Always Start an Application in Administrator Mode on Windows 7 or Vista
Many utilities need to be run as administrator in order to function properly, especially older utilities that haven’t been updated to support Windows 7 or Vista yet.
All shortcuts in Windows since Vista have a special property that you can set that will allow the application to run as Administrator. This works perfectly for creating a batch file to restart a service, for instance.
To set this property, just right-click on any shortcut, and click the Advanced button on the Shortcut page to get to the Advanced Properties dialog.
You’ll see a dialog with a checkbox for “Run as administrator”.
From now on, the application will always run as administrator if you use the shortcut to launch it. (You’ll be prompted by UAC if you have it enabled).
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I’m having a related problem, several applications (IE for one) will not start unless I run as administrator. They just cycle for a bit and then it stops. If I run as administrator, they seem to work. I am the only user on that machine, so I am an administrator. Why should I have to run as an administrator if I already am one. Plus if I try this solution, everything is greyed out, which I thought was due to the fact that I am already an administrator. Most programs have the run as administrator available on a right click, but some do not, so I have to use windows explorer to find the program.
I’ve always been a bit of a security nut. As such I’ve always run XP & 2000 from a limited account. This means certain apps need to be run as my one admin account, e.g. Nero 6, ISObuster, et cetera.
I don’t mind right-clicking an application/shortcut, then going to “Run As,” then inputting the admin password. But if there is a way where an application automatically launches the “Run As”, or just runs as admin on XP, that’d be awesome.
Ideas?
Wow stupid me. XP has an almost-identical feature. Right click a shortcut (doesn’t work directly on an exe), go to properties, then advanced, then check “Run with different credentials”. Now the “Run As” dialog appears each time you execute the shortcut.
Sweet.
it would be nice in XP if you could prepopulate the “run as” credentials, so a user doesn’t have to enter a username\password each time…any ideas there?
In response to Tim:
********************************I’m having a related problem, several applications (IE for one) will not start unless I run as administrator. They just cycle for a bit and then it stops. If I run as administrator, they seem to work. I am the only user on that machine, so I am an administrator. Why should I have to run as an administrator if I already am one. Plus if I try this solution, everything is greyed out, which I thought was due to the fact that I am already an administrator. Most programs have the run as administrator available on a right click, but some do not, so I have to use windows explorer to find the program. ****** Tim on May 3, 2007 8:09 am
Below is a quote from James Bannan from within a document I found when searching for an answer as to Why Administrators didn’t have Adminstrator rights in Vista.
“Why administrators ain’t administrators ”
By default in Vista, the first account you create is a member of the Administrators group. You can check that by go into Computer Management (right-click My Computer, Manage) and navigate to Local Users and Groups.
Take a look at the properties of your own user account under “Member Of”, or look at the members of the Administrators group, and there you are.
The local Administrator account is also listed there, which should be reassurance enough that you have full local admin access.
However, let’s suppose you want to do something like change all the security permissions on the C:\Program Files folder. As an administrator you should be able to, right? Wrong.
Right-click on Program Files and select Properties. Go to the Security tab and there’s a list of currently-assigned access rights.
Click Edit, go through the standard confirmation, and then try to change something. You can’t – everything is greyed out.
However, turn UAC off and suddenly all is revealed – you now have full access to the underlying filesystem returned to you.
There are a number of ways to disable UAC, and I’ll go into them in greater detail once I get some info back from Microsoft, but a straightforward way to do it is to go into the Control Panel, switch to Classic View, double-click User Accounts, and select “Turn User Account Control on or off?. This takes you to another window, where you simply untick the checkbox to disable UAC, hit OK and then reboot.
Hi
Is it possible to launch an application in Administrator mode though command prompt. I mean any swich is available?
How can i do this programmatically? There’s a API Functions for it?
For example:
I want to permit my app create the shortcuts with this option checked…
Thanks in advance.
I have a problem when im trying to install my video card it says “Setup will only run in administrator mode.Setup is aborting,”Can any1 tell me the reason? thx
I’ve tried to do this, but the “run as administrator” tab is disabled. Any ideas?
This is my computer, I AM the administrator. I shouldn’t have to choose to run everything as an administrator. I don’t see the point. How do I set Vista so I am always the administrator and I can run whatever I want when I want?
you ARE the admin, but that feature isnt meant to make life hard on you, malware can control your computer and be held back by that annoying feature…
Best I can tell, Vista is malware.
