Run as administrator does not work

Bert2X

New Member
Trying to install software but I get message "you must be logged in as administrator" I am the administrator. Even if I right click and try to "run as administrator" the same message appears. I have looked all over this forum and elsewhere for a solution. Does anyone have a solution that works?
 

My Computer

Please provide the manufacturer, name and version of the software you are trying to install. Is it from a download that is saved on your desktop or is it a CD or are you trying to install it directly from the internet or an internal network? If a download, please provide the link where you got it and if a download or internal network, where it is currently saved (the full path).

I'm sorry if this comes across wrong (I mean nothing personal by it), but are you absolutely certain you are logged in as an administrator when you are doing this (many people have multiple accounts and sometimes login to the wrong one by accident)? Even still, the run as administrator should have worked if even if you weren't (though it would have requested your admin password) - so that probably isn't the issue.

Go to Start / Control Panel / User Accounts and confirm that the tag under your name says Administrator. I want to make sure that somehow the system hasn't changed your account to a standard user account (I've seen it happen to others).

Try downloading Autoruns: Autoruns for Windows (it's a good program to have and use instead of msconfig) and see if that will install and run. I'm trying to see if the problem is with the program you are trying to install or with the installation procedure itself (or your status as an administrator).

If the above doesn't identify a problem, then I'll try to check the actual software on the web site (assuming it was a download and not a CD and once you provide it) and see if I can find anything there that might explain things.

I hope this helps or at least helps lead us to identifying the cause and from there a solution.

Thanks and good luck!
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inc. MP061 Inspiron E1705
    CPU
    2.00 gigahertz Intel Core 2 Duo 64 kilobyte primary memory
    Motherboard
    Board: Dell Inc. 0YD479 Bus Clock: 166 megahertz
    Memory
    2046 Megabytes Usable Installed Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 (Microsoft Corporation - WDDM) [Di
    Sound Card
    SigmaTel High Definition Audio CODEC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic PnP Monitor (17.2"vis)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200 pixels
    Hard Drives
    Hitachi HTS541616J9SA00 [Hard drive] (160.04 GB) -- drive 0, s/n SB2411SJGLLRMB, rev SB4OC74P, SMART Status: Healthy
    Case
    Chassis Serial Number: 5YK95C1
    Keyboard
    Standard PS/2 Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech HID-compliant Cordless Mouse
    Internet Speed
    1958 Kbps download ; 754.8 Kbps upload
    Other Info
    Optiarc DVD+-RW AD-5540A ATA Device [CD-ROM drive]

    Dell AIO Printer A940

    Conexant HDA D110 MDC V.92 Modem

    6TO4 Adapter
    Broadcom 440x 10/100 Integrated Controller
    Broadcom 802.11n Network Adapter
    Microsoft ISATAP Adapter
    Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface

    Router Linksys / WRT54G -01
Open the command prompt window as administrator and run this command:


net user administrator /active:yes


Log off your current session and log in as Adminsitrator, then try to install again your software. Good Luck!
 

My Computer

Lorien, this has been an ongoing frustrating issue. Others have posted similar questions all over the web about this very same thing. Even on this forum you cannot find a fix. The usual fixes do not work. Recent instance, yesterday I tried to install the desktop manager for my Blackberry. Tried the CD and then I downloaded the "latest" version from the website. No Luck. Today I decided to download and test a web browser I never used before. It is called "Iron". Users have given it good reviews. I downloaded the newest version from their website and it is supposed to work with Vista. The program installed on my 64bit Vista notebook, but when I try to open a page like, yahoo dot com, it wont open. IE, chrome, firefox all work fine, but this Iron wont open a page. So I think well, maybe doesnt like 64 bit OS so I download to my 32 bit laptop and it wont install at all. I have Windows 7 on my desktop, same problem. I'm no expert but I know my way around this Windows OS and I know how to find information. I checked my login I am the administrator. To be fair there have been times when "run as administrator" works. Sometimes installing to a diffrent folder works. I appreciate the idea that certain things are supposed to work, but when "log on as administrator" and/or "run as administrator" does not, what is a person to do?
 

My Computer

Ok. I've seen this issue before. Here's what I can say. Make a new account as admin. Disable Admin on your current account. Try do download it AGAIN and run it etc.
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Toshiba A135-S2345
    Memory
    1 GB
    Hard Drives
    140 GB
Bert,

I quite honestly don't know what to say.

The thing is, you're having downloading and/or installing problems on several different computers, at least 3 different operating systems, using both downloaded file and CDs, and it seems the problems are not all the same but are each different in some way (though sometimes they may be the same when tried on different systems). Some install, some won't install - and the reason they won't install seems to vary but includes cases of administrative right problems (on which you chose to focus for purposes of this thread). Some install but won't function or won't function correctly. The point I'm trying to get at is that it is very unlikely that all these different computers and operating systems and programs are caused by the same thing - more likely is that each problem is unique to the situation. Some may be compatibility problems. Some may be issues with your security settings (including UAC). Some may be problems with the software (a bad CD or a bad download). Some may be caused by the software requiring some type of special installation procedure or some type of previously downloaded OS update or add-on that isn't there - and that info may be available on their web site or by contacting them for assistance.

