Re: running Sierra's The Hobbit without admin privs

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Date: Tue, 27 Apr 2004 19:56:27 -0400

Hi Chris,

You could right click the folder and assign permissions to those
users, however the registry keys for the game would need the same
treatment most likely. Here's another of the methods I've used Chris...

Some games will work with limited accounts after they have been installed and
run once either using an administrator account, or by temporarily changing the
limited user account(s) to an admin account in Control Panel / User Accounts,
just for the purpose of running the game the first time in order to be able to
install the necessary files and create the keys in the registry that it needs to
function, but may not be able to due to the restrictive nature of limited accounts.

If that mouthful doesn't resolve the issue, use the "Run As.." command instead:

1. Click Start / Control Panel / User Accounts / Create a New Account /
     Name the Account: "able2play" (without quotes) / Next Pick: "Computer-
     Administrator" & Click "Create Account";

2. Click on your new able2play account and Create a Password for it;

3. When your limited user wants to play a game that requires Administrator
    privileges they can Right-Click the shortcut to that game / Click Run As... /
    "The Following User": able2play and enter the password. Simple as that!

I know what you're thinking: That defeats the purpose of the limited user account.
To secure the "able2play" account so that it can't be used to logon to the computer:

First you can hide the account so that it won't show up on the Welcome Screen:
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/scripts_desc/xp_hide_users.htm (thanks Doug!)

Next add a shortcut to the windows logoff routine into the RUN key of the
able2play registry. I made a reg patch to simplify this process if you wish to use it:

4. Logon to the "able2play" account,

5. <ONLY RUN THIS PATCH USING THE "ABLE2PLAY" ACCOUNT>
     Save this patch to your drive and then doubleclick it to install it to your registry.
     http://www3.sympatico.ca/nibblesnbits/OnlyRunUsingAble2PlayAccount.reg

or

    *Instead of using the reg patch, click Start / Run / regedt32 / browse to:
    [HKCU\SOFTWARE\ Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run] and
    Click Edit / New / String value / ValueName: logoff / Value data: logoff

>From now on, if anyone logs on with the "able2play" account, the computer will log
them off immediately. They will not gain access to an administrators desktop! :-)

-- 
Cheers,                                 Windows XP MVP Shell / User
Jimmy S.                               http://mvp.support.microsoft.com
Game FAQs: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=FH;[LN];gms
Visit my Zone.com / Gaming Helpsite: http://nibblesnbits.tk or Call / Contact
MS Support at: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=sz;en-us;top
My advice is donated "AS IS" without warranty;  nor do I confer any rights.
_________________________________________________________
"Chris K" <chris@kolar.org> wrote in message news:d5834ac6.0404271545.6b558a8d@posting.google.com...
| Hi.  Running Windows XP Pro one of the benefits is that I can keep my
| kids on a separate account where they cant mess with my work stuff.
| Sierra's The Hobbit apparantly requires admin privs to run: meaning
| that if they run it from their normal user account they can run the
| program but cannot read/save games.
|
| Anyway, I was trying to figure out the best way around there.  I am
| not sure how to assign it "run as" privs -- it did not offer to do
| that when I instlled as some other games do.  I was hoping that I
| could just grant privs to their user name for a particular folder so
| that they cound run the program and r/w save game files.
|
| Any suggestions would be much appreciated.
|
| Thanks,
|
| --chris 

• Previous message: Chris K: "running Sierra's The Hobbit without admin privs"
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