How to run a .exe as an administrator in a guest account (Windows 2000)

[lastig21]

We have done some video compression for training clips using the Windows Media 8 Codec. None of the computers on the network have this codec, so of course they will all need to install them. This can only be done from an administrator account. To save me from walking from computer to computer, I would rather just put a link to a batch file or something on the webpage that will install the codecs as an administrator. How can I do this (keeping the administrator password hidden)?

 

[phry26temp]

This might help, I cant test it b/c my comuter has gone AWOL. Linky

 

[Smilin]

Try some form of the Shift+right click. It gives you the "run-as" option in the context menu.

Also try the "runas" command

 

[spyordie007]

create a shortcut to that program, in the shortcut's options you can select "run as a differant user" and it will prompt you what user to run it as when you run the shortcut.

-Spy

 

[lastig21]

I am playing with the runas command, but I can't get it to work without prompting me for the administrator password. I can't give the admin password out to the users, so if I can't get it to autorun/enter the password, I'll have to go computer to computer anyway. Can anyone give the format of the runas command that won't prompt me for the password?

 

[Daboo]

I don't think you'll find a way to get around the password for the Runas command. However, what you could do is set up another account with admin privileges. Set the policies for the account to be available for a certain window of time in the day, and also set a limit of time for the account before the account expires.

The net effect is that you can give people the password to an account that allows them to install the software, but you control their ability to create havoc with it.

You probably are already doing this, but a good security measure to take is to disable the "Guest" account and the "Administrator" accounts. They are the only two common account names found on every NT system, and if usable, are vulnerable to hacking.

Good luck.

 

[lastig21]

The administrator account is disabled, but we have another local account as admin. It works as our administrator account. We have a Windows 2000 Advanced Server machine just waiting for some action. Does anyone know of a way to set a push to all of the computers off of that machine? Thanks for all the suggestions

 

[lastig21]

ttt for some more suggestions