While I don't have a 64-bit OS or Windows 7 on any of my computers, I do have multiple computers with multiple operating systems. I too encounter downloading and installation problems from time to time and they almost always end up being issues with the software. Yes, I've needed to use "Run as Administrator" to get something to install even when logged in as an Administrator, but I've never had a folder problem as I do all download installations on the desktop no matter where the software tries to install the installation file(s) or folders - that seems to work best for me. When done, I move the file to my Download folder to save in case it's needed again.

Although I don't have a Blackberry, in my job I've installed the Contact Manager software on many computers (mostly XP but some Vista and not yet any W7 and all 32-bit as I recall) and I have had more than a few problems with it - it seems more difficult than most to get it working right the first time every time (and I've needed to contact their technical support group more than once for assistance). I'm sure they'd be happy to help you especially if you just bought it.

I've not heard about this "Iron" so I'm not sure what the story is there - if you post the link to the download site in a reply I'll check it out and see if I have the same problems you're having (perhaps it needs some type of special configuration after installation (either in the software or in Vista) to get it functioning - I don't know at the moment as this is the very first time I've heard of that particular browser though I've installed and used and had no significant problems with Firefox or Chrome and, of course, use IE8 (well, IE9 beta now) just about exclusively).

I have not faced a situation where EVENTUALLY I was unable to download and install software that was compatible with my system by some means or method. Perhaps using the built-in Administrator account suggested above, or temporarily diabling UAC and/or my security software, or installing it after doing a clean boot, or re-downloading to replace a corrupted original download, or using "Run as Administrator," or transferring the entire contents of the CD to the hard drive and running the installation from there instead of from the CD, or researching the software to find if something already installed on my system was causing a conflict and needed to be removed to allow the new program to install, or installing and/or running it in compatibility mode, or adding the new program to UAC exceptions because UAC was for whatever reason blocking it, or contacting the software company or visiting their website for assistance, or SOMETHING. Sometimes one of the first things I tried did the trick - sometimes I had to try nearly every trick in the book (including discussing the problem with the software manufacturer's technical support group) before I finally got it to work or discovered the reason it would not work and that the reason wasn't something I could resolve (such as being incompatible with the OS or the computer hardware or some program I was not willing to uninstall).

I've tried to give you some ideas to try by sharing my own experiences. Those are some of the things I try when "logon as administrator" or "run as administrator" don't do the trick. There are more things I try as well - but that's a lot of items and they vary depending on the situation, the errors I'm getting, what exactly I can't do and where it fails, and other factors. Sometimes I do complete maintenance on Vista and try installing after that. I can't possibly list them all - there are simply too many I've done over the years and most would be inapplicable except in the special circumstance I was facing. I'm merely suggesting that there are alternatives and it's sometimes just a matter of finding the right one(s).

I hope this helps. If you're interested in any of the specific procedures I mentioned and want more details, just post back with which ones and I'll see what I can find or come up with to help (we have many excellent tutorials in this forum that may provide guidance).

Good luck!
 

My Computer

System One

  • Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Inc. MP061 Inspiron E1705
    CPU
    2.00 gigahertz Intel Core 2 Duo 64 kilobyte primary memory
    Motherboard
    Board: Dell Inc. 0YD479 Bus Clock: 166 megahertz
    Memory
    2046 Megabytes Usable Installed Memory
    Graphics Card(s)
    ATI Mobility Radeon X1400 (Microsoft Corporation - WDDM) [Di
    Sound Card
    SigmaTel High Definition Audio CODEC
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Generic PnP Monitor (17.2"vis)
    Screen Resolution
    1920 x 1200 pixels
    Hard Drives
    Hitachi HTS541616J9SA00 [Hard drive] (160.04 GB) -- drive 0, s/n SB2411SJGLLRMB, rev SB4OC74P, SMART Status: Healthy
    Case
    Chassis Serial Number: 5YK95C1
    Keyboard
    Standard PS/2 Keyboard
    Mouse
    Logitech HID-compliant Cordless Mouse
    Internet Speed
    1958 Kbps download ; 754.8 Kbps upload
    Other Info
    Optiarc DVD+-RW AD-5540A ATA Device [CD-ROM drive]

    Dell AIO Printer A940

    Conexant HDA D110 MDC V.92 Modem

    6TO4 Adapter
    Broadcom 440x 10/100 Integrated Controller
    Broadcom 802.11n Network Adapter
    Microsoft ISATAP Adapter
    Teredo Tunneling Pseudo-Interface

    Router Linksys / WRT54G -01
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