I’m having the same problem – my run as admin boxes are greyed out, but my UAC is turned OFF already, and my programs won’t run.
I have the exact same problem! the admin box is greyed out and I need to run DMDX to do my final uni project!
Please help!!
Indeed I’m the Admin of my computer, and for this specific program I’m trying to launch, the “Run as Admin” icon is grayed out and I need it to run the program. This is frustrating. It shows the shield right next to the icon, which leads me to believe that there is a security setting that is putting it there and not allowing me to run it. Which is it though?
I used to be able to run Internet explorer fine but now I have to run it as an administrator so Ive ticked the run as administrator box under the shortcut property tab. But now every time I run EI it comes up with a box that says Iexplorer.exe is made by an unknown publisher, this is a pain because it comes up every time I open IE. I have had a malware problem recently but I think Ive got rid of it using AVG, Spybot and Ad-Aware. Apparently if you disable UAC it can lead to more problems with malware taking over so Im reluctant to do this and dont see why I should if I didnt have this problem before.
Starting application as an administrator??? This is such a NO-NO in general it’s unbelievable Windows actually REQUIRES it. Wow. I mean, wow. Glad I don’t use it.
Thanks Much. We appreciate these tips.
run as administrator” tab is disabled.how do i enable it.
I’m having the same problem as shawn (above). This doesn’t make sense, seeing as I’m the computer’s only user / administrator. Any help?
Hey guys,
Here is your SOLUTION:
If your ‘Run program as administrator’ option is greyed out then click the [Show settings for all users] button which is below it. It will then ask you for your administrator password and the option will now no longer be greyed out.
Cheers,
John
John,
No. The admin option is greyed out because his UAC is disabled. You can only run elevated with UAC on because if you turn it off you run everything elevated.
>October 31, 2008 3:16 pm John
>If your ‘Run program as administrator’ option is greyed out then click
>the [Show settings for all users] button which is below it…
>November 9, 2008 5:41 am Peter
>No. The admin option is greyed out because his UAC is disabled…
Peter: No, no. My admin option is greyed out, but my UAC is enabled.
John: Whenever my ‘Run as administrator’ is greyed out, the ’show settings for all users’ is also greyed out.
Everyone: I saw something somewhere on a Microsoft website (I can’t remember where) that said that these options will be greyed out on all “Vista compatible” apps, or something like that. In other words, if the app has already told Vista what token it wants, then the user isn’t supposed to override that selection.
But of course, we all want to override that selection, which is how we found this thread in the first place.
Anyone out there have any suggestions?
Windows Vista will only start up in safe mode. The ‘help menu’ suggests using the start up tool on the Windows Vista installation cd. However, I purchased this computer with the OS, Vista, already installed and it did not come with any cd. Can you help me?
In response to Geolino Canaver, i am having exactly the same problems as you, i try to install my graphics driver and it says setup is aborting, run in administrator mode. I tried ‘run as>logged into my own account, again… and it still wouldnt work…
any suggestions for XP?
go to program files folder, and find the app launcher (*.exe). right click>properties and look in compatibilty tab, there is a setting to run as admin. hope this will help.
hi,
I recently installed a new application. It doesn’t work unless i run in on administrator. However, when i run it on administrator, when the application opens, there is a box in the middle of the screen saying “Not optimum mode, recommended mode: 1280 X 1024, 60Hz” when it does disapear after i’ve pressed some random button on the screen, it comes back every 2-3 minutes.? I can’t click or move the box. Infact, the cursor goes behind the box, it is unable to go click ON the box. What should i do?
This goes to Shawn and everybody who has the same problems
run as administrator” tab is disabled. how do i enable it.
There are several reasons that this is greyed out. On the HOME VERSION there the Administrator Account isn’t enabled. This enables the ADMINISTRATOR ACCOUNT
IF Group policies are set from someone else and he disbled it then only this person can enable it..
Start > Search type CMD above there CMD will show up if possible Run As Admininstrator otherwise just doubleclick – then enter this line below
NET USER ADMINISTRATOR /ACTIVE:YES and press enter.. this should do it..
ok so i have done all that you say, but EVERY TIME I START THE PROGRAM UP IT STILL ASKS ME! and i have gotten rid of that stupid thing on programs b4 but i cant do it again!
open and admin cmd prompt and type: net user Administrator /active
log out log in as administrator and never deal with uac again… but beware of the malware!