A strange security scenario...

[davexnet]

A game my son (defined as a standard user in Vista) plays on our Vista Ultimate box requires that you right click
the shortcut, select "run as administrator" , provide the admin credentials (my password) and then the game can be played.
If you attempt to run it without this elevation to admin security context, the game loader window opens,
but the "start" button is never activated.

I've joined the forum of the game (FIFA online 2) to ask about this need for Admin, but have had no feed back yet.
The only thing I did see was that it was documented in their faq.

Here's the question. How can I setup a shortcut, or a method of starting the game,
in such a way that keeps my password private.

Vista Ultimate has the runas command with the /savecred operand; it's a bit of a hack but it may have worked.
Unfortunately the game is sensitive to it and refuses to start properly.

I posted the question in Microsoft Answers and a couple of other Widows tech sites, and all I've heard
so far is that they've had this question in the past from other "unhappy" parents.
Seems to me that my scenario was overlooked when MS designed UAC and the layered security approach.

Anybody have any thoughts on this?

[Ai Haibara]

If you can specify the directory the game installs to, what happens if you install it to a directory other than a subdirectory of Program Files (or Program Files (x86), if you're running a 64-bit version of Vista)? Say, for example, C:\FIFAOnline2.

[davexnet]

If you can specify the directory the game installs to, what happens if you install it to a directory other than a subdirectory of Program Files (or Program Files (x86), if you're running a 64-bit version of Vista)? Say, for example, C:\FIFAOnline2.

Thanks for this idea. Unfortunately, it's been installed for a long while, my son has all his saved games, etc,etc,
I really don't want to disturb the current setup. I'm running ultimate 32 bit.

What is the theory behind your idea?

[Ai Haibara]

Windows (Vista, not sure about 7) seems not to like it if a program tries to do certain things with its Program Files folders, though I'm not sure about the complete list of things it might not like.
It happened to me when I tried installing AutoGK on the system listed in my profile, in 2009. I normally run Vista in a non-administrator account, and no matter how I tried to run AutoGK, it wanted my admin password on every run. After I uninstalled it, and reinstalled it in a non-Program Files folder off the root folder, it no longer pestered me for my admin password, and ran normally.

If the save files are in a certain location, you can try backing them up, and copying them to the new installation. But that, I'd ask the FIFA Online forums about, even more so since I can't guarantee what I've suggested will work - or that the game has some sort of licensing/DRM that might give you grief if you uninstall and reinstall, etc. Then again, maybe you might just be able to move the game directory from Program Files, subfolders and all, to a different folder. Hopefully, the FIFA Online forums would be able to let you know if any of this is possible, or a good idea.

Also, have you checked their website for patches to the game, and made sure it's properly patched/updated? Not that it would necessarily have any effect on the UAC issue, though.

[davexnet]

Thanks very much for that back ground. What I may do first is see if I can recreate the AUtoGK issue - should be
easy enough, I've got my standard-user test account. It may be possible to use Procmon or one of those other similar MS tools
and look for the "access denied" or similar.

Now that I think of it, does standard-user even allow you to install to the normal (program files) folders?

[Ai Haibara]

Sure. You'll usually need to supply your admin password when running an installer, though. If you do want to install something from a non-admin account, you might want to right-click on the installer's .EXE and select "Run as administrator" from the context menu, rather than just running the EXE as you normally would any other program.

[davexnet]

Late last night I installed AutoGK from my Admin account and tried to run it from my standard-user testID - that worked.
the App. started normally. I'm going to read up a little more of UAC to see if I'm missing something.

[Ai Haibara]

It may have something to do with that I'm using a 64-bit version of Vista. I wouldn't be surprised if 64-bit Vista's even more wary/paranoid of certain things than the 32-bit version is.

Come to think of it, yeah, I don't remember having the same problem with AutoGK on the 32-bit Vista tower I had before the current 64-bit system. The dual Program Files folder structure in 64-bit Windows could be part of the reason why (there's usually the normal Program Files, for 64-bit programs, and Program Files (x86), for 32-bit programs).