All users installation with Administrator account disabled

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All users installation with Administrator account disabled
Having trouble created an add-in that shows up for all users on the machine 
Jordan Blaydes




Posts: 37
 Joined: 2009-02-08
Hi, I'm sorry if this has been asked before.

My goal is to create a COM Add-in that shows up in Excel for all users on a machine.

1. My AddInModule property InstallAllUsers = True

2. I right-clicked on AddIn and created a WIX installer project

The XML contains the following relevant tags: 


   <Package 
      InstallerVersion="200" 
      Compressed="yes" 
      InstallScope="perMachine" 
      Description="I'm an Add-in"
      Manufacturer="My Company"
      Languages="1033"
      SummaryCodepage="1252" 
      InstallPrivileges="elevated"
      />


The adxregistrator_exe custom actions contain the /privileges=admin for RegisterApp 


    <CustomAction Id="RegisterApp" BinaryKey="adxregistrator_exe" Execute="deferred" ExeCommand='/install="[INSTALLFOLDER]$(var.MyTerminalAddIn.TargetFileName)" /privileges=admin /returnExitCode=false' Impersonate="yes" />


The add-in is installing to Program Files directory

When I install the add-in on windows 8.1, it does not work. The log file shows the following error message

Exception Source: AddinExpress.MSO.2005
Exception Type: System.ComponentModel.Win32Exception
Exception Message: Access is denied
Exception Target Site: CreateSubKey

I understand this error message but I am not sure how to fix it.

I receive a UAC prompt when running the MSI, yet the log says I am not elevated

Installation directory: C:\Windows\Installer\
Registrator version: 7.3.4061.0
Operating System: Microsoft Professional (build 9200), 64-bit
Process Owner: Administrator
Command Line: "C:\Windows\Installer\MSIDF7.tmp" /install="C:\Program Files (x86)\Uninstallable\MyTerminalAddIn.dll" /privileges=admin /returnExitCode=false
Run 'As Administrator': No
Process Elevated: No
Integrity Level: Medium
UAC (User Account Control): On

The user running the MSI is privileged as an administrator. The user account is not the account "Administrator".

The user account "Administrator" is disabled on most operating systems by default. I have found a curious workaround.
If I enable the account name "Administrator" and then right-click the MSI and select "Run as" then type in the "Administrator" credentials, I can successfully install the add-in for all users and the registry access to HKLM is allowed.

However, I do not want to do this. Enabling the "Administrator" account for my customers is undesirable. I would expect that an MSI could be run by an administrator privileged user, not the "Administrator" account, and gain access to the registry if the MSI requests elevation correctly.

Am I missing a WIX XML setting that elevates the process? How do you create an add-in that Registers for all users and can be run by an administrator privileged account?
Posted 20 Nov, 2015 18:50:01 Top
Jordan Blaydes




Posts: 37
 Joined: 2009-02-08
I found this great post by Andrei. Sometimes you just need google-fu.

https://www.add-in-express.com/forum/read.php?FID=5&TID=12747&MID=64974#message64974

I changed the custom action from impersonate=yes to impersonate=no and I was able to run the MSI, get access to HKLM, and install add-in for all users without enabling local administrator account.

I did see that another workaround is to publish a setup.exe. I don't really have any prerequisites, other than .NET framework, so I wasn't too interested in publishing a setup.exe that essentially did nothing but elevate, not even sure if that's possible?

Thanks,
Jordan
Posted 22 Nov, 2015 23:39:11 Top
Andrei Smolin


Add-in Express team


Posts: 19177
 Joined: 2006-05-11
Hello Jordan,

I agree, google-fu helps really often. ))

I wouldn't make something better if it already works. What do you think?


Andrei Smolin
Add-in Express Team Leader
Posted 23 Nov, 2015 02:32:15 Top