How can I install TC w/o Administrator rights?

[Mandai]

Is there a way to install (or run) TC without having Administrator rights?
I want to run it on my office PC but do not have Admin rights.

[fenix_productions]

2Mandai
If your company allows to use other tools then this should help:
http://www.ghisler.ch/board/viewtopic.php?t=16940

You can also just unpack TC's installation file.

[Mandai]

Bingo ... life can be so easy. Thanks!

[Phred]

I'm trying to run TC, too, without admin rights/UAC prompt and I've realised that it's difficult. I'm doing this on a computer where I'm logged on as a standard user. I simply want to run TC as a standard, unelevated user, but it seems these days to always require admin approval. In the properties box 'Run as administrator' is ticked and greyed out.

I see fenix_p's suggestion that you can 'just unpack TC's installation file'. Just? If I remember correctly this is what I've just had to do to install TC so that it runs for a standard user:

* Run TC; UAC admin prompt appears; using Vista Ultimate
* Ctrl-PgDn into the tcmd750a.exe to see inside it
* Use TC to copy the contents of the .exe file to, say, \Archives\Install\TC
That gives me a set of seven files, one of which is a .CAB file
* Still using TC drop down into the CAB file [Enter] and copy those files (27) plus WCMD_ENG.MNU in the LANGUAGE sub-folder into another folder, say, TCI
* Thinking that I won't be able to copy files currently open over themselves - like TC.exe itself - I close TC
* Open WinExplorer - twice; I'm addicted to two panels
* Copy/move all the files in \Archives\Install\TC\TCI to \Program Files\Total Commander
* Since I'm running as a standard (limited) user (I fear what may happen in this process if I'm an admin..) I'm prompted to overwrite existing files or not. I click Move & Replace - 29 times. Then I'm asked for admin UAC approval, which I give
* In the target Tot Com program folder in the second WinExplorer window I test TC, and success!

Thinking back, I believed I've generally installed TC as an upgrade using TC, elevated, with the install process closing the activating Tc.exe. Rights passed on, I expect.

Does a simple installation have to be as hard as this? I'll bet I'm missing something very basic.

[wczasy.nad.morzem]

and TC is only tool, i can use

[MVV]

I see fenix_p's suggestion that you can 'just unpack TC's installation file'. Just? If I remember correctly this is what I've just had to do to install TC so that it runs for a standard user:
...

Does a simple installation have to be as hard as this? I'll bet I'm missing something very basic.

It is very strange. TC doesn't require admin rights for launching, only its setup program - because it have such setting in its manifest. Also TC doesn't cause UAC to ask for elevating.

If you want to install TC w/o admun rights, you need to unpack Install.cab file from tcmd750.exe file using any archiver tool, and to extract contents of Install.cab to target TC installation folder, then you just need to move files from "e" folder one level up (or from "d" if you need German help) and remove "d" and "e" folders. Done, you may launch TOTALCMD.EXE!

But I agree with you, installation shouldn't ask for elevation if it may be done w/o it. As I understand, TC installation asks for elevation only for installing TC for all users (some registry entries and LNKs). I think that if user needs this, he may launch setup as admin specially (or TC installation may re-launch itself as elevated process to install LNKs and registry entries).

[Phred]

Thanks, MVV. Unfortunately here TC always requires admin rights for launching. I wouldn't have thought it was necessary, but it is here. Even from Start, Run, [browse]. The security rights assigned to the executable are normal; Read, Execute for Users, much like any other executable.

As I say, it seems I am installing TC (upgrade) these days from within an (elevated) TC that then dismisses the running TC. Thereafter 'Run as administrator' appears in properties, greyed out. I don't seem to be able to get TC to run without elevation without going through that multi-stepped manual install process, above.

Maybe I should try installing TC all over again from Start, Run - and elevate install when required. I do like to share TC around to all my users (me, actually) so maybe I should eliminate that from the install procedure. But I really don't want to have to install individually for every user.

[MVV]

Thanks, MVV. Unfortunately here TC always requires admin rights for launching. I wouldn't have thought it was necessary, but it is here. Even from Start, Run, [browse]. The security rights assigned to the executable are normal; Read, Execute for Users, much like any other executable.

Maybe I should try installing TC all over again from Start, Run - and elevate install when required. I do like to share TC around to all my users (me, actually) so maybe I should eliminate that from the install procedure. But I really don't want to have to install individually for every user.

Maybe you should check file properties, perhaps there you have option always launch app as admin set. You need only read/browse/execute permissions for user to start TC normally.

