Vista - New tool available to selectively bypass the UAC prompt

This is a developers tool that will allow you to selectively enable programs
to bypass the UAC prompt. Recommended for Vista Business, Enterprise and
Ultimate.

How to disable the User Account Control Prompt for certain applications:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/946932

Testing it now.


--

Ronnie Vernon
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

"Jon" <Email_Address@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:uNn64ZzSIHA.5136@xxxxxxJon

These are just prliminary results of some testing.

It worked on a file utility that I use. (ShellExView)
It failed on Acronis Disk Director and True Image.

I am aware of the registry keys you mentioned, but the Application
Compatibility Tool doesn't appear to make any changes to those registry
keys.

Still testing.

--

Ronnie Vernon
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

"Ronnie Vernon MVP" <rv@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:78090D5B-38F4-4822-B489-3DC8C7118275@xxxxxx

Yeah, that would make sense since the last 2 would require full elevated
privileges for uninhibited disc access, whereas you'd anticipate viewing
current user shell extensions to require less privileges.

Interesting that it's independent of those registry keys though....

--
Jon

"Jon" <Email_Address@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:ejOMlZ0SIHA.4280@xxxxxxJon

You were correct about the Acronis programs, they 'must' have admin
privileges to run. The utility that I mentioned ran OK until I tried to
perform an action that required it to create a registry value and then it
failed.

I found that the ACT tool does write a entry in the registry, but it creates
it's own key called 'InstalledSDB'.

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags\InstalledSDB

It also adds an entry to the Control Panel/Programs and Features/Uninstall
or Change A Program so that any particular component that you create can be
easily uninstalled.


--

Ronnie Vernon
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

"Ronnie Vernon MVP" <rv@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:%23lMZvHATIHA.4440@xxxxxx
Interesting .. thanks for sharing Ronnie.

--
Jon

Hi Ronnie,

I tried it on the program CCleaner, and it did not prevent the UAC prompt for it. Even after a restart. I also tried it with combinations of "RunAsAdmin" and "RunAsHighest" with the "RunAsInvoker" to see if it made any difference. Nope. I am using the 64 bit Vista Ultimate.

Hope this helps with the testing on it. Any ideas?

Shawn

"brink" <brink.32i227@xxxxxx-mx.forums.net> wrote in message
news:brink.32i227@xxxxxx-mx.forums.net...Hi Shawn

It really is a hit or miss tool.

I used the tool on a utility called ShellExView, which is a program that
displays and can change context menu items. It always pops up the UAC prompt
when it is started. After using the ACT tool, the program started without
the UAC prompt and displayed the information for the context menu handlers.

However, as soon as I tried to use the program to make a change to one of
the handlers (which required the program to make a change in the registry)
it simply failed. I had to restart the program and use the 'Run as
administrator' option to make it work properly.

Other programs, such as Acronis Disk Director or True Image, will simply
display an error message when you try to start them after using the ACT
tool. You can still use the 'Run as administrator' option and they will work
properly.

The tool adds a registry key at
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows
NT\CurrentVersion\AppCompatFlags called 'InstalledSDB' that contains several
DWord and String values.

The ACT tool also adds an entry in the Control Panel/Programs and
Features/Install_Uninstall Programs, so that you can can easily remove the
changes that the tool makes for a particular program that it is used on.

The conclusion seems to be that the tool is very limited in scope with what
it can actually do. What it will not do is override the UAC prompt if a
program attempts to make systemwide changes.
--

Ronnie Vernon
Microsoft MVP
Windows Shell/User

Ronnie,

I was afraid of that, and hoping it was just not compatible with the 64 bit Vista yet. It would of have been nice to of had a way to make a workaround "exceptions list" for the UAC for known safe programs that have no way for them to backdoor the system. Perhaps they will get the bugs worked out and release a new method.

Shawn