How good is Vista about automatically running installers as administrator?

"Bruce Chambers" <bchambers@cable0ne.n3t> wrote in message
news:eC$Fy%23pkHHA.1776@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
> Milhouse Van Houten wrote:
>> I've read that there's "heuristic detection" code in Vista's UAC to
>> automagically sense installers (by more than just file name) and issue a
>> "Run as administrator" behind the scenes so that you don't have to do it
>> yourself -- but how good is it?
>>
>
> Please cite the specific source for this claim. It's certainly contrary
> to my first-hand experience. Just ask anyone who's complained about
> having to give the UAC the "go ahead" every time they try to install
> something.

You have to approve it, of course, unless you have approval disabled. I
didn't make that clear. But that issue aside (please, let's put that issue
aside), how well does this detection work? For now, I'm assuming not well
enough that you can forgo using "Run as administrator."

Milhouse Van Houten wrote:
> "Bruce Chambers" <bchambers@cable0ne.n3t> wrote in message
> news:eC$Fy%23pkHHA.1776@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...
>> Milhouse Van Houten wrote:
>>> I've read that there's "heuristic detection" code in Vista's UAC to
>>> automagically sense installers (by more than just file name) and
>>> issue a "Run as administrator" behind the scenes so that you don't
>>> have to do it yourself -- but how good is it?
>>>
>>
>> Please cite the specific source for this claim. It's certainly
>> contrary to my first-hand experience. Just ask anyone who's
>> complained about having to give the UAC the "go ahead" every time they
>> try to install something.
>
> You have to approve it, of course, unless you have approval disabled. I
> didn't make that clear.


No, you certainly didn't make that "clear." In fact, you stated the
exact opposite.


> But that issue aside (please, let's put that
> issue aside), how well does this detection work?


Define "well?" What precisely are you asking? Are you asking if it's
100% foolproof? judging by the numerous gripes about it in the
newsgroups, it works a bit more often than a lot of people seem to like.
It wouldn't be able to spot an installer that didn't try to write to
protected system areas, obviously.


> For now, I'm assuming
> not well enough that you can forgo using "Run as administrator."


If a normal application (not systems utilities, installers, etc.)
requires administrative privileges to function routinely, I wouldn't
have it on my computer; it's a security vulnerability.


--

Bruce Chambers

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