If you want to use shared TC copy, you need to have wincmd.ini file in its folder with UseIniInProgramDir=7. Also in this case you may need to setup redirection for some sections in INI so each user will have its own particular settings. You may redirect some sections into INI in user's profile for such case.

Also you may setup TC on your machine (with wincmd.ini in TC folder witn UseIniInProgramDir=7) and just to copy its folder to all other computers.

[Phred]

Firstly, MVV, all this is happening on one computer; many users.
Second, no, unfortunatley, none of the desktop shortcuts (pointing to separate Appdata.. folder inis) have 'Run as admin' set. But the executable itself DOES have 'Run as admin' set, and greyed out (as above).
Is there anywhere specific where 'Run as admin' would appear? I'm looking at the exe's Compatibility tab. And there in the shortcut's tabs, and also in its Shortcut tab.

Now that I've done the convoluted manual 'install' (above) that grey tick has gone.

I see that about User..etc=7 but I like to leave the program folder sacrosanct. I'll let the users set things their own way, without sharing.

[MVV]

Firstly, MVV, all this is happening on one computer; many users.
Second, no, unfortunatley, none of the desktop shortcuts (pointing to separate Appdata.. folder inis) have 'Run as admin' set. But the executable itself DOES have 'Run as admin' set, and greyed out (as above).
Is there anywhere specific where 'Run as admin' would appear? I'm looking at the exe's Compatibility tab. And there in the shortcut's tabs, and also in its Shortcut tab.

Now that I've done the convoluted manual 'install' (above) that grey tick has gone.

I see that about User..etc=7 but I like to leave the program folder sacrosanct. I'll let the users set things their own way, without sharing.

Compatibility tab is owned by application EXE file, through links you see the same tab. So, you can't have first link with run-as-admin enabled and second one with disabled one. But I don't know why you have this option grayed (some topics from Internet say that its grayed when UAC is disabled so all apps always launched with admin rights - you may try to re-enable UAC).

BTW, you may setup base settings for TC and redirect all other to user-personal INI. E.g. you may setup plugins that you installed and some other stuff.

[ghisler(Author)]

You can install TC without admin rights like this:
1. Rename tcmd750a.exe to tcmd750a.zip
2. Unpack it to some empty folder
3. Run install.exe

The execution level of install.exe is set to "highestAvailable", so if you run it as a normal user, you will not be asked for the admin password. However, you can install only to locations where you have write rights, and cannot create the desktop and start menu icons for all users.

[jjk]

Yep!!!
I didn't know that tip ! Wonderful.

[Phred]

Yes, I didn't know that, either, Christian, about renaming the exe to a zip. A quiet little gem.

It sounds reasonable for a normal user to not be able to write entries for other users, and that only when an administrator can you write for all. But it's unfortunate that when an admin you set up TC as an admin-owned program - with no option to deprecate.

I'm thinking that when 'in charge' you can normally do whatever you wish..

[MVV]

You can install TC without admin rights like this:
1. Rename tcmd750a.exe to tcmd750a.zip
2. Unpack it to some empty folder
3. Run install.exe

The execution level of install.exe is set to "highestAvailable", so if you run it as a normal user, you will not be asked for the admin password. However, you can install only to locations where you have write rights, and cannot create the desktop and start menu icons for all users.

I have some notes here:
1. May be skipped, any archiver can unpack SFX.
3. If execution level is set to highestAvailable, it will always ask for elevation if user have UAC-protected admin account. So it is better to set execution level to "asInvoker", this will work in same way but won't ask for elevation at all. User always may start elevated install using Run As Administrator context menu item. But the most reasonable variant is to start installation w/o admin rights and to start elevated child process only if user wants to install TC for all users (e.g. to start elevated install.exe with some parameters like install path and INI settings) in order to set registry values and links.

[Phred]

Are you saying, MVV, that we as users can 'set execution level to "asInvoker"' or are you advising Christian to make a change in the setup?
Even if the latter, is there a simple way we simple users can alter the config?

I do agree with your philosophy since, after many years of misbehaving with WinNT, 2000, XP, Vista, I endeavour to run always as a limited user. I know 95% of XPs are running as admins and I argue against that whenever I get the chance. Relates to herd immunity.

I'm assuming that what we're looking at is a Standard User running the extracted Install, with those rights, and installing/writing into \Program Files\TC.. - and then being able to run TC unelevated within that user's 'domain'. Correct?
(BTW, can I install in both TC and in TC75 different 'levels' of TC? Maybe just running a shortcut 'As Admin' would do. I could try it, but you might know immediately.)