Microsoft, the problem child Windows 8 and problems with the premissions/rights.

Discussion in 'Windows 8' started by Serial Thrilla, Oct 10, 2012.

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  1. Serial Thrilla

    Serial Thrilla MDL Novice

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    #1 Serial Thrilla, Oct 10, 2012
    Last edited: Oct 10, 2012
    Good morning/day or evening respected members & staff members of the MyDigitalLife Forums Community!

    I know that I'm fairly new on MDL, so please help me, instead of flaming me or offending me. I will try to do my best to keep up with the rules of this nice community forums :). I would like to ask you to accept my English, even when it's really awful. I'm not a native English speaker and my English never will be as good as the English of a native English speaker.


    I've opened this thread under the subject Windows 8 because I have a problem, or let's better say a "really nasty issue" with permissions/rights in Windows 8. I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who noticed this nasty issue in Windows 8. I would like to give an or a few example(s) so you can better understand what I mean. Btw, I'm using Windows 8 Enterprise Standard Build 9200 German x64. I've activated it with a MAK key via a KMS server ending with the domain "*mooo.com".

    I would like to let you know that I'm not using a Microsoft account to login into Windows 8. I've made a good old local Windows account which is set to Administrator.


    Example(s):

    I have installed the game "Risen 2 - Dark Waters" on my computer after reinstalling to Windows 8 and throwing all I need on it. The installation worked properly and I never got an error or something (installation was run normally, no "Launch as Administrator" or compatibility mode changes) . So far so good. I started the game and it works properly unless I want to save it. When I save, the save file is not being written and therefor no saving process is done. When I launch the game with "Launch as Administrator" ticked, it creates the save file and the saving works properly. So when I launch the game with my local administrator account "Serial" the game isn't able to write saves to the disk! I have to launch it with "Launch as Administrator" the whole time.

    Another example. I have downloaded a few modified files for another game called "Dishonored" that was released today (a language pack actually). I have extracted the files of the language pack to my desktop. When I move them to the game folder I get a message that I need administrator rights/premission to do it. I can click on proceed and it will move and overwrite the files with Administrator rights. This happens the whole time I want to move something or change something on "C:\". There is a second problem. I wanted to edit a .ini file (configurations of the game) with a text editor. I could open it but I couldn't change anything (it was set to "read only", that's easy to fix). But now after I fixed that and changed what I needed, I can't save it because I get the error "Access denied".

    Even renaming a file or the hard drive requires administrator rights. However there is always the procced button that applies the rename process with administrator rights. So actually my local administrator account isn't a administrator as I can't even rename a file in "C:\"?

    Image of the error in German:
    i<dot>imgur<dot>com/CjRcS.png


    I've checked my premissions (Serial/Administrator in accounts) for the drive C:\ and the option changed was not ticked. I changed it to give me full rights. Got a message from Windows that it might be not good to give full rights and bla bla bla. I procceded and got errors that the premission/right change couldn't be applied to all folders and files (even hidden files) in "C:\". So my permissions for "C:\" are still the same although "full rights" is ticked.


    What the heck is wrong with Windows 8? Anyone got a solution for this issue?
     
  2. 100

    100 MDL Expert

    May 17, 2011
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    #2 100, Oct 10, 2012
    No, you either used a MAK to activate with MS, or a KMS client key to activate with a KMS server.

    The game is most likely trying to store the save games in the program directory, where administrator privileges are required. Locate the game's savegame folder, and in properties/security, give your user account "full access" permissions. That should allow you to run the game and create savegame files without administrator privileges.

    That's the way UAC works. Explorer doesn't run with full administrator privileges, so for files/directories that aren't user-specific (such as system files or programs installed in "Program Files", you have to give yourself permission to modify these files by allowing Explorer to temporarily use your admin privileges. You can work around the restriction by running the programs, e.g. a text editor, as admin, or to give your user account appropriate permissions on the files or folders you want to modify.

    That's the point of UAC. Your regular user account shouldn't be able to modify system files without confirmation.

    Windows was right, and you messed up your file system permissions. Do you think it's a good idea that any program you run (especially insecure ones, such as browsers), should be allowed write access to the OS system files or installed programs without any sort of confirmation? Don't think so.

    What is wrong is that people have grown accustomed to the pre-Vista way of running as users with unrestricted admin privileges. The solution is for users to understand why this is a bad idea, and for developers to properly implement this model in their products, e.g. saving games in the user's home directory where they have full access, and not in the program directory.
     
  3. Serial Thrilla

    Serial Thrilla MDL Novice

    May 3, 2012
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    #3 Serial Thrilla, Oct 10, 2012 (OP)
    All I did was a few commands.

    Commands I've ran:
    1. slmgr /ipk MAK-KEY-FOR-ENTERPISE-HERE
    2. slmgr /skms win8kms4.mooo.com
    3. slmgr -ato

    And it was activated (it still is).


    The game used to store the saves in "C:\Programme (x86)\Risen 2 Dark Waters\Risen2" (this is random though, sometimes it is a folder called s instead of Risen2 or another one) on my old Enterprise Eval installation. Now I simply can't find the folder but the saves are there ingame.

    I'll do what you've said and give me full rights for this save folder and see if it works when I'll be able to find the folder.


    I didn't as Windows didn't apply the changes, it skipped everything during the try to apply them. I still can't do anything as before. These things also happened before I touched the premission/rights list for C:\. This never was a problem on Windows 7...


    I never had these problems on a Microsoft OS before.
     
  4. wolf69

    wolf69 MDL Senior Member

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    #4 wolf69, Oct 10, 2012
     
  5. 100

    100 MDL Expert

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    #5 100, Oct 10, 2012
    Sure it activates, just with MS activation servers. No point entering a KMS server because it's not used when activating a MAK.

    You may have had UAC disabled entirely, in which case you always run with admin privileges.
     
  6. thomasxx

    thomasxx MDL Novice

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    #6 thomasxx, Oct 10, 2012
    Last edited: Oct 10, 2012
    disable uac

    disable-uac-win7-2.jpg disable-uac-win7-gpo-41-560x400.jpg

    In windows 7 is "UAC: Run all administrators in Admin Approval Mode" disabled, but in windows 8 si enabled. Disable this policy and restart windows 8.
     
  7. Serial Thrilla

    Serial Thrilla MDL Novice

    May 3, 2012
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    #7 Serial Thrilla, Oct 11, 2012 (OP)
    Ok, thanks for clearing it up.


    How can I do that on Windows 8?


    I've done that already (first screenshot) but however the second screenshot is too small to see which things have to be disabled. Do you have a bigger one?


    Yes, I came from XP straight to Windows 7.
     
  8. Serial Thrilla

    Serial Thrilla MDL Novice

    May 3, 2012
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    #8 Serial Thrilla, Oct 11, 2012 (OP)
    Please close this thread.

    I managed to disable UAC with a simple change of a registry entry.