Run As Administrator

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Run As Administrator

#1 swas

Member

Group: Members
Posts: 149
Joined: 11-January 06

Posted 03 May 2007 - 11:37 PM

This has probably been asked before, but why do some programs require "run as administrator" ??

thanks

How beautiful it is to do nothing, and then rest afterward

#2 usasma

Still visually handicapped, new avatar (a camel) :0)

Group: Members
Posts: 16,689
Joined: 02-October 05
Gender:Male
Location:Southeastern CT, USA

Posted 04 May 2007 - 06:41 PM

A long story, but it's because of User Access Control (UAC). UAC forces the user to run as a standard user (Limited user in XP) - and requires elevation to run programs that need administrative permissions to work. This prompt will only happen if you're running an account that's designated as an Administrator in Vista. If it's not, then you'll get the prompt to enter credentials to run as an administrator.

Administrator privileges are required to write to certain directories on the computer and to the registry - if the standard user can't write to it, then it'll require that you "run as Administrator' in order for it to work.

Microsoft recommended that you run this way in XP - but even they didn't comply with this suggestion when developing their software. So, most pre-Vista software writes things in the "old" way - which Vista doesn't like. Vista forces this on us (and it makes sense for security purposes) - but this means that we'll be "running as an administrator" in order to get programs to work. Once the software writers convert over to the "Vista way" things should get less confusing.

- John
**If you need a more detailed explanation, please ask for it. I have the Knack. **