrator in odrer that everyone
| > | can play them, but this does not seem to happen. There appears to be problems
| > | in saving games or accessing games from other users. Are there further
| > | settings that I need to "allow"?
| >
| > Some games will work with limited accounts after they have been installed and
| > run once either using an administrator account, or by temporarily changing the
| > limited user account(s) to an admin account in Control Panel / User Accounts,
| > just for the purpose of running the game the first time in order to be able to
| > install the necessary files and create the keys in the registry that it needs to
| > function, but may not be able to due to the restrictive nature of limited accounts.
| >
| > If that mouthful doesn't resolve the issue, use the "Run As.." command instead:
| >
| > 1. Click Start / Control Panel / User Accounts / Create a New Account /
| > Name the Account: "able2play" (without quotes) / Next Pick: "Computer-
| > Administrator" & Click "Create Account";
| >
| > 2. Click on your new able2play account and Create a Password for it;
| >
| > 3. When your limited user wants to play a game that requires Administrator
| > privileges they can Right-Click the shortcut to that game / Click Run As... /
| > "The Following User": able2play and enter the password. Simple as that!
| >
| > I know what you're thinking: That defeats the purpose of the limited user account.
| > To secure the "able2play" account so that it can't be used to logon to the computer:
| >
| > First you can hide the account so that it won't show up on the Welcome Screen:
| > http://www.dougknox.com/xp/scripts_desc/xp_hide_users.htm (thanks Doug!)
| >
| > Next add a shortcut to the windows logoff routine into the RUN key of the
| > able2play registry. I made a reg patch to simplify this process if you wish to use it:
| >
| > 4. Logon to the "able2play" account,
| >
| > 5. <ONLY RUN THIS PATCH USING THE "ABLE2PLAY" ACCOUNT>
| > Save this patch to your drive and then doubleclick it to install it to your registry.
| > http://www3.sympatico.ca/nibblesnbits/OnlyRunUsingAble2PlayAccount.reg
| >
| > or
| >
| > *Instead of using the reg patch, click Start / Run / regedt32 / browse to:
| > [HKCU\SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run] and
| > Click Edit / New / String value / ValueName: logoff / Value data: logoff
| >
| > From now on, if anyone logs on with the "able2play" account, the computer will log
| > them off immediately. They will not gain access to an administrators desktop!
| >
| > --
| > Cheers, Windows XP MVP Shell / User
| > Jimmy S. http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
| >
| > Game FAQs: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=FH;[LN];gms
| > Visit my Zone.com / Gaming Helpsite: http://nibblesnbits.tk or Call / Contact
| > MS Support at: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=sz;en-us;top
| > My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty; nor do I confer any rights.
| > _________________________________________________________
| >
| >
| >
| >
| >