UAC and installers

  • Thread starter Thread starter Corey Hildebrandt
  • Start date Start date
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Corey Hildebrandt

When installing programs under a limited user account, start menu shortcuts
are not created for the current user. These installers do not have the
option of creating shortcuts for 'all users.' I suspect that these type of
installers would need to be rewritten. Is this correct or is there some
setting that will allow installers to behave like before.

Additionally, programs that have profiles or user settings (e.g. Firefox),
you you choose 'run the application' at the end of the install, the
application actually runs as administrator. So if you run the application
from the installer, customize the application, close the application and
then re-run it, the customization is 'lost' (actuall it is attached to the
administrator account). Again, I suspect that the installer would need to be
rewritten to lower credentials at the end of the installer or is there a
setting somwhere in group policy?

Thanks
CoreyH
 
are not created for the current user. These installers do not have the
option of creating shortcuts for 'all users.' I suspect that these type of
installers would need to be rewritten. Is this correct
Click to expand...

Yes. These installers were not designed properly to take into account how
people use Vista.
Additionally, programs that have profiles or user settings (e.g. Firefox),
you you choose 'run the application' at the end of the install, the
application actually runs as administrator.
Click to expand...

Right, if you are running as a standard user then that is how it works. You
should not use that feature. It should go away.
Again, I suspect that the installer would need to be
rewritten to lower credentials at the end of the installer or is there a
setting somwhere in group policy?
Click to expand...

There is no setting in Windows. The installer was just written to not take
into account the best, most secure, way to run Windows Vista.
 
It's a real pain but the solution is to temporarily make the user an
administrator while installing the program. If you use Run as administrator
or get a UAC prompt and specify an account while running as a standard user
the process will run as the account you specified. There is no way around
this without compromising security. The problem is caused by poor
programming on the part of whoever created the installer and/or the program
but it is a problem nonetheless.
 
Thanks for the reply. I wanted to make sure that I wasn't missing a setting
somewhere.

CoreyH
 
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