Programs that can install for a standard user (Windows 8.1 and 10)

[chazzy2501]

I've seen it for a while but my teachers are standard (non-admin) users. They usually can't install a program BUT sometimes they can? I find that some programs can install with no admin access required. Can someone tell me what this is called and how it works.

 

The latest was a 3d splicer from Stratasys the teacher downloaded it, ran the installer and bam it was in.. I wasn't needed. I assume it was not altering system files.

[3s-gtech]

Do you have UAC turned on?

[jthompson]

Do you have AppLocker or a Software Restriction Policy in place? You'll want to prevent execution of anything in locations that users have write access to (e.g. Downloads), since that would also prevent anyone running portable apps.

[JordanT91]

I know that Spotify installs to the user's appdata area rathern than program files, meaning staff can install it if applocker or a software restriction policy is not enabled.

[chazzy2501]

I do have UAC on, default software restrictions (so none for teachers) and no AppLocker.

 

To be clear I'm not unhappy with this, as it allows some useful programs to be installed that don't seem to have a negative affect on the laptop. (programs that allow web meetings, or a 3d slicer) At least not in the last few years. I was just wondering if this control model has a name or settings.

 

I also allow users to install APPs from the M$ store but it's so barren it's not an issue.

 

 

EDIT: Also the curric PCs for pupils are locked down. software restrictions defaults to disabled and in win 10 I use applocker for the first time. This scenario is purely for Teachers personal laptops.

Edited June 7, 2018 by chazzy2501

[Arcath]

Quite a few apps these days install into AppData. Most electron apps do it (slack, etc...) as it uses squirrel which was specifically designed so that users can install stuff without getting a UAC prompt.

 

It's annoying from both sides really, AppData gets poluted with software installations and as a dev its annoying that my software gets installed for every user not just once per pc.

[Garacesh]

Yep, as the others have said, AppData.

I know Google Chrome has 2 flavours (or at least, used to), one that installs to C:\Program Files and one that installs to %Appdata%, depending on where it can write to. Plus there's a myriad of portable applications these days.

 

There's arguments for and against it, really. We do redirected start menus and local profiles, so software would only install on that machine for that user, and they'd have to be savvy enough to navigate to their appdata by path, so that knocks out most of our users.